It would be a straight drive –
from Bivins, Texas,
to our home in Grand Prairie –
once we got onto 20-West.
Clear blue skies
with streaks of cirrus clouds
opened up on the horizon
as our car accelerated up the ramp.
The warm wind whooshing in
through half-way wound-down windows
made my brother drift off to sleep
in the backseat,
as my sister and I chattered
now and then.
I occasionally shifted my eyes
to the rearview mirror
making sure my brother didn’t
catch wind of our prurient remarks or slanderous gossip.
But we were sisters.
Gossip, I thought,
was allowed between sisters.
Apart from
everything else,
what did we have to talk about anyway,
especially on Valentine’s Day?
It was hard to hear my own voice.
The wind often took my breath away,
and my sister’s laughs
were carried away
on its currents.
But this was bliss.
I barely noticed the needle
on the speedometer
inching its way past 80.
Now, the cars
ahead seemed to have begun
slowing their speeds.
Yet the back
of an 18-wheeler approached steadily,
like a falling Tetris block.
I glanced into my left
side-view mirror
and shifted into the left lane.
Our idle chatter continued –
until a red car
appeared to be
drifting into my lane.
My sister started shouting,
trying to get the driver’s attention,
but he didn’t
seem to hear.
He kept coming over!
I started to panic,
quickly reaching for my horn.
But it was too late –
he was about to hit us!
I swerved unto the grassy median,
losing control of the car.
Out of wind,
I started yelling,
“Hang on sister! It’ll be over soon!”
But I couldn’t hear if she answered.
The bangs of crashing metal
and the pounding of my racing heart
as our car flipped over and over
made it hard to hear anything else.
I held on tight –
arms out, stiff –
eyes shut
and body bracing for impact.
I felt nothing –
except the tug-o-war
of fear and hope within me.
I saw nothing,
heard nothing,
but the silence
that, in an instant, cut off all the noise.
We stopped moving.
I looked over with relief –
only to see
a metal barrier
blocking my view.
I took a deep breath,
unbuckled by belt,
as my heart skipped a beat.
I sprang from my seat,
my mind running wild,
my thoughts turning
vile.
I ran to her side,
and held her
lifeless body in my arms.
Then bitterly, I cried.
It’s hard to breathe today.
That day –
it took my breath away
when my sister’s breath was taken away,
and her laughs were gone
with the wind.