What about movie night?

What
about movie night?

This
story takes place a number of Summers ago in the great city of
Lincoln, Nebraska. My family was on a road trip from Westcoast to
Midwest. Our plan was to visit our grandparents, and uncles who all
live in Lincoln Nebraska. In what was probably the longest three days
of my life we arrived in stinking Lincoln. The ground was flat.

My
sister and I were so excited to ride around the flat smooth pavement
with our bikes. But we lasted all but 5 minutes. Our Oregon blood was
not used to the beating heat and humidity of the Nebraskan Summer. We
were immediately in the basement under the cool AC. My Uncle Mark
heard the news that we decided to barricade ourselves in the
basement. He offered to take us out to a movie at his house. We were
positive he had air conditioning so we gave an overwhelming yes. That
evening my mother drove my sister and I towards my Uncle’s house,
but halfway there my mother received a call. My Uncle Mark had
crashed. I was young but very much understood the possible outcomes.
We arrived at the wreck. My mother got out and was escorted towards
the ambulance. From my view out of the locked car window, the
vehicles were totaled. After a very long and hot time in the car, I
could see my mother making her way back to the car as my mind
continued to wonder what was going on, the race seemed to finally
finish as I caught a glimpse of my uncle trailing my mother. When my
sister and I heard the car doors click as they unlocked we jumped out
and ran to give our uncle a hug. My uncle looked different with
bandages and wraps all over his body. Taking a step back I asked him
“what about movie night?” He replied with “I am sorry buddy but
it is going to have to be another night.” To this day I am very
thankful it was just a movie night taken from me and not my uncle.

Now
as an 18-year-old driver the story scares me but has also been a good
lesson. A specific fault I have found in drivers my age has been the
attitude that on the straight stretches on flat ground “it’s easy
cruising, I can be on my phone, it doesn’t really matter.” But on
the straight stretch is where I could have lost an uncle; on the
straight stretch is were many have lost many. To conclude I believe
the biggest point that needs to be taught is there is always another
person, whether that be the opposing driver or the mother of a lost
child, someone else is always affected. That is a rule all drivers
should have in mind.