Helpless Witness of a Dying Friend

School had been long, very long. It was one of those days that seem to never end. Before the 6^th period bell had finished ringing, I was already out the door and headed for my car. This quick escape was futile in the long run, partly because it was unnecessary (there was nothing holding me at school), but mostly because after school I had to go to work.

I turned the key and in that same motion opened the door. I swung my backpack into the passenger seat and sat down at the wheel. As I started my car (a 1993 Toyota Tacoma) I saw my girlfriend's best friend Cindy getting into her little Saturn. She lived a few miles away from where I worked, but I never saw her around.

It wasn't long before I was pulling out onto Rinaldi St. I belonged to a small private school in Granada Hills California. Traffic was typical of southern California... heavy. I sat in the driveway exit for a couple minutes before finally finding an opening I could squeeze into. From there I headed east until I reached Havenhurst. I turned right and went south for about a block before merging onto the 118 east.

While coming up the on-ramp, one of my favorite Nickleback songs came on the radio. I spent the next 3 minutes flying down the 118 singing "animals" at the top of my lungs. As the song came to an end I herd a small honk from a car coming up on my right. It was Cindy. She pulled up next to me and waved with a big smile.

I waved back and then turned my attention back to the road. I was shocked to see a minivan ½ way through a roll (most likely caused by a blow out). The front of the van ended up in Cindy's lane. Although I had already put my eyes back on the road, Cindy had not. I herd her breaks screech for about ½ a second before my ears were overwellmed with the smash-bang of a traffic accident, but it was not over...

Because the Saturn only hit the front corner of the minivan, it was sent into a counter clockwise spin. In her panic Cindy must have over compensated, her car raped around to the right until the tires finally gripped the pavement. Of coarse those tires chose the exact wrong moment to grip, they were sliding perpendicular to the direction of the car. The sudden drag on the tires lifted the right end of the car over the left. The car must have rolled 3 times before sliding upside down to a stop.

Seeing all this happen (and nearly avoiding it myself), I slammed on my breaks and got in the lane of the crash about a block and a half ahead of where it happened. Before I could think I had thrown my Tacoma into reverse and was screaming back toward the flipped Saturn. As I got out of my car, my heart skipped a beat at the sight of Cindy's ex Saturn and current death trap.

Helpless Witness of a Dying Friend

She never screamed nor did she cry. I wasn't sure that she knew what had happened until I got close enough to hear her breathing. A piece of sharp metal was lodged in her chest, I assume that it punctured her lung, but I cannot be sure. I will never forget her face. She had an expression that I had never seen before, it consisted of concern, understanding, acceptance, and a little bit of fear. As I leaned in I realized that I could not get her out of the car. Her legs were broken and crushed between what was left of the door, and the seat.

The pull of blood which was steadily growing at my feet made it clear that within a minute or two, Cindy would be no more. As I began to realize this fact I found myself making eye contact with her. She understood that this was her end. We stared at each other for a few moments before I spoke. "Is there anyone you would like me to call?" She simply nodded never blinking or breaking eye contact. She simply said in a very soft voice, "my right pocket"

I reached up to her right pocket and pulled out her phone. I looked back at her and she whispered, "number 3" I dialed her #3 speed dial and the text on the screen read "Mom" It rang and a woman's voice answered "hello sweetie, where are you?" Sindy finally took her eyes off of me, squinted in pain and let out the words "I love you, and dad" with that she pulled away from the phone. I left it open but placed it on the roof of the car.

I took her hand in mine, her squeeze was unexpectedly strong. This small gesture made me understand her fear and pain. The small taste of it I got made me want to run, but the understanding of the fear she had to feel was more than enough reason to stay. Her grip stayed strong but the sound of her breath made clear her fading existence. Deep sighs gave way to wheezing, which in turn gave way to a gargling sound.

She never broke eye contact. My heart skipped a beat as her grip began to weaken. "You are not alone" I said, "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere" I kept repeating these lines over and over. Even when she let go of my hand and lost her expression, I kept saying it, over and over. I don't remember stopping. I remember saying that, and then being pulled away some increment of time later.

I made it there, I got to the crash faster than I thought possible. She was alive when I got there, but I could do nothing. I couldn't save her even though I was there. I did all I could but it wasn't enough. I met death, and I didn't like him.