STATE ROUTE 207
The screeching and crackling of metal
is still fresh in Andy's ears. He sits up straight and tries to breathe,
but his organs feel as though they are jumping against the inside of his
chest and then ricocheting against his back. He remains still, unmoving
except for the trembling in his hands, his legs, and just about every other
part of his body.
I'm alive. The thought comes
at him out of nowhere. He hadn't even considered the fact that he might
somehow be dead. The whole thing just happened too quickly for that. But
now a wave of relief floods his body as he realizes that he is alive and,
from what he can tell, okay -- unlike the car, the front end of which has
crumpled up before him.
The next realization that hits him
is that the car is still running, strangely enough. He can hear it groaning
and wheezing, alternately. Immediately he puts it into reverse and pulls
away from the other car, wanting to untangle the mess even just a little
bit. When he is a safe distance away, he puts the car into drive and moves
forward again, but to the side. The car sputters as it settles on the side
of the road, and before Andy can put it into park or remove the key from
the ignition, it dies.
During the moving of the car, the
idea that has been dominating his thoughts is that of the other driver
and the other car. Who did he hit? What kind of damage has he caused? He
notices, with a certain degree of shock, that the damage he caused to the
other vehicle, an SUV, is minimal -- a little bit of denting on the rear
end, but that's it. The SUV moves with ease to the side of the road, in
front of his car.
He watches as a woman emerges from
the driver's side. The first thing he notices is how attractive she is,
peculiarly enough. She appears to be in her early thirties, with dark hair,
almost black, its tips reaching for her shoulders. Andy pulls the release
on the door and he hears it pop open, but he remains in his seat. The woman
approaches the driver's side of his car, but still he does not move. He
does not want to face this, not now ...
But she is there and he has to. He
opens the door and slides out of the car, studying the damage as he does
so -- perhaps so he will not have to look this woman in the face.
"I-I'm so sorry," he says finally,
bringing his eyes up to hers, if only for a moment. "I wasn't paying enough
attention--Are you okay? Do we need to call anyone?"
"I'm fine," she says, her tone impatient.
"Look, can we just trade information and get out of here? This isn't something
I want to be dealing with right now."
"Oh, uh, sure." Andy ducks back into
his car and emerges a moment later with a pen, a slip of paper, and his
insurance information. He quickly scribbles down the necessary information
and hands it to her. As she writes down hers, Andy slips back into his
car and tries the key in the ignition. No response. Muttering, he reaches
for his cellular phone.
"Got an important call to make?"
the woman asks, the element of sarcasm in her voice quite pointed.
"I need to find a ride," Andy explains.
"I take it you were headed somewhere
important."
"Very." He scrolls through his list
of numbers for Claire's cell phone and dials it. The call goes through,
but the only response he receives is endless ringing.
The woman observes him as he listens
and sees his hope fade to annoyance. He punches in another number -- Tim's
-- but the voicemail answers.
"Here's my info," the woman says,
handing it to Andy as he tosses the phone onto the passenger seat of his
car.
"All right," he says. "Look, I'm
really very sorry about this. I was overinvolved in my thinking and I was
rushing to get somewhere ..."
"Big New Year's Eve party?"
"Not quite." He picks up the phone
and begins dialing directory assistance. "My mother is getting married
in a few minutes."
"Oh, wow." The woman's tone softens.
"Well, um, can I give you a lift?"
He is clearly taken by surprise.
"What?"
"I can drive you where you need to
go, if it's not too far out in the boonies or anything. By the time you
wait for a cab, you'll miss the wedding."
"I couldn't--"
"It's no trouble," she insists.
Andy nods his head after a thoughtful
pause. "Deal."
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