Dada: Chapter 8b

    I turn the motor off after a few minutes.  No need to waste any more gas than absolutely necessary. Who knows how long we will be sitting here.  It took the ambulances at least five minutes to arrive after the other first responders.  The wreck happened about a half-mile or so down the highway, just barely out of range on the fairly straight stretch.  There looks like an exit ramp just before the crash site, but no one is being allowed to turn off yet.  Must be witnesses or something blocking the path.
   "Would your head really have exploded?" Sam suddenly pipes in.
    "My head?"
   "You know, from your first plane trip.  The reason why we're driving to New York.  The reason why we're struck here."
    "No.  It wouldn't have literally exploded.  A few blood vessels might have started to leak from the pressure, but my head would mostly have stayed in one piece.  The bleeding might have caused problems and pressure to build up on my eyes.  That could have let to some vision loss.  If it had gotten worse, the pressure could have pushed onto the skull, and then onto my brain.  That would have been a serious problem.  Possibly fatal.  That's why they wanted to operate immediately.  Instead, I just put it off."
    "Why didn't you get the operation?"  Sam asks a perfectly good question.
    "I don't know.  It was just easier to forget it ever happened, ignore the problem.  Sure, I would have problems flying in pressurized planes for more than a few minutes, but that wasn't too bad.  I missed out on few things, like Rick's destination wedding in the Bahamas.  Still don't understand that."
    Sam shuts up again.  He fidgets every to often, turning to look out the window.  There's not much out on this section of highway.  Just cars in behind us and an empty road to the left.  Traffic is held up in both directions now, as the rescue crews do their work.
    "How much longer is it going to be?  I can't sit for much longer!" Sam practically howls in frustration.
    "It has only been twenty minutes or so.  Be patient, " I all but lie to him.  There are over a dozen cars that I can see behind us, with more than that in the other lanes.  I keep trying to follow the flashing red and blue lights just barely visible between the long line of cars ahead.  Sam's right, we have been here longer than I thought it would be.  It can only mean one thing, and it wasn't good.
   "How many people do think have died?" Sam asks out of nowhere.  He must have been thinking the same thing.
    "I don't know.  Maybe no one.  It could just be a lot cars involved with some tricky maneuvering to do.  Maybe they're just taking a lot of statements.  Maybe, I don't know . . ." I quit when I remember his parents, my father, and their car crash.  "I'm sorry.  I'll get us off of here I soon as I can."
     Sam stays mum.  I can't believe I said that.  He must be having a harder time than I am.  But there is just nothing else to do.  Every few minutes, I turn on the motor to check on the time and try to get some local emergency coverage on the news.  It is just so boring.
     I keep trying to find something else to do, but the only thing I can do is look at the billboards.  There is this one that I can barely see, as it is partially covered by a nearer one.  All I can see is a 'DR' on its upper left side.  It bothers me that I can't figure out what it could say.  There looks like there might be a house, or some other side of a building, just below it.  I can't get a good enough angle to tell what it is.  I almost want to get out of the car and walk ahead a bit just so that I can get a better look.
   "Something is happening," Sam once again pipes up.
   He's right.  The red flashing lights are moving, down the exit ramp.  It has been almost forty-vie minutes since we were stopped.  The blue lights start up as well, as traffic starts to move.  It takes another three minutes to make it up to the crash site.  A small car was wedged against the median, front crushed into the body.  There's a very small tire nearby, probably a motorcycle, but I don't see any bike until I notice another tire just barely poking up over the median a few yards down.  There is a truck stopped just behind it, with a tarp stretched out beside.  I stop trying to rubberneck as the line goes single file right by it.
  "DRIVE SAFELY"
   "What?" I ask Sam.
   "That's what that billboard says.  The one I couldn't figure out from a distance."
   I look up as we drive by.  The right side featured a happy couple with two small kids, and a truck barreling down the street behind them.

Dada: Chapter 8a

    I barely listen to the headlines.  After a few minutes, I turn back to 'Pop' and try to follow along.  I drown out the music and the prattle of the DJs.  This really hurts me.  That trip marked the beginning of the end for the four of us.  I would barely see Pete after that.  Even during the summer, we would be working at different spots, different times.  I don't think I've seen him in three, maybe four years.  Same with Will.  Once he transferred to Virginia, I haven't heard anything from him.  Why did he move?  He had an in with UK Med Center; I knew it.  Haven't seen him since just before he graduated.  Before last year, I hadn't seen Rick since just after graduating.  We bumped into each other just when we went back to home.  I was picking up the last of my things that had survived the years to move to my place; Rick was probably doing the same.
     It's not that I had other friends.  Okay, I really didn't.  Not as close.  I had the guys in the weekly game sessions, but I almost never saw them outside that.  I have a few ties with some of my classmates from college.  Not really.  I barely remember half of them.  Same for high school.  I keep in touch with a few others, semi-regularly.  I am still kind of close to one or two brothers of my exes, strangely enough.  Then again, I haven't had to many girlfriends.  Two in college, and three in the years since.  Didn't get to date in high school. Wasn't allowed.
     Why did Beth have to go and break up with me?  Thanksgiving was going great.  I finally met her parents, her brothers and sister, their families, and quite a few cousins and extended relatives.  Dinner was fine.  Then, her father had to ask about my family.  I had to go and say that my mom was probably on a riverboat on the Ohio River, gambling.  She hates Thanksgiving.  Both her father and stepfather died in November.  We rarely celebrate it.  For some reason, that ticked Beth off, especially after I hinted that I wouldn't be seeing her at Christmas either.  A few days later, Beth said we need to go on a break.  A few days after that, m she left me.  I was a month away from proposing!  Maybe two.  Whatever.
      Haven't gotten over it yet.  Only started top go out again a few weeks ago.  Tonight was going to be club-hopping, fully diving back into the scene.  Still, I wish I knew more people to help hook me up.  My co-workers are no help.  I try to stay away from most of them.  We don't share much in common besides working for Blue Homestead, and barely that considering what Hemphill thinks of me.  Most try to keep away.  I need to meet new people but how can I now that I have Sam.
      I take a quick glance to my right.  He still appears to be sleeping, but he could be faking it.  I used to do that a bit when I was his age, but then I was still in bed, so I could fake it.  Then again, he's going through a growth spurt.  Probably taller than me now, lucky kid.  Why didn't I get those height genes that he has?  He might not be my brother, after all.  Evidence says otherwise.  What am I thinking?  I can't take care of him.
      Suddenly, there is a line of break lights blinking ahead.
      "Crap!"
      "Did you just swear?"  Sam groggily asks.
      Great.  This he hears.  This might be worse than hearing me sing to Rhianna.
      "At least you're awake.   I think there's been a wreck up ahead.  Frequently happens on this stretch of highway."
      "Where are we?" he asks.
      "About a mile outside of Charleston.  I remember seeing accidents on the news at least once a week when I was growing up.  This could take awhile."
      "They covered accidents here in Lexington?  That doesn't make any sense."
      "I moved to Lex after college.  Well, my last years.  I grew up on Willow Road in a small town in Pike County.  I would mention it, but the name wouldn't mean anything to you.  We got much of our news from West Virginia television stations.  There wasn't much in local coverage, at the time.  I've heard that things have improved lately, but I don't get back there too often to check it out."  I respond.
       "How long will we be hear?" asks Sam.
       Just then, the sirens from various rescue vehicles start screeching.  Seconds later, ambulances and fire trucks come into view, state troopers right behind.
       "Who knows?"