by Kasi Blake
Bay-Lee celebrated her birthday with Nick on New Year’s Eve. He insisted on putting her behind the wheel of his sports car. For hours they traveled back and forth on a long stretch of highway as he taught her how to drive. She kept her eyes glued to the empty road. They hadn’t seen another car in over thirty minutes, but she was taking her lessons extra serious. Learning to drive had the potential of making anybody nervous. Add to that they were doing it at night in an ultra-expensive vehicle she couldn’t afford if she lived to be a thousand, and she was on the verge of puking.
Music blasted from the radio. A Bad-Rock song began to play and Nick turned the volume all the way up. He played air guitar in the passenger seat, distracting her. The entire situation was surreal as his actual voice blended with his recorded voice. Two became one. He hit every note just right. For the millionth time she wondered how she’d overlooked his talent for so many years.
“Floor it!” he shouted over the music.
She shook her head, hands at ten and two on the steering wheel. Her knuckles hurt from gripping it so hard. “We’re going fast enough.”
Nick teased her. “I thought I was with a girl who isn’t afraid of anything. It’s a beautiful night, the stars are in the sky, and we’re the only ones out here. Open this baby up and see what she can do.”
Bay-Lee pressed her foot down ever so slightly, just enough to make him happy. The car picked up speed, and a heavy lump lodged in her throat. She kept her eyes on the road, unwavering. The windows were down and wind whipped through her hair, adding another unwanted distraction to the mix. She had to admit his sports car handled like a dream, gliding along the highway. With the shining stars over them and the smooth street beneath them, they sailed into the night, not a care in the world.
Nick switched stations until he found another song he liked, a love song by a rival band. He moved closer to her and sang as she continued to drive. Once in a while he coaxed her to drive faster until they were doing fifty. Her fear dissipated. She began to relax. Feeling giddy, she joined him in song.
Then something changed. She felt a negative shift deep inside her left breast before she actually saw the problem, a lone figure standing in the road. To her everything slowed to an impossible step-by-step pace. She stomped on the brake. Nick yelled something, but her ears didn’t catch it. She saw the woman’s face and recognized it instantly, her mother.
Bay-Lee jerked hard on the steering wheel. The car went into a skid. It turned sideways before flipping over entirely. She cracked her head on the side window. The world went silent, and she wasn’t sure if it was the shock of the situation that stole her ability to hear or if something was wrong with her ears. The car continued to roll. Small shards of glass flew in every direction. It was like being inside of a snow globe as eager hands shook it hard, tragic yet beautiful. Pain erupted in her back, shoulders, and limbs. The car’s interior went black and the car slid to a stop.
It took a moment for her to realize they were upside-down. She was hanging from her seatbelt. After taking a shaky breath, a slight whimper, she released it in a forceful gush. Splinters of glass and blood sprayed from her mouth, coating the bent steering wheel. Intense pain made each movement laborious.
She heard Nick shouting.
At least he was okay. She attempted to turn her head to search for him, but agonizing pain in her neck kept her from moving more than half an inch.
Feet slapped the pavement in a slow, determined rhythm. Someone was outside the car and they were coming for her. Using her last bit of strength, she said, “Mom?”
She caught sight of a black tattered hem. It wasn’t her mother. The truth cooled her fear. Calm, she stared up at the face of death, nothing to worry about now.
