“In my opinion,”
she continued in a bossy tone as if she hadn’t heard me, “this little trip
we’re taking to the book store is exactly when you should dress to impress.”
Vogue as always in her navy Capri’s and white, ruffled blouse, she was the
die-hard fashion expert. Not me. “And you should clean up the paint you’ve
splattered all over your face and arms.” I gave her the evil eye, but she
smiled sweetly in return and said, “By the way, the finishing touches you did
on the trim work looks really good.”
“Sweet talkin’
will get you nowhere,” I said, dragging her out of my room and down the
hallway. “I refuse to change or wash up. I mean really, who cares about a few
paint specks? If you’re so concerned with appearances, you can always walk a
few steps ahead,” I teased.
“I just might do
that,” she countered, but her eyes twinkled with mischief.
Fresh paint
still lingered in the tiny kitchen. We’d tackled the mustard yellow walls with
a tranquil sage green a couple weeks before, and I’d finished painting the trim
just that morning before she and Ben had gotten back. I’d done whatever I could
to stay busy.
“We’re off to
the bookstore to find a good man,” Ally called to Ben as we entered the living
room, which boasted a shockingly red accent wall. Of course, what did I know?
Ally was the color master and she said it created a “vibrant statement” and
gave the room “color punch.”
Ben was planted
on the edge of the leather sofa, wearing his beloved Ichiro t-shirt and
watching the game. I elbowed her, and she smiled slyly. “Oops, I mean a good
book.”
Ben’s dark eyes
darted her way. “You,” he said gruffly, “may only look at books, and you,” he
directed his gaze at me, “already have too many books and should only look at
guys.”
Laughing, Ally
walked over and gave him a hug. They were perfect for each other. I was envious
of the love they’d found. Ben had proposed on stage in front of the whole
graduating class when we’d received our diplomas. Ally had been shocked but
totally delighted. Loud cheers had erupted from the student body as he’d placed
the engagement ring on her finger. It had been one of those memorable moments
they’d tell their kids about some day.
“Books are more
reliable,” I said.
“Hey,” Ben said,
frowning, “who messed with my bat? It wasn’t sitting right in the holder.”
Sticking out my
tongue in hopes of covering my anxiety, I raised my hand and said, “Guilty.”
Not great at making up stories, I went with the truth. “I um…I might have used
it to fight off wild dogs in the night while you were gone.” Thank goodness
Griffey’s signature was still intact.
“Yeah right.” he
laughed. “You’re such a liar! You probably ran into it when the power went
out.” With a dismissive wave he added, “Get outta here. I’m trying to watch the
game.”
As I stepped
into the afternoon sunlight, the over-powering scent of roses reminded me of my
mother’s flower gardens.
“If he only knew
the half of it,” Ally said in a low voice as she followed me out.
“I know, right?”
We’d all
graduated from high school at the end of May and had immediately moved to
Bellingham. The small Pacific Northwest town was in the state of Washington and
was home to Western Washington University, where we were all set to start
classes in the fall. Moving immediately after graduation had been more about
strategy than freedom. That’s what we’d told our parents, anyways. We’d convinced
them that the majority of students would arrive in August, and we wanted to
avoid the mad dash for decent jobs and good house rentals. The mention of “slum
lords” had proven very effective.
Ally and I
trekked along the maple-lined sidewalks in comfortable silence. Light blue
skies stretched forever, eventually meeting up with the frigid blue waters of
Bellingham Bay. We were only a few blocks walk from the main hub of Old
Fairhaven. Specialty shops, restaurants, and coffeehouses made it a popular
area. Beautifully maintained historic buildings along with outdoor cafes
contributed to its European flair. I glanced across the street and shuddered;
the infamous alley wasn’t very far away.
As Ally began
talking about a shoe store she wanted to investigate along the way, a sudden
wave of nausea swept over me and a sharp pain exploded inside my head. Bending
over, I rested my hands on my knees and inhaled deeply. Apparently there was no
rest for the wicked.
“Oh crap,
another one already,” Ally groaned and rested a hand on my back. “You just
can’t catch a break these days. Hold on Lex. At least I’m here to help this
time.”
I nodded just as
the snapshots shattered the darkness behind my eyelids:
a lady with
toddlers in a double jogger stroller
a green walk
signal
the lady
stopped in the middle of a crosswalk
a red truck
skidding down the road towards the lady and her toddlers
Once the
snapshots ended, I stayed hunched over, breathing erratically.
“What did you
see?” Ally yanked me to my feet. Sun glinted off her auburn hair, and her blue
eyes narrowed as her brows pulled together.
Trying my best
to ignore the pain in my head, I opened my mouth to speak, but out of nowhere,
someone smacked hard into my side. The impact sent me crashing into Ally, and
she fell to the pavement. Her purse flew open, scattering things all about.
Somehow I managed to keep myself upright. While Ally hastily threw things back
in her purse, I glanced up at the maniac runner. He’d stopped dead in his
tracks, like he’d forgotten why he’d been running in the first place. Before he
spun fully around, I had enough time to take in tan legs, black shorts, and
muscular arms in a faded yellow t-shirt.
Standing warily
only a few feet away, he had some nerve…He stared at my legs and slowly worked
his gaze upwards. How dare he examine me like that? Heat ripped through my
cheeks and burned my ears as he blatantly checked me out. Then again, I
probably looked quite a sight all covered in paint splatters with my blonde
hair sticking out in all directions from under my Nike hat. I’d neglected to
put on any make-up other than mascara, and my eyes were still blood-shot from
lack of sleep. Still, I didn’t think that warranted this kind of
scrutinization.
Wait, hold
everything… As our eyes locked, a burst of pure energy surged through my body.
His striking aqua-marine eyes drew me in, stealing my breath away. They were
exceptional – more so than the swirling blues and greens of the Northern Lights
dancing across an Alaskan sky. His face was perfectly symmetrical with the
exception of a small crescent-shaped scar nestled in his left eyebrow. With
short, sun-bleached blonde hair, golden bronze skin, and an
athletically-sculpted body, he was gorgeous! And he’d just rocked my world!
A horn honked,
and he took a step back. With a shake of his head, he blinked hard, and his
lips parted. “Who are you?” he said harshly.
I felt like a
doe standing in the forest, eye to eye with a cougar. Me the prey, he the
predator. Only I wasn’t worried about losing my life. I was worried about
losing my heart. Under his gaze, I felt more alive than I had in months.
Unfortunately, I was speechless. “I um…I am…”
With a puzzled
expression he cocked his head sideways, and for a brief instant the corners of
his mouth curled slightly upwards. “Never mind. You do know you have something
all over your face?”
Heat flushed my
cheeks. Before I could think of a snappy reply, Ally, whom I’d completely
forgotten about, yelled, “Hey! Excuse us, but we need to get going.”
After muttering
something under his breath, he shook his head, smacked his hands together, and
then bolted in the same direction he’d been racing only moments before. The
whole incident lasted about 15 seconds but felt more like 15 minutes.
“What was that
all about?” Ally huffed and grimaced at her scraped-up elbow. “Well, whatever.
Tell me what you saw in your snapshots.”
Shame flooded my
cheeks. I had a job to do. Glancing down the block, I spotted the lady I was
looking for. No way could she die. Pointing, I said resolutely, “See that lady
with the double jogger?” Ally shielded her eyes with her hand and nodded. “We
need to reach her before she gets hit by a truck!” Immediately, we broke into a
run.
Up ahead, the
walk signal beeped loudly, indicating it was time to cross. A couple holding
hands ambled into the crosswalk, followed by a man walking his golden
retriever. The mother with the stroller started across. Something made me
glance backwards, and I saw the red truck only a couple blocks away. Fear
flowed through my veins. We were too late; we weren’t going to make it in time.
I looked back at
the lady and choked down a scream. She’d simply stopped in the middle of the
crosswalk. Her arms pumped madly as she tried to propel the stroller forward.
It didn’t budge. She tried nudging it with her foot until she was all but
kicking it. Still, it didn’t move.
The walk signal
stopped beeping, and the red
Don’t Walk
message flashed. Other
pedestrians on the sidewalk were oblivious to the lady having trouble in the
middle of the road. She looked over her shoulder in a panic, and terror
transformed her face. The truck was sliding out of control. Brakes slammed and
squealed and burning rubber soon polluted the air.
“Oh, dear God!
We’re too late. Lexi, we’re too late!” Ally cried, clinging to me.
Every part of my
body shut down. She was right. And I was responsible. Again.
Out of nowhere,
a familiar yellow blur raced into the street. It was the maniac runner who’d
smacked into me. After loosening something down by the tire, he stood up and
shoved the stroller forward. It cruised to safety where an onlooker secured the
precious cargo. Then he pushed the petrified mother in the same direction.
That was the
last I saw of him before the truck barreled over him. My heart ripped in two. I
couldn’t comprehend a world in which I would never stare into those aqua-marine
eyes again. A bone-deep chill coursed through my veins and encircled my heart.
I didn’t need Satan to show me the way to hell; I was already there.
As the truck
careened sideways through the intersection, chaos exploded around us. Horns
honked, cars screeched to a stop, and people dodged for cover. The impact of
the red truck smashing into a parked van on the other side of the intersection
caused a terrible clashing of metal and steel. Pedestrians hit the pavement,
and Ally and I huddled close together.
After the
collision, more mayhem ensued. Gray smoke rose steadily from the wreckage, and
large streams of water spewed wildly from a broken fire hydrant. Some people
raced to get away, while others hurried towards the accident scene. I cast my
eyes towards the road. My stomach rumbled, and I knew I was going to be sick
when I spied
him
lying motionless about 15 feet away from the spot of
impact.
Waving her hand
under my nose, Ally said, “Snap out of it, Lexi. Right now. Let’s get down
there and see what we can do.” She clenched my arm, and we sprinted. By the
time we reached him, bystanders swarmed like bees. Ally shoved us through to
the front and knelt beside him. Calm and collected, she’s always a quick
thinker in emergency situations.
“I can’t find
his pulse, and I don’t think he’s breathing,” said a big burly man. Once he
lifted a full head of black, curly hair out of the way, I was able to assess
the maniac runner. He looked lifeless. His
yellow shirt was ripped, and
one sneaker was missing. Bright red scratches marked his arms and face, and his
right eye was swelling. A muffled scream escaped my mouth when I spotted blood
oozing from a nasty gash on his leg.
“Do you know
CPR?” the burly man asked, wiping his dampened brow on his sleeve.
“Yes, we do,”
Ally said confidently, looking into my eyes, which were brimming with fresh
tears. She glanced at the big man. “Sir, keep pressure on that leg wound, and
Lexi be ready,” she commanded as she began hard, fast chest compressions.
“Got it,” the
man said as I sank to my knees.
“Lexi, get ready
for two breaths,” Ally ordered. She never wavered; she was always certain of
her abilities, and mine.
After pulling
off my Nike cap, I leaned down and tried not to think about the blood, his
unmoving body, and the people watching – leaning in, crowding us. I shut out
everything else. I needed to revive him. This time I had a chance; he wasn’t
dead yet. I focused on him with the same intensity he’d focused on me earlier,
but I did it with determination and compassion, not hostility.
“Go,” Ally
commanded, lifting her hands from his chest.
Trembling, I placed
my left hand under his chin and tilted his head back to open his airway; my
right hand pinched his nose – a very straight, masculine nose. A sweet, woodsy
scent emanated from his skin. My mouth closed over his, and I gave him two deep
breaths; although, I felt more like I was giving him my heart and soul. I
willed him to breathe with every part of my being. My lips tingled slightly
after coming into contact with his.
Ally counted
aloud as she began compressions again; her facial muscles stringent. With hands
linked and arms locked straight, she pushed heavily onto his chest. The time it
took to do 30 compressions seemed to drag on forever. “15…16…17…” Ally
continued on.
Sirens blasted
in the distance. Music to my ears. The paramedics would arrive within seconds
and take over. I studied his scratched up face and realized I was running my
hand over his cheek, comforting him with my touch, just like my mom had done
when I was a kid. I didn’t know him, but I felt like I did. I knew he’d just
saved three people – people who were mine to save. If nothing else, we had one
connection – saving lives. I didn’t want him to die.