Sunflowers*

OilMan usually goes to the store, but yesterday he wanted to go earlier than I was ready to think about the necessary list…necessary for him, that is, and if it's not on the list, he doesn't get it…so I offered to go. I set off on the oft traveled route at about 4:45pm hoping to beat the after work crowd at Olivers. I was waiting at the red light, my brain on autopilot when there was an almighty bang that sounded like an explosion and auto parts and personal possessions began raining down into the intersection. Still sitting in my car I instinctively raised my arms to protect my head. My first thought was 'bomb'. My second thought was 'car crash'. My third thought  was , 'is anybody hurt? Am I hurt? Will my car start?'

I'm pausing here for a moment to explain why I am writing about this. When something like that happens it is difficult to explain what happens to the brain. Mine was on 'pause' as I sat at the light, but the moment after the crash, it went crazy trying to figure out what just happened and what to do next. I was shaking almost uncontrollably and, strange as it sounds, wasn't sure if my car had been hit or if I was injured.

I turned my head to look at the car next to me…the one that had been hit. The air bag had deployed, the driver was staring straight ahead when suddenly he jumped out of his car and began collecting his personal possessions…a duffel bag, some shoes from the middle of the street. Another car sat in the middle of the intersection and the driver was slowly climbing out.

MY next thought was 'will my car start?' Can I drive it? (I should say here that many new cars, as a fuel saving device, turn off at intersections and don't turn on again until you take your foot off the brake). She started right up…I can't remember if I took my foot off the brake or pressed the ignition button…and I shakily steered her through the intersection and over to the side of the street. There wasn't a scratch on her, and other than the shaking I was just fine. I went back and looked at the totaled car turned at a strange angle toward where I had been sitting. It must have missed being pushed into me by the force of the crash by a fraction of an inch. 

There were people there on their phones, there was another disabled car behind  where we had been sitting, an ambulance and the police were arriving, followed by a fire engine. I was unhurt, my car was undamaged and I had no idea what or how it happened, so I decided I would just be in the way. Ever so nervously, I negotiated the turn across three lanes of traffic into Oliver's parking lot where I sat trying to breathe deeply for 15 minutes until I realized it was much to hot to sit there anymore.

Two questions remain in my mind today: What happened? and why didn't I see it coming?

All I know for sure is that I was damn lucky….

*The sunflowers are for those three people with totaled cars who will never know how glad I am that they weren't injured, even though they will never know who I am .