***I began writing this and meant to post it on 11 August, 2010. (Been busy, I'm trying to do my best...).
Just so we're clear, this is a true story and it is all about memory and not about who was right. :)
On our way home from a trip to UT and CO 8 or so years ago, we had an unfortunate occurrence. (Possibly avoidable...but...)
Actually, let me begin this story from the present:
A few weeks ago the kids and I were getting onto the freeway from an access road when we saw a van on fire. Really on fire; as in the entire front of the van was flaming! It was scary, and sad. It was an old work van and the owner of the van was feverishly pulling equipment off the van before it completely blew up! I didn't know what to do, I had the whole crew with me and some kids who weren't my own. My kids were as worried about the situation as I was and they kept telling me how horrible it would be if that was their grandpa Rich with his work van. My first impulse was to stop and assist, my mother impulse was to not put the children in danger. I was in a complete quandary! Instead of pulling onto the freeway, I pulled up into a parking lot just ahead of the van and had Smash look for our extinguisher...
which we did NOT find,
which means Nathan must have done something with it before he left?
(I recall putting one in the expedition while he was the primary driver).
Hmm...
Anyway, I pulled around again to see if he was getting all of his things out, if he had help yet, etc. The fire department was there but not rushing at all and by this time, our extinguisher would not have helped anyway. The entire front of his van was gone. Flames were everywhere. But the professionals were there so we went on our way.
This incident really stuck with the kids, they were worried and saddened by the scene and couldn't stop talking about it.
It also reminded them of our unfortunate occurrence many years ago. They each began to tell their memory of that experience quite a few years ago.
Let me first tell you what I remember:
We had been traveling (driving) for weeks. While in UT, we had been pulling a trailer, so we had a ball and hitch still attached to the bumper of our vehicle. You are probably wondering why we still had it attached...ya, me too...not sure... :)
We had left CO early that morning and had been on the road probably 14 hours. We were tired and we wanted to be home. The kids were around the ages of 11, 9, 5 and 3 1/2.
Nearly home, we were traveling through Denton, TX. I had a feeling that Jonathan should change lanes and I asked him to a couple of times if he would, he didn't.
Again, a feeling of warning came over me and I told him I thought he should change lanes immediately. Within 30 seconds to a minute after I spoke those words, we were hit. Rear-ended. The car that hit us was a sedan and it became locked onto our vehicle by the ball that was still attached to our bumper.
The sedan tried to back up and off of us and couldn't. As we pulled over and tried to get to the side of the road, the sedan came with us. We drove for a bit dragging the car behind us. When it wouldn't come off, we went up and over a curb into a nearby parking lot and it was still attached and all of a sudden, on fire!
During our entire trip, we had trouble getting the kids to respond in a timely manner. When we needed to stop and get out of the car, they would doddle, lose shoes, feign sleep, etc. But when I yelled, "Everybody out, we're on fire!" they moved fast! Emily only had one shoe with her but she was out like a shot! Nathan had never moved faster in his life and the two youngest had quickly shed their car seats. I'm sure it only took 2 seconds to unload all 6 of us. The kids were running as fast as their little legs would carry them; away from danger.
Even though many attempts were made to unhitch the sedan from the rear of our vehicle, it wouldn't budge. We were completely hooked, joined, attached (and not in a happy way...).
We sat across the parking lot on the curb as the flames licked the back of our expedition. The intensity of the fire was right on our gas tank. We knew it was only a matter of minutes before the whole thing would ignite.
All we could do is huddle together and watch in disbelief. The scene was paralyzing. We held each other and prayed silently. The only words spoken were of favorite things left inside that would likely not be seen or enjoyed again and words of gratitude that we were all out of our vehicles.
Of course there were many emotions and thoughts left unspoken.
As the flames were rising, the heat intensifying and the minutes ticking by in slow motion...from across the way came a man running toward us. I remember his sandals, and the tan line that began just above the ankle. A golfer, I thought. He was quite a large man who appeared to be in his 50's. As he came closer, he yelled, "Has anyone tried to pry these cars apart?" Yes, we shouted back, but with no luck! "Can I try?" And with that he jumped up and onto the running board, the key was still in the ignition, and with the door open and his body half in and half out, (in a seamless fashion), he started the vehicle and popped it off.
We cheered!
We were relieved, elated, grateful and exhausted.
Our mystery man, our hero, drove the expedition a safe distance from the fire for us.
Just then, we saw the fire trucks rounding the corner. All eyes were on them as they hurriedly entered the parking lot and began readying hoses, etc. One of the fire fighters, perhaps the chief, came to speak to us and make sure everyone was okay.
As the fire fighter spoke to us I looked around for our hero, I wanted to find him and thank him. But he was nowhere to be found. After saving our expedition, he just left.
I was still looking for him after the fire was out and the fire fighters had left. We walked and searched all over for him then decided he must have come upon the scene in a vehicle, stopped to aid and then left...(possibly to rejoin his golf game?).
Now, back to the other day...as we were reliving our car fire experience and retelling the story to the kid's friends who were riding along with us that day (in that same expedition!), I found that although each of us still retains a very vivid memory from that incident, our memories are based on our own perspective.
We really had not ever talked of that day once we were all at home safe and sound and the trauma was over, so their viewpoints were all the more interesting to me (all these years later).
Emily vividly remembers that she was wearing only one shoe. She sat and watched the fire, worried that she would be walking home with only one shoe. (Poor girl really thought we would have to walk the rest of the way if our vehicle blew up!) Her other strong memory is of me telling Jonathan to change lanes just before we were hit.
I'm not sure what Nathan would remember from this incident, it would be fun to ask him though.
Smash remembers how worried I was about the fire, the things we had in the car (such as my hairspray which was flammable) and the close proximity of the fire to the gas tank.
As we talked through the memories and events from that day, Meg said, "That's how you remember that?" "That's not how I remember it."
When I asked her to tell us what she remembered from that day - this is what she recalled:
I think I was 2 or something. I remember sitting in my car seat holding Bitty Baby when mom told us to get out of the car. The car behind us was a silver, really sparkly van that caught on fire. I remember it was really shiny and sparkly (not because it was on fire). I remember sitting on the curb, watching. I was scared.
Then out of the bushes (the bushes were big and a very pretty green) came an angel guy with white robes and Jesus shoes. He was big and bright. He looked super nice! He ran to our car and he used his hands and unlatched the van and our car and then he disappeared, walking back through the bushes. The man was smiling, he had brown, curly hair (like Ian's but brown and more hair), he wore a white robe that would sparkle when the sun hit it and he was wearing gold Jesus shoes.
I remember you looking for him but he had disappeared. He probably went back to heaven.
Her version has some definite memories that I too recall and others that I didn't see at all.
When I first told Jonathan of Meg's memory, we laughed and joked at the memory of a child. But then we did wonder, what exactly DID she see? What would her innocent child eyes be capable of viewing that ours may not have been able to see?
What do you think?
Could she have seen more than the rest of us?
I love her memory of that day.
