I'm A Witch or Self Fulfilling Prophecy? You Decide

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Do you remember this post. Probably not. It's the one where I went on like an irrational nutbar about my 18 year old getting his license. I have been told by countless people in countless different ways over the past two months that I need to gear down on the worry about the boy driving.

Yeah well fuck all of them because I was right.

Saturday noon I'm reading email, drinking coffee and deciding whether to go for a run or go shopping. My phone rings, the caller ID shows a name I don't recognize. I normally don't answer the phone unless I recognize the name...something twigged at the back of my neck and for some reason I answered this call.

Me: Hello (said in my phony office voice)
Stranger: Hello this is (insert stranger name). Your sons have been in a car accident.

Before she could get "They're ok" out of her mouth I was throwing up in the kitchen sink.

Sometimes it's no goddamn fun at all being right.

So I get directions to where they are after making this poor woman assure me I'm not going to drive up only to find their heads detached from their bodies. I assure Nora that everything will be ok, call their father, and hop in my car.

They are on a back road about 10km from the house. As I pull up both boys are standing on the side of the road. There are two guys standing with them. The truck.....

The truck almost snapped in two. The engine was practically sitting in the front seat. The airbags deployed, the front tires were sideways. It was a culvert that stopped the truck. A fucking culvert. And my boys were standing their alive.

The story I got out of the boys is that Monty had the window open and a bug flew in the window. As he tried to swat the bug out of his face he jerked the wheel of the truck, the truck went off onto the shoulder of the road and he couldn't get it back under control. They went into the ditch, travelled about 15 feet and hit a culvert.

There's no doubt in my mind he was speeding. You don't do that much damage to a vehicle if you were only travelling 60 km an hour.

According to the tow truck driver - if they hadn't of had their seat belts on I'd be planning a double funeral today.  I don't think he realized that I had already played that whole what if scenario through my head a dozen times. That I would spend the rest of the weekend seeing that truck every time I closed my eyes and playing the "what if's" through my mind.

Both boys were white as ghosts. Monty had somehow scraped the shit out of his arm, Jimmy had a severely bruised chin. Monty is devastated over the loss of his new found freedom. He's too young and too stupid to realize how much worse it could have been. He was lamenting the loss of his truck yesterday and I looked at him and said, "M how much worse would you feel right now if we were burying your brother?" Perspective boy....perspective.

It scared the shit out of Jimmy. He was very quiet all weekend and I would force him every once in awhile to talk about it. If you've ever been in a car accident you know how frightening it is to know that you're going to crash. I can't imagine how it feels to a 16 year old. I wish I could somehow take the memory of it away for him.

Everyone keeps telling Monty- a truck is replaceable. As long as I fucking live and breathe that boy will not own another vehicle before he's 30....at least. Going out to buy the bubble wrap and duct tape today to insulate the two of them against further catastrophe.

24 comments:

MrsBlogAlot said...
August 30, 2010 at 10:17 AM

Wow, that is scary! I am so glad that they are both alright. And you know, maybe it's a good thing to keep that memory attached to him for just a little bit longer. Kind of like some future-speed brain insurance.

For when they escape the bubble wrap that is.

Danielle said...
August 30, 2010 at 10:27 AM

Geesh girl, I am so sorry and so happy that it wasn't worse. I would be freaked out too. Hopefully this is something that will make both of them think twice about for the next time. Maybe it was a very stong lesson.

June said...
August 30, 2010 at 10:29 AM

Oh man... I am scared shitless riding with Pinkus as it is but to imagine him driving without having someone to constantly tell him to take his head out of his ass...

I fear I will be going through the same scenario that you just went through with Monty and pray nobody dies.
He is scheduled to take his test at the end of October, I may delay that by another 6 months!

The Only Girl said...
August 30, 2010 at 11:24 AM

OMG - what a nightmare! I worry about this ALL the time and my oldest is only 10! I'm so glad your story had a happy ending, and I hope it was the wake up call they both needed about how dangerous driving can be. Hug and kiss them extra tight tonight.

Anonymous said...
August 30, 2010 at 11:37 AM

wow...scary.....hope all works out

big hugs
Steven Anthony
Man Dish~Metro Style
&
Life in the Fish Bowl

Mae Rae said...
August 30, 2010 at 12:38 PM

SHit is SUCKS to be right all the time...Mothers know..we really do, why don't they listen?

MindyMom said...
August 30, 2010 at 12:45 PM

YIKES! That is some scary shit - for you and them. Like the others said, I think it will stick with them for a looooong time to come and a lesson has been learned.

Linda Medrano said...
August 30, 2010 at 1:20 PM

Oh Honey, I'm so sorry this happened. My 17 year old grandson got his license several months ago and I know he's pretty much a safe driver. Still, boys, testosterone and cars! Scary stuff. Hopefully, this experience will slow them down just a bit! I'm so glad they are okay! Dear God!

Salt said...
August 30, 2010 at 2:07 PM

I am SO glad that they both made it out okay. You are absolutely right and one day I believe they will see it from your point of view.

I didn't even get my license until I was 20. Stories like this make me want to have a rule in place for my own kids. (When I have them.)

*hugs* for you

Macey said...
August 30, 2010 at 3:31 PM

Thank God they are both okay! That is truly a miracle, friend.

rxBambi said...
August 30, 2010 at 4:07 PM

I'm so happy they are okay. Our 6th kid gets her license in 3 months. We still worry all the time about when the accidents will happen -- not IF, but WHEN. We just hope and pray they come out alive.
Hugs to you and the boysxxoo

Liz Mays said...
August 30, 2010 at 4:51 PM

I am sooooo glad they weren't hurt, but you're probably right. There was some recklessness involved.

The Queen said...
August 30, 2010 at 7:52 PM

Being an EMT .. I know how bad it can be when a culvert stops the car even at 60.. I am so thankful your boys are ok... I hope you took a picture of the truck, blew it up large..and posted it in Monty's room. To remind him of what could have been. Sometimes it takes that. They are young and think they are bullet proof. I feel for you.. and.. just so you know.. you never stop feeling that way. Princess is 30 and I still worry when she is on the road.. more now for what the other drivers will do than what she won't do.. but I still worry..

Sandra said...
August 30, 2010 at 10:26 PM

Oh God that's my worst nightmare: kid getting his driver's license. I still have one more year of sleeping peacefully at night, then I'm done.
I like your idea of bubble wrapping though. Will try that :)

Lori E said...
August 31, 2010 at 12:26 AM

No words. None. Not for this situation.
My eldest got his learner's permit on his 16th. birthday my other son is 23 and he will not drive. He says it is too much responsibility for him.
I wish I had a happy medium between the two.

GunDiva said...
August 31, 2010 at 1:21 AM

How scary. Bet he'll stay off the skinny pedal in the future. Nothing like a near-death experience to wake boys up from their testerone-induced stupidity.

Sorry he scared the ever loving shit out of you.

Anonymous said...
August 31, 2010 at 4:15 AM

Holy moly! Thats some crazy scary shit right there!!

Im so glad they are OK!

Bubble wrap sounds like a fantastic idea.

Ducky said...
August 31, 2010 at 1:36 PM

Use said bubble wrap and duct tape and secure their asses to the effn bed!

Cheese and rice WOMAN! Are YOU okay?

So Single said...
August 31, 2010 at 11:01 PM

I am so sorry! I hope it scared some sense into them. Almost every teenage boy gets into an accident in the first year. Why do you think Insurance is so high?

So you're not a Witch or Self-Fulfilling. You just have a lot of common sense.

So glad they are ok.

Along said...
September 1, 2010 at 2:10 AM

Holy crap!! As a mother myself, I almost peed myself when I read about your sons being in an accident. Thank god for seat belts!! I lost an uncle and a good friend not because they were reckless drivers but because they weren't wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident. I truly hope your sons learn a valuable lesson from this. It sucks that the truck is totaled..but better the truck than your sons.

Bubble wrap...I love that idea!!

Menopausal New Mom said...
September 1, 2010 at 11:34 PM

Holy Shit Girl!! I'm so glad they were okay but it doesn't sound like you are. Thank God, Thank God, Thank God for those seatbelts. You must have done something right along the way or they wouldn't have been wearing them so "Way to go"

I won't even bother telling you to relax, I'll go see if I have any extra bubble wrap laying around instead.

gayle said...
September 2, 2010 at 9:12 PM

I know you were scared to death!!! We never stop worring about our kids do we!!

Kat said...
September 6, 2010 at 10:46 PM

Wow, been there! I about died when I got the call from my then 21 year old son. I answered the phone, and on the other end is this high pitched panic stricken voice screaming, "I totaled the carrrrr...I totaled the carrrrr!!!" OMG. I could give a shit about the car! I only wanted to know if HE was ok! They don't understand. He thought we would be mad about the car. So replaceable...Glad your boys are OK!

Kat said...
September 6, 2010 at 10:46 PM

Wow, been there! I about died when I got the call from my then 21 year old son. I answered the phone, and on the other end is this high pitched panic stricken voice screaming, "I totaled the carrrrr...I totaled the carrrrr!!!" OMG. I could give a shit about the car! I only wanted to know if HE was ok! They don't understand. He thought we would be mad about the car. So replaceable...Glad your boys are OK!