An Unforgettable Birthday

An Unforgettable Birthday

Everyone rushed to get ready, excited to get out of the house and spend time with family, but I cannot help but to wonder if they knew what the day was to hold if they would have left the house at all. Christina, Summer, and Haley piled into their car and drove to the office of the family business to meet their grandma, Beth, their aunt, Tricia, and the cousins. Haley decided to ride with her grandma while Autumn rode with Summer and Christina. Beth pulled out of the office parking lot and started driving down the road with Christina following close behind. They were going to celebrate Tricia’s birthday at Imogene’s Tea Room. Pulling on to the highway, Christina, Summer, and Autumn were listening to the new Taylor Swift song that had just came out that day, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”. They talked about the new school Autumn would be attending that year and sports. Conversation in that car soon tapered off and they sat there listening to music, lost in their own thoughts. Meanwhile, in the other car, Haley, Bradon, and Payton were laughing and talking loudly in the backseat. Tricia sat looking at her phone and talking to Beth.

During this time traffic had increased and some cars had come in between them. Christina’s car was just now driving under an overpass on Highway 270, when they suddenly heard a loud screeching sound. Immediately, Christina asked with concern in her voice, “What is that?” They all began looking around. Summer turned her head to look over her shoulder out the back driver’s side window where Autumn was sitting. At that moment fear began to rise up in Summer. A red van was losing control a few feet away from their car. The girl driving the van had been trying to get over, but had not seen the other car in that lane, when she tried to jerk back over she had lost control of the car. A look of horror washed over the girl’s face as she quickly tried to avoid hitting Christina’s car. Autumn’s eyes found Summer’s and seeing the look of terror in them, she knew something bad was going to happen. She quickly turned her head to look out the window and had just enough time to see the red van before they were hit.

Boom! Instantly, they were spinning around and around. Up ahead, Beth glanced up and looked in her rear view mirror. She saw the exact moment they were hit and began panicking saying over and over, “They’ve been hit! They’ve been hit!” Everyone’s heart stopped in that car as they wondered what was going on. They soon realized that Christina, Summer, and Autumn had been hit by another car. As Beth pulled over, Tricia unbuckled her seat belt, jumped out the door, and began running down the side of the highway before the car had even stopped.

Metal crunched each time the car hit the median and another car. Screaming and Tires squealing were some of the only sounds that could be heard. The smell of burnt rubber filled the air. They all were getting jerked around. When Summer’s head hit the window all she could think was “When is this going to be over?” Finally, the car came to a stop, and they all opened their eyes to realize they were in the same lane where they started, just several feet ahead.

As the chaos ended, Christina realized she could drive and pulled over by the median, where the red van was blocking them from being hit anymore from behind. They all looked around to make sure everyone was okay. Summer saw Tricia running down the side of the road while Christina called 911 and her husband, Phil. They were shaking and crying, still in disbelief over what had just happened. Blocked from getting over to them by the cars driving along the highway, Tricia called Christina to make sure no one was seriously hurt. After a while the police and the ambulance showed up and Tricia was able to cross the highway. She came up to the car crying and gave everyone a hug. The police and the paramedics came around to the cars to make sure everyone was fine and to question them about what had happened. Thankfully everyone was okay, just a few bumps.

Phil and Jeremy, who was Autumn, Bradon, and Payton’s dad, soon arrived and they were able to leave. Since there was nothing she could do, Beth had drove to the Bread Co. that was near by to wait for the rest of the family. Summer and Christina got in Phil’s truck while Autumn and Tricia rode with Jeremy, since the car had to be towed because it was totaled. Arriving at the Bread Co., everyone began hugging, crying, and thanking God no one was hurt. They did not end up getting to go to the tea room, but were able to enjoy a lunch together. They all sat down at a table, joined hands, and said a prayer to thank God for keeping them safe and allowing them to be there together. That day could have ended vey badly and very differently. Instead of everyone sitting around the table together, they could have been sitting in the hospital hoping their loved ones were okay. It could have pushed them to the dark and made them angry with each other and God, but instead it brought them closer together and to God.