This weeks assignment for our writers group was to write about an accident. So many great stories, both fictional and not-fictional were shared. This is what I read to the group. Mom have a box of tissues ready because I can't even read it without tearing up myself.
There are
some moments in life that stay with you forever. The face of one little boy has stayed with me
for over twenty years. This is our story
and how he still lives on through my memory.
The
morning air was crisp and cool on my arms.
Today was going to be a day filled with friends and family. As a treat to our baseball family we are all
going to a water park for a picnic and with awards being handed out at the end
of the day. There are going to be
salads, hot dogs, fruit bowls and lots of brownies; oh and a few cute
boys. I am even going to be able to
ride shotgun the whole way down and back again, how exciting!
First we had to pick up one other boy to ride
with us; his parents had to work and my dad did not want any of his boys to
miss out on the picnic. We had extra
room anyways, because my mom was going to be driving a friend’s car. Her friend had been stung by a bee the day
before and was unable to drive due to her medication; her son was on the team
and she didn’t want him to miss out in the festivities.
We went
over to her house to drop off my mom early in the morning; it was that moment I
will always remember. He was sitting on
the picnic table petting his dog; the expression on his face was both peaceful
and saddened. Thinking back now as an
adult, I think somewhere inside he knew.
But he never led on, nor told anyone what he knew. But he knew.
As he was
stroking his dogs’ ears he looked up at our car, his eyes locked onto
mine. I could not look away; I could not
break the connection. He smiled after
what felt like eternity, but were only a few seconds. In that moment I believe he decided both of
our fates, he was at peace with the path god had chosen for him and he was
ready. His smile was that of an angel in
the making.
It took
me a few days to process the remainder of that fateful day. I was surrounded by members of our baseball
family on the slope of a small hill that overlooked the baseball diamond. We were all grieving and in shock; it was
then I realized the part I had played on that eventful day. If I had let him switch cars with me, at the
end of the day, he would have lived. He wanted to ride with the other boy in our car, and I did not want to give up my shotgun seat. But
maybe, just maybe he had relented easily during the discussion to switch places
because he knew what would happen in the matter of a few hours, and he was
ready.
I still
see that little boy sitting on the picnic table with his dog. He is smiling at me, but sometimes he is not
alone. Standing behind him is his
mother. They left together that night,
on a cold dark country road, when another mans decision decided their fates and the fates of those left behind. Maybe that’s why he made the decision,
because he knew he would not be making the final journey alone.
When he
looked into my eyes that fateful day, I think he looked into my soul and saw
what I have yet to find out. Gods’
greatest plans for me during this lifetime .
Everyday when his face comes to the front of my mind, I remember. I remember how he allowed
me the chance to experience the beauty and the joys around me.
But I can not deny it, I also wonder some-days if he
made the right choice or what he saw in me that fateful morning.
