The Summer That Almost Wasn’t

Summer heading into senior year; cruising on the oceanfront highway, friends in my passenger and backseat, solid playlist, and the warm breeze tousling my hair. Life is good! Then BAM! I feel a jerk, hear a horn, and sense my car is moving in a direction I didn’t intend. I suddenly realize I have just hit someone. The dreaded blind spot is not an urban legend, but very much something to be cautious about. I pull over full of dread; my summer is over. My parents are going to kill me.

I pulled over in front of the other vehicle. The passenger of the car I dinged was not happy. I asked her if she was okay. She said she was, but she was calling the cops. I see my future locked inside doing chores at home for the rest of the summer. As we wait for the officer to arrive my friends are talking to me, but I can’t process a word they are saying. I go through the chain of events in mind several times before I have to report it. I truly can’t think of anything I did wrong. The music wasn’t too loud, I was not speeding (affirmed by Life 360), I most certainly wasn’t impaired! I’m not still 100 percent sure what happened, but I did ding somebody by switching lanes. Did I use my blinker? Did I use my head to look? Did I solely rely on the mirror? What I start to realize pretty quickly is that it only takes a second for things to take a terrible turn.

My incident ended up being fine, but it could have been a life altering event. So many things could have been different and for every time I wished I would have done this or that to avoid “this” from happening, there’s also a host of things that could have made the situation infinitely worse! After speaking with the officer and exchanging information I got back in my car and thought I probably should have called my parents. I probably should have mentioned earlier I was not supposed to driving that night. I told my parents I would be with an older sibling of a friend. Nor was ai where I said I would be. Two lies and now I would definitely be found out.

I dropped my friends off and headed home knowing I had ti face the music. The words escaped me so I simply handed my mom the paperwork from the officer. It was midnight and my father had already went to bed. My mom was pretty calm at first and then it hit her like a ton of bricks. Everything I was afraid of happened… all of the would of could ofs, all the, I told you sos, all to the how could you be so irresponsible, how could you lie, etc, etc! And then the gut-wrenching ending; “You’re lucky to be alive and you’re lucky no one was hurt! You better say your prayers and be thankful it didn’t turn out differently.”

I went to bed and I was indeed thankful. My initial oh craps, I wish this didn’t happen turned to being beyond appreciative that it was just that. My sleep was fleeting because I knew tomorrow morning would be my next round of facing the music, so to speak, with my dad. “You’re 17! You just hit your license. How do you think think that looks? I’m going to have to get rid of my BMW now. You can’t be a driver in our house and I have a car that had turbo boost!” I hadn’t even thought of that. The whole next few days were my parents doing damage control and trying to figure out next steps. I steered clear and just tired to be as helpful as I could around the house and not start trouble with my younger siblings.

Fast forward to the end of the summer. My dad did get rid of his BMW and got a Jeep Cherokee. I worked and paid for the damage to the car, the expenses of the tickets and court fees, and the cost of trying to earn my good graces back with my patents.

I deserved it though; although I know I was being as responsible behind the wheel as I could, I had also lied about my whereabouts. And, I also clearly could have done something else to prevent this. Whether it be double check my mirror or physically turn my head so I could make sure the lane was clear before moving. The entire experience has made me an even more conscious driver. I take it seriously and know when I’m behind the wheel I have others lives in my hand! My message to all teens is to LISTEN. Take driving seriously. It’s a gift and a privilege that comes with tremor out responsibly. Don’t mess it up.