Drunk and Consequences

Drunk and Consequences

Any day can be the last day. Any word could be the last. My cousin, at the time a young teenager who loved his new freedom did not believe that his life could be impacted in a blink of an eye. When people are young, they don’t think about death or what it would do to their family. My cousin affected by his decisions caused him to be on the verge of death, where no one would ever want to be.

When I was around six years old, we had our annual new year’s party at my aunt Bertha’s house. I remembered wearing the newest clothes I had gotten that Christmas. I was excited to play with my cousins again and show off my new outfit and toys. My mom had cooked some delicious tamales for the party that penetrated the entire house. I was so anxious to go to my aunt’s house that it felt as if time was moving at an extremely low pace. When the tamales were finally done, my whole family magically finished getting ready too. My sister at the time being two years old, my little sister being months old, my dad, my mom, and I, left so excited to go to the party. When we arrived, it was around eight pm. I was met at the door with my cousins who were around my age. I remember the first thing we did was go straight to the back yard where we would play. The back yard felt as if it was never-ending, although at the very front of the back yard where lights that hit, my uncles and dad who were drinking, talking, and laughing like any usual party. Inside you could hear women chattering away being slightly interrupted by baby’s cries. Around nine pm my mom finally decided to come to get me and dragged me to the dining room table. Where my little cousins finally joined me too. Out of nowhere the door opens and my favorite little cousin Erika comes in excited and hugged me tight followed by her older brother Gerardo who was contentedly ending a phone call by shutting his flip phone. He manages to pat my head before my older cousins join him. To pull him aside to grab a bite of food and go back to the room they were all hanging out in. I have always admired my older cousins; they were always dressed in the finest clothes and their hair freshly done. My older girl cousins had their hands freshly manicured and makeup on with some blue eye shadow that made their brown eyes popped. Some of them had earrings with a choker necklace that matched their outfit. I always wanted to be part of their group being the oldest sister I always craved of having an older brother or sister. My cousin Gerardo never ignored me as some of them did, he never kicked me out of the room they were hanging in. When it finally hit twelve my little cousins and I, reunited with everyone in the living room where we hugged one another like every year. I remember in particular my cousins Gerardo hugged me so hard as if it was a goodbye or in a way telling me everything would be okay. After everybody hugged, we started dancing and running back in forth from the yard to the living room. When we finally got tired, I remember they played a DVD movie of the Lion King. My aunts and my mom joined us to make sure we were not going to make a bigger mess than we already had. Watching over us they chattered in a soft voice and I remember clearly my mom stroking my hair with her hand while she talked to my aunt Maria over her sons Gerardo graduation and how excited he was on going to college and how in love he was with his girlfriend at the time. When he finally shows up out of nowhere and tells his mom goodbye and that he was going to the club to spend the rest of the new years with his friends. I remember clearly his mom in an indecisive, and a worried voice told him “just don’t drink alcohol and come home soon.” Before he left my sight, he slightly kicks my shoe and waves goodbye. Soon after we left the party. An hour had past and I remember opening my heavy eyes and briefly hearing some cries coming from my parents’

room. Not knowing how I got to my bed, I walked to my parents’ room unsure of what would happen next. As soon as my mom sees me, she hugs me tight and tells me she loves me. As my parents got dressed as quickly as possible, they told me to get the diaper bag ready. Unknowing where we were going or what was happening, I rushed to get the diaper bag ready. On the way to the car, my parents debated leaving my sisters and me with my neighbor. However, my dad was persistent that there was not enough time. On the way to the hospital, I remember my dad mentioning that my cousin Gerardo was not well and that the doctors have mentioned to his parents that he only had fifteen minutes at most to live. As I heard that, my heart shattered into pieces as I started to sob my dad saw me through the rear-view mirror. He told me “everything will be ok, just pray and God will hear us.”

To the hospital I prayed as much as a little girl could, I promised to give all my toys away so Gerardo would be ok. When we arrived, we headed straight to an elevator that took us to the highest floor. Where we saw a crowded waiting room. All my uncles and aunts were there and some of my little cousins too. However, the only person I saw was my cousin Erika being hugged by one of my aunts as she inconsolably cried. I rushed to her and hugged her as hard as I could, she told me “I want my brother.” I told her immediately everything would be ok. Unsure myself, that night became the most unforgettable and strong faith night I have ever had. Now that I am older my mom had told me her side of the story and how my cousin arrived at the hospital with a low life rate. She told me that one of his older friends who had driven originally to the club had drank a couple of beers. Not wanting no one else to drive his car he insisted that he was not drunk and could drive perfectly. My cousin being overly tired made a poor decision to not buckle his seat belt and laid down in the back seat. Not soon after they left the club, they got into a car crash with a red SUV that caused them to lose control of the car and tumble and flip, causing my cousin Gerardo to fly out of the car. He was found a few feet away from the car with a weak pulse. They had to fly him to a hospital in a helicopter, where they saw that he had a broken skull, a few broken ribs, a broken spine, and some deep wounds. My parents were finally allowed to go into my cousin’s room after half an hour of waiting. They had to leave me and my sisters at the waiting lounge. My mom says he looked unrecognizable, as his head and face were severely swollen. After he survived an hour after arriving at the hospital the doctors finally started prepping him for surgery. they believed that he would be strong enough to go under anesthesia and all the procedures they had to do to him. In the waiting area, was all of my family holding on to all the hope they could gather. His friends who were in the car crash manage to get small bruises, however, the driver had a broken neck and ribs from the impact. They were also praying for my cousin when they heard what he was going through. The surgery took over twelve hours. He had to get some plaques in his head and spine. After the surgery, they induced him into a comma. I remember after his surgery I was allowed to see him, and it broke my heart not seeing his contagious smile. After a month, he started breathing on his own and recuperating little by little. Unfortunately, once my cousin started to be conscious, they discovered he had lost memory of the day of his car crash and other important events, he also lost hearing on his right ear. The doctors also discovered that he would not walk again. That news devastated his family, he screamed, begged, and got mad at the world for not being able to get his old life back. The first couple of months after he arrived from the hospital my aunt has mentioned that it was hurtful seeing him mourn his past. However, she says it was more deteriorating not being able to help him. Gerardo rejected every gesture of help, every pity look, or say he would get extremely upset and flee the situation. He started accepting his diagnosis when he started going to a religious retreat. Now, my cousin, Gerardo has adapted to his new life, he works at an insurance office and has a car adapted to his needs, now he drives everywhere. Although he is still leaving with the sequela of that poor decision, he committed that night of the car crash. He has mentioned that he was revived after the car crash, and he was going to use this new hope of life to help educate young adults over the effects of drinking and driving and the importance of wearing a seat belt.

I am so grateful that my cousin is not a fatal story to tell, but rather an experience of what poor decisions can lead to. It is important to always have someone to be the designated driver, and under no circumstances letting someone drive who is under the influence. Even if they are the owners of the car and are getting upset over not driving the vehicle. Fortunately, in this new generation, we have Uber and Lift who we can reach with just a click on our phones. Wearing a seat belt is vital, it essentially prevents more severe injuries when in an accident. it prevents further damage as well. It is necessary to take all the precocious needed to avert being in an accident that can potentially take someone’s life or cause a life-changing injury.