Roadhome

Congratulations! It read, you have been accepted for admission to the School of Architecture degree program at UDM beginning Fall 2023. I found myself reciting the acceptance letter over and over again. I twirled with exhilaration like a whimsical fairy. An awareness of joy encapsulated my physique. Additional sensations surged through my body. Pulses of excitement began firing within, explosions of joy took hold of my limbs, my arms and legs flared in contortionist forms. Before I knew it I was jumping, whaling around, uncontrollably shrieking from the depth of my lungs jubilantly leaping praises to the heavens above for granting my desire.

I flopped my weightless body onto the bed, clenching the manuscript to my chest. “Thank You!” As I pondered my acceptance, I felt extreme joy filled with an all-encompassing elation of being a part of a group. A squad that had worked hard and received their payout. I felt consumed by what was about to be; my goals and ambitions, discoveries, creations, fears and future classmates. It was the most exhilarating day of my existence. But those thoughts would be brushed aside. Shortly after, I realized I hadn’t informed my family of my life changing newsflash.

Once I notified them, it was decided my mom would drive me to the university’s open house. I was geeked to meet potential classmates, professors and tour the campus. The day finally approached and away we went on our four-hour drive to Detroit, MI. My mom’s friend had decided to accompany us. The trip was laborious but we filed it with playful silliness; identifying vehicles odd license plates and reminisced about my childhood and the trouble I use to get into. As time passed I found myself gazing out the window speculating about the day. After some pit stops we arrived.

The open house was all I imagined – wonderful faculty, students and professors. Unfortunately, the day was long and the activities weary. We had one stop prior to departure to Chicago and off we went.

It was a cool, snowless December evening. The sky’s were dark, the air still with dry grounds. I felt exhausted and anxious for a nap. While I dozed off into fantasy land, I could vaguely hear my mother and friend engaging in conversations filled with laughter. They both seemed to be in their element, reminiscing about the past as they sung along to songs. Their conversations faded as I dwindled into a transient snooze; I could almost feel vivid sounds of tires kiss the highway gravel grinding repeatedly onto the pavement. Air bustling through the windows left no room for quiet as vehicles propelled past ours, forcing a bellowing whistle to creep through the windows crevasses. It seemed as quickly as I feel asleep – I woke. “Bang!” “Crash!” “Boom!” “Smash!” Our tires glided along the asphalt creating all sorts of sounds. The outside traffic noisiness came to a halt. Suddenly my mother’s voice screamed, “Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!” “No!” My body was tossed around like a contortionist. My right leg extended upward toward the front window, thrashed between the drivers and passengers front seat. My shoulders thrust into the passenger’s front seat as my face fell frontal onto the floor of the car. Almost parallel, I could hear my mother’s friend scream that same plea for God to hear our cries. I felt dazed and a burning sensation pulsating my face and lips. My knees seared with the same discomfort. Confusion invaded my brain. My immediate thoughts were of my mother; was she hurt? What had just happened? Filled with paralysis and fear of broken bones, I moaned, “is everyone ok?! I noticed the airbags deployed and front window smashed. My mother, the first to respond, began screaming. “Get out!” “Get out!” “The car is on fire, it’s smoking!” She jumped out of her seat, opened it confused, yelling at us both to exit the smoky vehicle. I could barely move as my mom dragged me onto the bustling expressway. We stood there observing our vehicle lodged into another like conjoined twins.

Moments later an officer came to our rescue. He explained the traffic in front of us had stopped suddenly, which caused a domino effect with the car ahead of ours who stopped suddenly causing us no other way out than the conclusion. He further shared, he observed our crash from the beginning and was surprised we survived.

Thankfully, we were blessed with minor bruises, my mom’s hand and thumb went through minor therapy and her friend had no serious injuries. I had some aches and bruises for a bit but healed after a few weeks. They say some people can see their life brush before them while they die. Thankfully my life remains in front of me and I am ready to tackle the challenges that lay ahead with open arms. I feel a divine intervention took place that murky cheerful evening and nothing happens by chance