My Second Lease on Life
Saturday, December 27, 2008
December 17, 2008: It was a Wednesday. It supposed to be a good day for me.
I was so ecstatic to drive 30 miles [or so] to Sanford for contract signing and work briefing for the [very] first job I was accepted for since I came here in the United States. Being abum and jobless stay-at-home wife for almost 2 years, it meant so much to me. Hubby missed work just to go with me to Sanford because he was worried about the road condition. We had a snow storm the night before and roads were really shitty bad. It was my first winter driving and I had no idea what slushy road meant much less how it felt like behind the wheel. But I got to do what I had to. I need to learn how to drive in winter roads.
Maine is very beautiful in winter time. It is picture perfect especially after a snow storm. It is like a life-size greeting card with me on itall bundle up. But beyond that beauty lays a treacherous road that I was not so familiar with. Black Ice season is totally unheard of from where I came from. I am so used to dusty roads which sometimes caused zero visibility and frying-pan-hot pavements in 80 degrees tropical backdrop. But that's all about it. Road accidents are usually caused by crazy motorists and not because of bad road conditions [or maybe on some isolated cases].
It already stopped snowing and the sun started to show up when I hit the road. But the roads were still covered with white powdery snow flakes that made it impossible for me to see the yellow lines in the middle of the road. It made it tough for me to know where the road ends and where the ditch begins. It made it hard for me to realize too that the plummeting temperature made the road slushy and icy. Needless to say, the snow storm made the road’s condition even worse because we still have not gotten over yet with the ice storm that caused statewide power outages the week before.
Everything happened so fast. I drove back home after I signed the contract and stopped a couple of times at the stores to do the rest of my Christmas shopping. I hit the road back on right after without any hint of the fate we were about to have in the next couple of miles ahead. I had no clue that I was driving right on the ditch until Hubby alarmed me. I didn’t know the difference because the road was all covered in white and I didn’t know how it feels like when the tires are spinning. When I went back on the road, the tires started to spin and as I stirred the wheel the car slid sideways going to the opposite lane. My mind, my hands and my foot seemed to be uncoordinated and my heart started to sink. At that moment I knew deep inside where we were heading. Hubby was hollering about something that I can’t figure out or maybe I was already totally disoriented because the stirring wheel seemed to have a mind of its own. Next thing I knew Hubby grabbed the stirring wheel trying to straighten it up so I let it go while my foot jammed on the break. There was indeed nothing we both could do to get the car back on the right side of the road. My poor car went straight to the ditch on the other side of the road and hit the huge pine tree head on. My heart stopped. My right knee felt as if someone hit it with a hammer. My hands were numbed but shaking. My whole body was trembling. Tears came running down my checks. I was totally scared and I just shut my eyes and sobbed.
But there was something wrong. There was one thing that definitely wrong. I didn’t hear anything… not even the sound of the crash or the impact of the car hitting that big pine tree. I know I was screaming… "Oh, God! Oh, God! No! No!" But that… I didn’t even seem to hear too. I knew I was crying but not because I was hurt. I was crying because I was seeing in my mind that Hubby was pinned down on the passenger’s seat covered with blood and motionless. I saw that image in my mind for a couple of minutes. Then I started to gain my hearing back. I started to hear the squeaking sound of the branches of the trees as the briskly wind blew hard. I started to feel cold. And I started to open my eyes to see what had just happened. I looked on the passenger’s seat. It was empty. The door was open and Hubby was not there. I shut my eyes again and sobbed harder. I could hear myself screaming and sobbing all at the same time. Next thing I knew, Hubby was on my side. He managed to get out of the car… went to my side… opened my door… and checked on me. He was hugging me and asking me if I was alright... if I was hurt. I opened my eyes. Having realized what was really going on at that very instant, I sobbed harder and hugged him so tight... thankful that he was alright.
I cried hard enough that made Hubby more worried than ever. I cried hard because I was so relief that Hubby was by my side alive and hugging me. I cried hard because I was so glad that we were both safe and unharmed.
I managed to get out of the car as soon as I got the strength to pull myself out of the driver’s seat. It was freezing cold but I could taste the saltiness of my perspiration [or was it my tears]. Hubby already called 911 and our insurance agent but still I couldn’t believe that he was standing beside me with his free arm wrapped around my cold body. At that particular instant all I was thinking was… how blessed we are to have survived such mishap.
Indeed, God is good for sending us his angels to protect us. I was so grateful for all those people who stopped offering us help and assistance. And I am grateful that I was given a second chance to appreciate how fragile life is.
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I was so ecstatic to drive 30 miles [or so] to Sanford for contract signing and work briefing for the [very] first job I was accepted for since I came here in the United States. Being a
Maine is very beautiful in winter time. It is picture perfect especially after a snow storm. It is like a life-size greeting card with me on it
It already stopped snowing and the sun started to show up when I hit the road. But the roads were still covered with white powdery snow flakes that made it impossible for me to see the yellow lines in the middle of the road. It made it tough for me to know where the road ends and where the ditch begins. It made it hard for me to realize too that the plummeting temperature made the road slushy and icy. Needless to say, the snow storm made the road’s condition even worse because we still have not gotten over yet with the ice storm that caused statewide power outages the week before.
Everything happened so fast. I drove back home after I signed the contract and stopped a couple of times at the stores to do the rest of my Christmas shopping. I hit the road back on right after without any hint of the fate we were about to have in the next couple of miles ahead. I had no clue that I was driving right on the ditch until Hubby alarmed me. I didn’t know the difference because the road was all covered in white and I didn’t know how it feels like when the tires are spinning. When I went back on the road, the tires started to spin and as I stirred the wheel the car slid sideways going to the opposite lane. My mind, my hands and my foot seemed to be uncoordinated and my heart started to sink. At that moment I knew deep inside where we were heading. Hubby was hollering about something that I can’t figure out or maybe I was already totally disoriented because the stirring wheel seemed to have a mind of its own. Next thing I knew Hubby grabbed the stirring wheel trying to straighten it up so I let it go while my foot jammed on the break. There was indeed nothing we both could do to get the car back on the right side of the road. My poor car went straight to the ditch on the other side of the road and hit the huge pine tree head on. My heart stopped. My right knee felt as if someone hit it with a hammer. My hands were numbed but shaking. My whole body was trembling. Tears came running down my checks. I was totally scared and I just shut my eyes and sobbed.
But there was something wrong. There was one thing that definitely wrong. I didn’t hear anything… not even the sound of the crash or the impact of the car hitting that big pine tree. I know I was screaming… "Oh, God! Oh, God! No! No!" But that… I didn’t even seem to hear too. I knew I was crying but not because I was hurt. I was crying because I was seeing in my mind that Hubby was pinned down on the passenger’s seat covered with blood and motionless. I saw that image in my mind for a couple of minutes. Then I started to gain my hearing back. I started to hear the squeaking sound of the branches of the trees as the briskly wind blew hard. I started to feel cold. And I started to open my eyes to see what had just happened. I looked on the passenger’s seat. It was empty. The door was open and Hubby was not there. I shut my eyes again and sobbed harder. I could hear myself screaming and sobbing all at the same time. Next thing I knew, Hubby was on my side. He managed to get out of the car… went to my side… opened my door… and checked on me. He was hugging me and asking me if I was alright... if I was hurt. I opened my eyes. Having realized what was really going on at that very instant, I sobbed harder and hugged him so tight... thankful that he was alright.
I cried hard enough that made Hubby more worried than ever. I cried hard because I was so relief that Hubby was by my side alive and hugging me. I cried hard because I was so glad that we were both safe and unharmed.
I managed to get out of the car as soon as I got the strength to pull myself out of the driver’s seat. It was freezing cold but I could taste the saltiness of my perspiration [or was it my tears]. Hubby already called 911 and our insurance agent but still I couldn’t believe that he was standing beside me with his free arm wrapped around my cold body. At that particular instant all I was thinking was… how blessed we are to have survived such mishap.
Indeed, God is good for sending us his angels to protect us. I was so grateful for all those people who stopped offering us help and assistance. And I am grateful that I was given a second chance to appreciate how fragile life is.
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