I find these events so hard to believe. I was there, obviously. I remember it all. But it was a night of such high emotions, stress, and so forth all mixed together. So I had to write it out anonymously, just so I could actually believe it happened. Hopefully when I am done, and I tell this tale, I can read it a few times. I'll let it sink in, then probably delete it, once I realize how wrong it was, and that it should never happen again.
But just a little about my situation previous to the event. I really worked my butt off for three months prior in order to close a tax accounting contract that brought millions to my company, and a huge bonus to myself. I guess that was the start of my euphoria. I was on top of the world the night after I got my bonus. It was 2 days before Thanksgiving. My wife, and mother to my only daughter was out of town, as she had been so often to care for her aging father. She would be back to our house tomorrow evening, and to this day, 5 months later be totally unaware of what had happened under the roof we share. However, she does know of the accident that led up to this event. We are a family after all.
As I think back on all of this I have to stop and account for all of it carefully. These event that preceded, are a blur, because they happened so quickly and under a great deal of stress. I know this, so if I remember more of it later, I'll just fill in the blanks in my head. No need to re-write a story I'm just going to delete anyway.
November 23rd of last year, around 9:50 PM
I glanced up at the clock on the wall behind the TV noting yet another commercial, during my show. I honestly didn't realize what time it was until then. Then it occurred to me that my eighteen year old daughter should be here by now. She has been traveling home from college upstate since mid afternoon. The last I heard from her was about six, when she was halfway here. It is now nearly ten and she is overdue.
Picking up my phone, I halfway tuned into the last few minutes of my show as I called her. After several rings, her message service picked up. I hung up and tried again. During the third time I started to get a little nervous. The snowstorm has picked up considerably in the past few hours. But just as it was about to go to the answering service again, I heard her voice.
"Hi dad," Heather answered.
"Oh good you picked up," I said. "I was worried".
"Sorry," she giggled. "I had the radio on really loud."
"Are you getting close?" I asked.
"Actually yeah," she said. "Just turning onto James' lake road now. It was hard making the turn. The snow is like over a foot in the middle of the road on Baxter."
"Yeah it really came down," I said, starting to feel relieved.
"So like ten minutes", she said. "Any leftovers? I'm starving".
"Yeah, some chicken soup I made," I smiled.
"Oh yum," she giggled. "You know Dad, as much as I am enjoying school, it's good to come home for the holidays."
"It's so good to have you here," I said softly as I stepped out on the porch.
"Your the only kid I've got you know".
"Whoa," Heather said with an elongated tone.
"What?" I asked nervously.
"Oh nothing," she said. "That corner down near Perkin's beach, you know. It's kinda steep. I have to slow down."
"Oh I think I see you," I said as I looked down the road about a half a mile. "Slow down Heather".
"I am but it's slippery," she said.
"Put it in first, pump the brakes!" I exclaimed.
"Trying!" she exclaimed.
"Your going faster," I exclaimed.
"Not on purpose," she said nervously. "It's slippery. I can't slow down."
"Turn into the skid," I said as I saw her little car start to move sideways at increasing speed.
"Ah dad!", she exclaimed, "putting the phone down!"
"Dammit," I exclaimed as I heard a bang from the phone presumably being tossed on the dashboard. "Heather!"
I watched in horror as the car slid off of the road sideways at the bottom of the hill. My heart raced as it slowed and looked as if it would come to a stop. Then it slid more and picked up speed, flipping onto its top, then righting itself again, slamming broadside, hard against a tree. The sound was deafening. Of course it wasn't from this distance, but just the thought of my daughter being hurt created those sound effects in my head.
"Heather!", I hollered into the phone as I ran back into the house.
Quickly I took my keys, and hurriedly grabbed my jacket. Running into the garage, I slammed the door open. Jumping in my truck as fast as I could, I cussed at the garage door taking so long to rise. Once it had, an eternity later, I pulled quickly out of the garage, sliding all over the driveway. Realizing how to fix the problem, I switched into four wheel drive, and sped off down the road in the direction of the wreck. I kept hollering into the phone through a connection that was still open. There was no answer. As I approached the scene, I lined the truck up with the position of my daughter's car and turned the high beams on. As I got out, I started calling her name. A nearby neighbor, Mr. George must have heard the noise and was running from his house across the street. His flashlight bobbed up and down as he ran through the deep snow.
"Sam help me!" I hollered. "It's Heather!"
"Oh no!" Sam George said with concern.
"Heather!" I hollered as I looked down over the embankment leading to the lake. "Sam, help me with this."
I instructed him how to release the wench cable slowly as I descended with it wrapped around my waist. It couldn't possibly go fast enough. Then I heard her. Her voice was as sweet and welcoming as any. A huge wave of relief filled me as I hollered back.
"Dad I'm stuck!" she said.
"I'm coming baby!" I hollered with a slight whimper.
As I reached the bottom, I looked in expecting to see a parent's nightmare. She looked back at me through the glass of a half smashed outside window. A small cut on her forehead was all the damage I saw. But then I nearly lost my lunch as I saw the tree limb sticking through the windshield just a few inches from her head. Half of her flip phone could be seen underneath it.
"Hang on!" I whimpered as I pulled on the door handle.
