Weekend Freewrite

Michael sat down in the middle of the road and began to cry. his mother's brand new car was squished. Just on the passenger side, the driver's side looked fine. If the car had hit him on that side, he probably would not be around to worry about how he would break this news to her.

She had scrimped and saved for years to get this car, it took her many more months to find just THIS car. It was not like he could just go replace it, even if he had a million dollars. She had bonded with this car the way some people bond with dogs. It was something she dreamed of for so long, and she earned every penny of it herself. She was going to be plenty upset, no doubt.

Something in him did know that his being alive would matter to her more than the car, but he also knew that every time he looked at her he would know he just crunched her dream. It was a blind corner, everyone knew that, but he was so excited to be headed to meet his friends in his mom's awesome car... or what was an awesome car a minute ago.

Oh! The GAME! He was going to be late for the game on top of everything else. This day had started off so well, everything was falling into his lap.

"I can't help but laugh as I continue to feed the invisible fish that someone else wants to have for his dinner." It was an inside joke, his mother always said that about lucky stuff. When he walked past the toaster and the waffle popped up JUST then and he reached over and grabbed it midair... silly little things that make you feel like a million bucks. His mother had chuckled and given her fish line.

Well, the wrinkle in that door was not invisible... He began to pull himself together, and was barely sniffling by the time his mother arrived. The police had gone and gotten her, he had only made it 3 blocks from home. She still had not seen the bad side of the car, but she grabbed him up and she started crying too. He hated it when she cried, and hated it more when he made her cry. She struggled every day since Dad died, and all he wanted to do was be a good, strong son for her. Now she was crying, and not even because of the car. Just because she loved him.

"Come over here, Mom. You have to see this."

They walked around the car, drying their eyes and hugging. She looked at the car and began to laugh.

It was not at all what Michael had expected. He looked at her like she had two heads. She actually started to cry again, from laughing so hard. He wondered for a moment if he had pushed her over the edge when she finally spoke.

"Michael, remember that bill I forgot to pay? Last week, when I made you ride your bike all the way to town in the rain and would not let you take the car? It was the comprhensive insurance coverage. This baby is insured like a movie star. I would not let you drive there because she was not covered. I was not even driving her yet, because..." and then she began to laugh again.

"God watches over us, son. God and your daddy."