Lyfe Changing

by Desirae Williams

  It always ends like this…

  I knew it was coming…

  I tried to help him…

  He was a lost cause…

  Now it’s too late…

  It’s his time…

  No help for him now…

  They’re going to take him….

  It’s all over…

  It’s all over…

  I continued to hear the whispers surround me the more they talked. Who are you? I wanted to ask them. Why are saying this? What do you want? The whispers continued to ramble on completely ignoring my please. As my vision became clearer I noticed dark figures in the shadows coming closer to me. No…don’t…please no. I begged. It was like I was in a nightmare but couldn’t scream…I couldn’t make a sound. They continued to come for me ready to take me away. Stop…don’t…please. I sat body stiffened unable to move or do anything. No…please.

  6

  Help

  Destiny

  I made my way down the highway and hummed to Lauryn Hill which played on the radio, it was a little late to be traveling but I was use to this road being that I always took it to get to the cabin. I had now felt foolish for driving up here chasing fairytales in the first place. I sighed when I thought about it, I had missed out on a lot of good opportunities with men in my life and I was sick of it. I had a new prospect on the horizon and was ready to see what he had to offer. I had finally come across a good one who seemed really interested me and I wasn’t about to let him get away. As I came down the highway I was in disbelief as I saw glass and what appeared to be car fragments scattered across the road. “Oh my God…what happened?” I slowed down as I continued to look at all the damage on the highway. Did someone have crash? This looks awful. Being that I couldn’t see any cars on the road I figured that accident must have been a hit and run.

  I glanced down at the tire marks that seemed to have swirled and sped off into the trees. I noticed broken limbs and grass shredded along the way and sparks of light flickered in the darkness. Is somebody back there? I wondered. Against my better judgment I stopped my car and debated getting out. I didn’t know what to do; God only knows what was in those woods. It could be a murderer, a bear, a yeti, or….someone who really needs my help. I took deep calming breathes and tried to reassure myself to do the right Christian thing. “Ok Destiny…it is clear somebody might be back there…and if those sparks of light I saw are what I think they are then someone is in deep trouble.” I sighed as I undid my seat belt. “Now you have to do something or you will never be able to live with yourself.” I said a quick prayer before slowly exiting out of the car. I walked across the road into the damaged area. There was a trail of tire marks that led straight up into the trees. It didn’t take long for me to notice a smashed Nissan right smack dab into an electrical pole. “Shit!” I shrilled. I knew it; I knew somebody was back here. My body started to tremble in fear, not knowing what to do. Ok … ok calm down. I removed my blackberry from my pocket and dialed 911.

  “911 operator how may I help you?”

  “There’s been an accident not too far from I-295, a car ran off the road and it looks bad.”

  “Miss…Do you know if anyone has been injured?”

  “I think someone is still inside the vehicle.”

  “We are sending an ambulance your way right now.”

  “Um…the car has hit an electrical pole and there are sparks flying against the hood.”

  “Are you near the car Miss?”

  “Yes…”

  “Stay back until the ambulance and police arrive.”

  “But I can’t just leave them in there.”

  “Miss you must wait until the police arrive so they can handle the situation…they should be arriving there shortly ok?”

  “Ok…” I hung up the phone and attempted to wait for the police. As the loose wires from the pole continued to spark I debated going up to the car. “I could just see if the person is alive…nothing is wrong with that.” I assured myself. Against the operators orders I made my way slowly to the car.

  It was a busted up dark Nissan that was completely damaged; the front bumper was split in two, the window shield shattered, not to mention the dented side doors. It was as if a tornado had hit it. “Hello…can anyone hear me?” I called out but got nothing. The loose wire continued to swing around the wooded pole like a rattlesnake on fire. I eased to the driver’s seat and noticed a large figure there. His body looked battered and he was bleeding from his arm and the side of his head. “Oh God…” I gasped. “Sir…sir can you hear me?” He didn’t respond. I peered in the car at the rest of the seats to see if any others were with him. It appeared he was alone. I reached into the car through the busted window to touch his neck for a pulse. It was faint but still there making me glad that he wasn’t dead but still cautious as to how to help him. I have to do something, I thought. I reached for the handle of his door and attempted to open it. It was very resistant due to the accident but I managed to get it open. The man was knocked out completely and was not responding to my attempts to revive him. Ok, get him out of the car, I thought.

  As I moved in closer to him the sparks from the pole dangled down to the hood of the car and scared me back. Those sparks could ignite a fire at any moment. My instincts kicked back in and I attempted to get the wounded passenger to safety. The man was clearly too large for me to carry him out but then again in this dire moment what choice did I have. Maybe I should wait, I thought. He could have a concussion, broken bones, or something…it would be harmful for me to move him. But from the way that wire was moving around I knew I was all out of options. I placed his large arm over my shoulder and began to shift him from out of the car. I thought I had him for a moment until his dead weight came crashing down on me. “Uh….my God.” I exclaimed as we landed on the ground. “You must way a ton.” I took a much needed breath before dragging him back to the road. “Ugh….this is going to take forever.” I continued to pull him as much as possible…occasionally stopping to regain my strength. We weren’t even half way there when the sound of an explosion pushed us back.

  I quickly shielded our bodies as the car exploded sending a wild fire through the trees. I looked on in shock. The heat from the fire was strong and spreading everywhere. I finally got the sense to continue to get us both to safety. Almost there I kept telling myself…almost there. As we finally arrived back on the main road the police and ambulance had pulled up onto the scene.

  “We got fire…is the ambulance on the way”

  “Yeah, their five minutes behind us.”

  I heard the officers yell. I collapsed on the pavement with the strangers head in my lap unable to believe what had just happened. He could have died…hell I could have died. I felt a hand touch my shoulder bringing me back to reality. “Ma’am do you need assistance.” I looked up to the paramedic.

  “No I don’t…but he does.” They gathered around us and put him on a stretcher. “Are you going to ride with us?” One of them asked. I looked from them to the man they were caring for. “I have my car…I’ll follow you.” They nodded and set the van ready to go. I returned to my vehicle, completely shaken and unable to speak. I paused for a moment contemplating on whether to follow them to the ambulance or just go home. Eventually I cranked up my car and followed the red flashing lights.

  I waited for hours in the lobby of Shand’s Hospital. My eyes were weary and aches were appearing in my body due to the stress of the situation. I looked around, there were many people in and out waiting to see their loved ones…and then there was me. I wasn’t here because of a loved one or family member. Hell I had never met this man in my life before tonight but something in me still knew I had to be here. I didn’t understand why but I sat in wait to hear was he alright. “Mrs. Lyfe….Mrs. Lyfe.” I looked around the room to see whom the nurse was referring to, when no one responded she tapped me on the shoulder. “Mrs. Lyfe” “Me?” I said pointing to myself. “Yes…the doctor would like to see you about your hus
band. You can follow me.” My husband, I repeated to myself. The nurse motioned for me to follow her and I reluctantly got up. We made our way through the sealed doors, crossed the hall and stopped at the third door on the right. “Right in there Mrs. Lyfe.”

  I nodded and entered the room. There he was lying asleep in the hospital bed. He was attached to monitors and beat up pretty good judging by his wounds. Aside from his bruises I could tell he was very handsome, he had nice light cinnamon skin, long dark wavy hair tucked behind his head, and a smoothed out goatee around his mouth. That well-built body of his which gave me so much trouble covered the majority of the of the hospital bed. I stood and admired him for a moment when I noticed his hospital sheet at the foot of the bed. Wanting to know more about him I picked it up. “Derrick…Lyfe…Your name is Derrick Lyfe.” Interesting, I thought. I walked closer to his bedside and gazed in on his attractive face. Not bad…not bad at all. I smothered a piece of his hair back, placing it among the rest. I noticed his eyes flutter and I leaned back. Did I imagine that? I thought. I watched as his eyes opened and looked up at me. Oh my God…I thought. My heart was pounding and I was finding it difficult to breathe.

  “Who…” He tried to speak but his voice was a little dry. I looked around the room for some water and quickly poured some in a cup. I held it to his lips as he sipped on it. When his voice soothed he spoke again. “Who…who the hell are you?” I looked at him startled at first but with pitying eyes not knowing what to do for him. “Destiny…I’m Destiny. I found you out on the road. You were in an accident.” “Accident? What the fuck?” He strained to move around due to the pain so I helped him sit up. I noticed him breathing heavy like he was hurting. “I’m going to go get a doctor ok?” I turned to leave but he grabbed my arm forcefully. “No...no.” He barely got out. I tried to pull away from him but his grip was to firm. “Tell me what happened.” He demanded. I shook in fear, those once gentle eyes looked deranged and crazy now and I wanted to get away.

  “I don’t know…just let me get the doctor.”

  “No…you know…tell me.”

  Damn it Destiny, I thought. Why the hell didn’t you just go home? Now I’m stuck here with this crazy man. “Look I saw your car had run off the road and I went to help you that’s it …now please.” I tried to pull away but he would not release me. “Did you see them…Did you see?” I looked at him confusingly. “They were there…they were all around me…I know you know…I know you saw them, tell me?” He looked scared out of his mind but there was nothing I could do to comfort him.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

  “They were after me… they were there…” He went on.

  “Did you see? Did you see them?”

  Ok...I can’t do this anymore…I got to get out of here. “Doctor….somebody help!” I screamed. Nurses and doctors all came running into the room and helped me get out of his grasp. “No…she knows…she saw… no.” He yelled like a mad man as they tried to sedate him. “Calm down Mr. Lyfe. We are here to help you.” The doctor tried to calm him down…to no avail. I could do nothing but just watch in disbelief. The doctors placed restraints on his arms to keep him from moving. “No damn it…she knows…don’t leave please…” I couldn’t handle this anymore, I ran out of the room and out the sealed doors to the parking lot. I didn’t stop until I reached my car, unlocked the doors and sat there. I tried to calm my breathing in this moment of panic. I was shaking so bad it was hard to get my key into the ignition. I didn’t notice the tears streaming down my face; I didn’t even know why I was crying. I pulled out of the parking lot and headed back into the city. All I wanted was to go home and never think about this night again. I drove for over nearly fifteen minutes and Derrick Lyfe’s face continued to stay stuck in my mind…I didn’t know if there was any forgetting about him.

  Derrick

  “Ok just be easy…take your time.” The nurse instructed me. It had been a week since the accident and I was still stuck in the hospital. “Got Damn…” I grumbled sitting back down on my bed. I had been attempting to move around more but many of my muscles had been torn making my body feel crippled. “You really need to watch that pouty mouth of yours.” Nurse Joy scolded me as she got my lunch pre pared. She was a regal older black lady who worked double shifts in the hospital to take care of her grand kids. Nurse Joy had been helping me recover from the accident ever since I had been awake. She fixed my foods, helped me walk, and just kept me company when she sensed I was lonely. It was easy for me to be comfortable around her because she reminded me so much of my grandmother, always putting other people’s needs before her own. I looked down at my beat up body, I had a few cuts and scrapes but most of the damage was internal. Given another week I should be good to go. “You in pain boy? You need some medication?” Nurse Joy asked looking at me concerned.

  I strained a little to sit up on the side of the bed. “No…I’m good.” She shook her head at me, took seat and started to knit. “Derrick aint no time to try and be superman…you need some serious care right now…that accident was bad.” You don’t know the half of it, I thought. I couldn’t believe I was out of five million dollars. “Got damn.” I mumbled. All that work I put in and nothing…shit. I had been reflecting back on the accident ever since I woke up. I still couldn’t understand how it happened in the first place. I knew for a fact I saw something in front of me and I swerved out of the way, but they say no one was or had been on the road that night…except for her. Destiny, that’s what she said her name was. I remembered waking up and seeing her… looking at her beautiful face. She looked familiar, and not just because she reminded me of Naomi Campbell with her chocolate skin and almond shaped eyes, but because I had remembered seeing her somewhere before. I shook my head when I thought back on it. From the way I acted I probably scared the hell out of her. I didn’t even remember why I was acting so crazy; maybe I was just in shock. I lay back onto the hospital bed and tried to find some peace of mind.

  “You still thinking about her?” Nurse Joy looked at me smiling like she knew what was going through my head. I played it off. “I don’t know who you are talking about…I aint thinking bout nobody.” “You not huh?” She gave me the suspicious eye. “Well there was a pretty young lady who saved you from a fatal accident and who even stayed out in the lobby all night while the doctors worked on you…And then somebody scared her away.” She said glancing in my direction. “I didn’t mean to scare her…damn I don’t know what the fuck was wrong with me.” I sighed. Nurse Joy gave me the evil eye for my language and I quickly apologized. “I’m sorry...I just don’t know what happened.” “Well don’t worry with it too much…if it’s meant to be you’ll see her again.” I shrugged like I didn’t care one way or the other…but truth is I did want to see her again. If nothing else to at least thank her for saving my life. I looked up to a knock on the door. “Am I interrupting?” An intruder asked. I rolled my eyes. Oh hell, I thought. Why is he here? Detective Trent made his way into my room looking as nonchalant as ever. He still wore his dark street clothing not drawing to much attention to himself, but I was a trained cop spotter, I could see they ass coming from a mile away. “Good morning Mr. Lyfe…mind if I have a word.”

  I slowly sat up in the bed making eye contact with him. He was the same middle aged Spanish cat who stayed prowling the streets looking for the next take down…Detective Trent. “Nurse Joy do you mind giving us a minute?” I said without looking at her. She saw the seriousness in my eyes and took the hint. “I’m just a buzz away if you need me…” She walked out the room closing the door to give us some privacy. Detective Trent eyed me for a moment before speaking. “Well Derrick I must say I’m sad to see you in such conditions…you don’t look too well” I chuckled at his arrogance thinking he was superior to me in my weak state… he was sadly mistaken. “Well then you should know that I don’t feel like entertaining your bullshit today so what do you want?”

  He shrugged like he was just in the neighborhood
and was passing through. “Well I just wanted to check up on you…see how you’re doing …pretty rough accident.” I nodded not buying his so concerned act. “Well as you can see I’m alive and well.” “That you are…thanks to a Destiny Witt.” He said looking from me to a sheet of paper in his hands.

  “That was a pretty brave act she did. Helping you escape from an exploding car… you might want to thank her.” I nodded. “Oh Detective I plan to…in more ways than one if you catch my drift.” I laid back and smirked at him. He smiled as well but it didn’t register in his eyes.

  “Derrick you’re sliding on the line of confidence and cockiness…good thing you wear it well.”

  “It’s a talent of mine…Now Detective it’s been a long day, I really don’t have time to do the same song and dance with you as always, so can you get to the real reason why you’re here.”

  My body was aching and I was ready for his ass to leave not knowing why he had come in the first place. He nodded and proceeded on. “Yeah regarding your accident you were on the road pretty late…mind telling me where you were going?” I pretended to think of something before answering. “I was delivering food boxes to a homeless shelter in the Bronx.” I said sarcastically. “At two in the morning...now we both know you weren’t doing that.” He said with such an annoyance I knew I was getting to him. “No you really don’t do you?” I continued to antagonize him. Detective Trent and I had are run-ins on numerous occasion being in my chosen profession, but he and his dumb nut team could never charge me with anything because I was to smooth to get caught…knew the game to well. The best he could hope for was to get a confession out of me...and there was no chance in hell of that happening. Detective Trent stepped closer to me and circled around the room.