My oldest daughter, Shade, 14, was almost lost to me forever yesterday. As in quite literally, the last time I saw her would have been the last time I saw her alive. She was walking to school with a friend, Kia, 16, and they were crossing the street right outside our house. They were at the intersection, in the crosswalk, following all "the rules". An oncoming car stopped to let them cross, however the car behind him, driven by a teenage boy who was trying to drop off his little sisters at the elementary school (where my youngest daughter also happens to go) did not stop. He plowed at full speed into the stopped car which was 4 feet from Shade and Kia. It was sent directly at them in what she describes as "mom it was like the whole world went into slow motion, but at the same time it was instant, like a second". They literally dove out of the way and were missed by a hair. The car that was hit was totalled, into a little ball (my DH saw the car only a few minutes later, never knowing that Shade had been there) and the passengers were carried away on stretchers, unconscious. I still do not know if they are OK. This happened in the morning and I didn't hear about it until some 9 hours later. And in the telling, we didn't even know that Shade was there, we just heard about the horrible accident outside our house. Wasn't until Carsey (middle kid) got home and gushed "how is Shade? I was so worried all day, is she OK?" Apparently it was all the talk at her middle school. She said she could "swear she had seen me come into the office and knew what it had to mean and felt sick inside" {luckily that was not the case!). In all of this there is the surreal feeling that it didn't happen, everything is as it has always been, she is fine, no harm done, no foul. But in my head, in the quiet, I keep hearing "Shade almost died today" and this morning "Shade almost died yesterday. almost died, almost died, ALMOST DIED......" I don't like the quiet right now, not good to be in my own head.
hugs, t