I think I'll do a little fiction... (Note: this piece was originally posted Mar 18 and, thanks to my pal Kerry, a few revisions were made on Mar 22)
He stared blankly, his hand gripping the collar of his bathrobe as he faced the officer. He had just stepped out of the shower when his wife called him urgently to come to the living room where the policeman stood waiting. His hair was still dripping and he hadn't had time to don any underwear. He started worrying about how he was sitting. He wasn't really hearing this. This wasn't the kind of news he could handle. His vacant expression and lack of movement telegraphed his shock. His wife busied herself with straightening the magazines on the coffee table over and over and she kept asking who wanted something from the kitchen.
"Ed? Ed? How about some water? Officer, would you like a cup of tea?"
The officer politely declined. "Sir, you understand what I'm telling you? There has been a fatal accident. Can you confirm a few things for me?"
Ed nodded... slowly. His mouth felt like someone had force-fed him kitty litter. He struggled to swallow.
"Does your son drive a blue 2005 Mazda 3 Sport, licence plate WNT246?"
"Yes." Ed's voice sounded odd, as though coming from a tunnel in his brain.
"Does he attend the University of BC and would he have been coming home this evening at around 8:00?"
His son was a freshman at UBC and received the car as a graduation present from his grandparents. He had made Honour Roll every year of highschool and they rewarded him for his hard work. He was taking extra credits at university because the academic advisor felt he would be able to handle the load. Ed had never had a problem with Michael. He was his pride and joy. He had always been closer to Ed than to his mother, Wendy. They weren't just father and son, they were fishing buddies and spiritual brothers. Michael was mature beyond his 18 years and had his whole life planned out. This couldn't be the end of all those dreams they talked about over the camp fire. Every summer, they would leave Wendy at home and have male bonding trips into the Interior. This couldn't be.
"Sir?" The officer's question shattered Ed's thoughts like a catapulted projectile smashing into his face.
"He's a freshman at UBC. Faculty of Engineering. He's usually home by now." Ed looked at the clock, it's white face and black hands showing 11:15 p.m.
"He's usually home by 9:30. He has a late class on Wednesdays. He's done at 7:30."
The officer wrote something down in his notebook.
Wendy suddenly rose from the couch and headed for the kitchen. "I just made a coffee cake. I was saving it for tomorrow. Michael can take a piece to school. He's late. I wish he'd call. I'm making tea. Earl Grey or Orange Pekoe, Ed?" She didn't wait for his answer. She disappeared behind the swinging kitchen door.
"Where did you say this accident was, Officer?"
"On the Barnett Highway, Mr. Jacobsen. At 8:oo pm there was a head-on collision when a yellow 1996 Camaro travelling westbound on Barnett crossed the center line in the 1700 block and collided with your son's eastbound Mazda. There was a fire in the front of both vehicles, but we believe both drivers were killed instantly. The remains are at the morgue for DNA identification. We will need to request your son's dental records as well."
Charred beyond visual recognition. Ed felt sick. He was glad that Wendy was not in the room to hear the details. Somewhere in his mind he thought he heard the phone ring. Suddenly he heard Wendy scream and the sound of porcelain crashing to the floor. The officer and Ed reached the kitchen door just as Wendy started yelling, "It's Michael! It's Michael!!!" As they opened the door, Wendy was collapsed on the floor, the cordless phone gripped in her hand and resting on her lap. Ed took the phone from her, thinking she had completely gone over the deep end. As he went to return it to the cradle he heard, "Dad? Mom? Hello?? Is anyone there??"
Ed started to shake. He brought the receiver to his ear and said, almost frightened at what he would hear, "M-m-mike?"
"Dad! Is everything okay? I'm at Lisa's place. I had a really tough day and I came over here for dinner. I was going to call, but we kind of got side tracked and then I fell asleep on the couch. Lisa woke me up at 11:00 and said my car had been stolen from the front of her house! I can't believe my rotten luck! All my stuff was in the car! Isn't that just the worst news??"
He stared blankly, his hand gripping the collar of his bathrobe as he faced the officer. He had just stepped out of the shower when his wife called him urgently to come to the living room where the policeman stood waiting. His hair was still dripping and he hadn't had time to don any underwear. He started worrying about how he was sitting. He wasn't really hearing this. This wasn't the kind of news he could handle. His vacant expression and lack of movement telegraphed his shock. His wife busied herself with straightening the magazines on the coffee table over and over and she kept asking who wanted something from the kitchen.
"Ed? Ed? How about some water? Officer, would you like a cup of tea?"
The officer politely declined. "Sir, you understand what I'm telling you? There has been a fatal accident. Can you confirm a few things for me?"
Ed nodded... slowly. His mouth felt like someone had force-fed him kitty litter. He struggled to swallow.
"Does your son drive a blue 2005 Mazda 3 Sport, licence plate WNT246?"
"Yes." Ed's voice sounded odd, as though coming from a tunnel in his brain.
"Does he attend the University of BC and would he have been coming home this evening at around 8:00?"
His son was a freshman at UBC and received the car as a graduation present from his grandparents. He had made Honour Roll every year of highschool and they rewarded him for his hard work. He was taking extra credits at university because the academic advisor felt he would be able to handle the load. Ed had never had a problem with Michael. He was his pride and joy. He had always been closer to Ed than to his mother, Wendy. They weren't just father and son, they were fishing buddies and spiritual brothers. Michael was mature beyond his 18 years and had his whole life planned out. This couldn't be the end of all those dreams they talked about over the camp fire. Every summer, they would leave Wendy at home and have male bonding trips into the Interior. This couldn't be.
"Sir?" The officer's question shattered Ed's thoughts like a catapulted projectile smashing into his face.
"He's a freshman at UBC. Faculty of Engineering. He's usually home by now." Ed looked at the clock, it's white face and black hands showing 11:15 p.m.
"He's usually home by 9:30. He has a late class on Wednesdays. He's done at 7:30."
The officer wrote something down in his notebook.
Wendy suddenly rose from the couch and headed for the kitchen. "I just made a coffee cake. I was saving it for tomorrow. Michael can take a piece to school. He's late. I wish he'd call. I'm making tea. Earl Grey or Orange Pekoe, Ed?" She didn't wait for his answer. She disappeared behind the swinging kitchen door.
"Where did you say this accident was, Officer?"
"On the Barnett Highway, Mr. Jacobsen. At 8:oo pm there was a head-on collision when a yellow 1996 Camaro travelling westbound on Barnett crossed the center line in the 1700 block and collided with your son's eastbound Mazda. There was a fire in the front of both vehicles, but we believe both drivers were killed instantly. The remains are at the morgue for DNA identification. We will need to request your son's dental records as well."
Charred beyond visual recognition. Ed felt sick. He was glad that Wendy was not in the room to hear the details. Somewhere in his mind he thought he heard the phone ring. Suddenly he heard Wendy scream and the sound of porcelain crashing to the floor. The officer and Ed reached the kitchen door just as Wendy started yelling, "It's Michael! It's Michael!!!" As they opened the door, Wendy was collapsed on the floor, the cordless phone gripped in her hand and resting on her lap. Ed took the phone from her, thinking she had completely gone over the deep end. As he went to return it to the cradle he heard, "Dad? Mom? Hello?? Is anyone there??"
Ed started to shake. He brought the receiver to his ear and said, almost frightened at what he would hear, "M-m-mike?"
"Dad! Is everything okay? I'm at Lisa's place. I had a really tough day and I came over here for dinner. I was going to call, but we kind of got side tracked and then I fell asleep on the couch. Lisa woke me up at 11:00 and said my car had been stolen from the front of her house! I can't believe my rotten luck! All my stuff was in the car! Isn't that just the worst news??"
~End~
©2005 eslethbridge
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