A day in different Shoes

Suddenly, he looked up and there was an oncoming car. He slammed on the brakes but it was too late.

Earlier that day…

It was a normal Monday morning for Peggy Johnson. As a single mom every morning started out with her wrestling with her two year old son to get him dressed, and ready for the sitters. She worked at a diner outside of New York city from six to seven so she could put food on the table. Peggy drove away from the sitters house. She looked back at the empty car seat and wished her life had turned out different. Peggy loved her son but she wished she could give him a better life. She always wondered about what life would be like had she stayed in school. Had she got that degree she wouldn't have to worry about the bills. If only she could just have money then her life would be different. 

It should have been an average Monday morning for Trevor Jones. He woke up just as the curtain opened. He got up and got a shower. He was thinking about the company he was buying today. The phone rang, the partners wanted to meet earlier than the original time. He would have to hurry to get to the other side of the city. Trevor walked out of apartment and stepped onto the elevator. He anxiously waited for the elevator to stop on the first floor. Quickly he walked out and through the lobby. The staff had pulled his car out front of the building, he climbed in and sped away. Trevor drove down the road going faster than he should have been.

Black and silver colored fiberglass lay scattered across both lanes of the road. Bigger pieces of debris lay strewn around on the road and in the shoulder's. No one was there to witness the black car hit the silver car that had been turning at an intersection.

The black car that was going eighty in a forty five, had no chance of stopping when the driver looked up and saw a car turning at an intersection. The black car hit the silver car on the passenger side causing it to flip four times before it landed on its top on the other side of the road. The black car swerved to miss the car but it was too late. After hitting the silver car the black car landed on the driver's side in the ditch. Shards of glass glistened in the bright sun while smoke from both vehicles filled the air.

Peggy's eyes slowly opened. She saw a bright white light above her that hurt her eyes and her head. All at once she felt an extreme headache that brought tears to her eyes. Everything looked blurry at first. She heard someone talking but it sounded muffled and she couldn't make out what was being said.

As her eyes adjusted she looked around the room. Am I in the hospital? Peggy thought. She had an IV in her hand that hurt when she moved it. Using her other hand she reached up and touched her head. She felt a bandage then pain and quickly moved her hand. A nurse named Ruby came into the room to check on Peggy. Peggy asked the nurse if she would help her to the bathroom. When she sat up she felt so much pain. She walked into the bathroom and when the nurse had closed the door she looked in the mirror. What she saw shocked her so much that she screamed in a high pitch. When Ruby asked if Peggy was alright Peggy ignored her. Peggy paced back and forth in the bathroom, how am I a girl? Peggy opened the door, "What is this person's…I mean what is my name?" Peggy asked Ruby.                                                               

Ruby looked at the clip board "Uh, Peggy Johnson." She answered.

Peggy smiled nervously and closed the door, "I'm a woman!" She shouted. Peggy took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Are you alright?" Ruby asked.

"Yes I am fine!" Peggy said quickly.

The nurse left the room after Peggy was back in bed. Peggy began talking quietly to herself, "How am I a girl? Did I die? I bet I am dead!" Suddenly she gasped, "The meeting! I didn't go to the meeting. Oh my boss is going to kill me." Thankfully in Peggy's favor the nurse or doctor did not come in while she was talking to herself.

Meanwhile on the same floor down the hall…

Trevor awoke to a bright light. As he looked around the room he saw tubes and wires along with monitors. Several of which, were connected to him. He sat up in bed I feel strange he thought. He slowly got up from the bed and walked over to the mirror hanging on the bathroom door. Trevor gasped at the what he saw. "I'm a man!" He shouted.

Suddenly the door swung open and a nurse rushed in. "Sir are you alright?" The nurse asked.

Panicking he moved closer to the bed "Uh yeah I am. I was um…going to the bathroom and I was um… Shocked! Yeah shocked at how bad my face looks." Trevor said, scrambling to find words. The nurse looked as though she did not believe him but she agreed and walked out of the room.

Trevor could not remember anything that happened after the wreck. But he did remember one thing that sent him into a panic. "A plan. I have to come up with a plan." He said aloud. Finally he thought of it and hoped it worked. Slowly Trevor walked out of his room and over to the nurses' station. "Can I help you sir?" The nurse asked. "Um yes. Is a Peggy Johnson here?" Trevor asked.

The nurse began typing in her computer, "Yes right down the hall actually." She said.

"Wonderful. What room number?" Trevor asked.

"I can't tell you unless you are family." The nurse said.

Trevor had not thought of that. And now had to quickly make up something. "Well she is my wife." Trevor said.

"Oh well in that case it is room four fifteen." The nurse said smiling.

Trevor walked away and slowly walked down the hall looking at the each room number. He tried to hide his face when a nurse walked by so he wouldn't be recognized.

Finally he found room four fifteen, he took a deep breath and opened the door. He closed it behind him and pulled the curtain closed as well. "Hey! That's my body!" A voice called from behind him.

 Trevor quickly turned around, "Yeah and you're in my body!"

"How did this even happen?" Peggy asked.

"Because of you I didn't even get to go to work. Now how will I pay the bills." Trevor cried.

"This is all your fault! I missed my meeting because of you." Peggy said rudely. "You should watch where you're going!"

"My fault?" Trevor asked. "You were the one going like ninety."

"It was eighty." Peggy scolded.

The door opened and they both stopped talking. Had someone over heard there conversation the hospital staff would have probably taken them upstairs to the mental floor. A male nurse came in and handed Peggy a clip board "Alright your going home." He said simply.

"Is that really safe to send her home?" Trevor asked.

"I'm sorry who are you?" The nurse asked.

"He's my brother." Peggy added quickly.

Peggy and Trevor waited eagerly for the nurses' reply but to their surprise he laughed, "You two are horrible at this already." He said still laughing.

Trevor and Peggy looked at each other and then back at the nurse, "You know?" Peggy asked. "How do you know."

"When your cars collided your souls switched places. They will not be switched back until you both have learned from each other."

"What? What do I need to learn?" Peggy whined.

"Grow up!" Trevor added. "So what do we have to learn from each other?" Trevor asked.

"That is not for me to say. I will check back in later." The nurse said. He walked out of the room closing the door behind him.

"Alright, I will go to your house and you will go to mine. When they give us back or phones we will text updates to teach other." Trevor explained. "And you better be careful with my son. No you know what I…I mean you will call mom and see if she will come help you. "

"I don't know how to take care of a kid." Peggy said.

"Well you're going to learn now." Trevor moaned. "I got to go before someone comes in and sees me in here."

Trevor walked down the hall towards his room and shortly after both Trevor and Peggy were discharged from the hospital. Outside they traded phones and phone numbers. Trevor informed Peggy to tell mom that they were friends. She knew how over bearing her mother was and he was about to find out.

Having no driver Trevor signaled a cab and when one pulled up he got in. The cab drove through the city and Trevor marveled at all of the tall buildings. Peggy being in Trevor's body had never been to the city before. He was amazed at how big the city actually was. The cab stopped at a building and Trevor got out of the car. After paying the driver the cab pulled away and Trevor looked up at the building. "Wow!" He whispered. "Sir are you alright?" The door man asked. Trevor looked down at him and he had a strange look on his face.

 "Yeah this building is so tall." Trevor answered.

The man frowned as if he was truly concerned about Trevor, "Sir are you sure your alright?" He asked. 

Trevor blinked a couple times as if to come out of his trance. "Yeah I am fine, thank you." He said. He walked closer to the door. "Um, what floor is mine?" He asked.

The man frowned again, "Twelve sir." He said shyly.

Trevor giggled, "Yes I knew that." As he walked in he looked at every little detail. The chandelier was unlike anything she had ever seen. Trevor slowly walked up the stairs instead of using the elevator. Although after reaching the twelve floor he regretted using the stairs. He walked down the hall and when he reached the right number he unlocked the door and walked in.

White carpet and beautiful hardwood was the first thing Trevor noticed. There was a balcony and floor to ceiling windows. He walked into the bedroom and saw a huge queen size bed covered in white satin sheets. "Wow!" Trevor said aloud. "I could love a place like this!" He continued.

Peggy got into the front passenger seat and buckled the seat belt. The woman in the driver's side already introduced as mom drove away. Peggy clutched her few belongings that were unknown to her. "Peggy I hope you are going to take off a few days. You can't go in there serving people with your head looking like that." Her mother scolded. Quickly Peggy pulled out her phone and turned it on. Luckily it didn't have a password. She typed in the number and began to write a text that read, Complaining about me not going to work with my head looking the way it is. Response?  She waited for a reply and one was promptly sent back. It read, Just say you have to work to put food on the table. You home yet? Peggy looked at the message.

Trevor being in Peggy's body knew nothing really about talking to a mother. His mother died when he was four. He grew up accustom to not having one, his father taught him that business was most important in life.

"Well mom I have to work so I can put food on the table." Trevor said.

"You're not making enough to keep Caleb alive." She snapped.

"Yes I am!" Peggy shouted. "Now please, my head hurts!"

Peggy's mother said nothing else the rest of the way to Peggy's house outside of the city. When they reached the house Peggy's mother stopped the car. Peggy slowly got out of the car, "I will bring Caleb over tomorrow. " Her mom shouted from the window.

She walked up towards the house. The yard was un-kept, toys lay hiding in the tall grass, and the shudders were faded and falling off. Peggy unlocked the door and walked in, almost falling over toys as she walked in the door. Peggy closed the door and turned on the light. "Can someone really live here?" Peggy said aloud. She walked towards the kitchen stepping over toys and cheerio's . The kitchen was a disaster! Dirty dishes lay everywhere, on every surface. Shocked at how dirty the house was Peggy walked back to the only bedroom in the house. She found an unmade bed and dirty clothes.

Trevor woke up in the middle of the bed. He almost did not want to get out of the bed. He did however and walked in the bathroom and got in the bathtub. "I could get use to this!" He said. He laid back and closed his eyes. The relaxation he craved was interrupted by a knock on the door. He quickly got out of the tub and pulled a robe on, then ran to the door and opened it. He saw a man he didn’t know so Trevor said nothing.

"What man no hello?" The man asked. "Yeah well I wouldn't either if I missed the deal yesterday." He continued.

Trevor closed the door, "I was in a car wreck."

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry. I hope your okay but we need to go." He said, "so go get dressed."

Trevor went and got dressed in a suit and left the building with the man whose name he didn't know. They went to the office and Trevor sat in a three hour meeting and didn't understand any of it.

Meanwhile,

Peggy woke up in a dark room. The sound of a phone ringing woke her up. "Hello?" She answered.

 "Peg where are you? You are late for your shift." The voice said.

"Oh, I will be there in a few minutes." Peggy said. She got up out of bed and showered then got dressed in what she thought was a uniform. She picked up the phone and called her mom for a ride. To Peggy's surprise her mother said she couldn't take her to call the bus.

As Peggy stepped on bus she felt very out of place and uncomfortable. She had never in her life been on a bus before. Who knows what kind of germ's is in her, she thought. The bus stopped in front of the diner and Peggy stepped off and walked across the parking lot and into the diner. Not knowing what she was doing at all she began her shift.

Twelve hours later her shift ended. It was a long day filled with serving tables, dropping trays, wearing food, cleaning bathroom's, and carrying out trash. This was by far the hardest she had ever worked before. She realized that work was actually very hard. Those who work in diners actually have to work very hard. Peggy took the bus home and when she got home she saw her mother's car. She walked in the door tired and weary but was greeted with a hug from a child.

"Well I got to go home now." Peggy's mother said.

"Wait you're not going to help me." Peggy cried.

Peggy's mom moaned, "Don't tell me you forget how to take care of your child. I already fed him so just give him a bath and put him to bed."

Without saying another word she walked out the door. Caleb was running all around the room throwing toys and screaming. "Caleb!" She shouted.

He stopped running and looked up at her "Let's go get a bath. Do you think you can do it yourself?" Peggy asked. Caleb shook his head no and began running around again. Peggy being tired and frustrated picked up Caleb and took him to the bathroom.

Through screams and flying toys Peggy gave Caleb his bath. Peggy laid him down in his crib and laid down in the bed. Soon they were both asleep.

Trevor left the building after the meetings were over and went back home. He had declined a invite out to dinner. Once home the house was so quiet. Trevor found a radio and turned it on for some kind of noise. After one day and night of silence Trevor missed noise. And missed Caleb, very much. After having dinner Trevor laid down in bed. This life is lonely, he thought, I don't think this is the kind f life I want.

Trevor fell asleep. In the middle of the night while Peggy and Trevor were sleeping their souls switched back to its original state.

Trevor and Peggy woke up and were both surprised and relieved to be back in their bodies. Peggy went to work and instead of going to work Trevor went to the diner. When he walked in Peggy saw him and smiled. The nameless nurse came in too. "You both did well. You learned from each other." He said.

"Trevor's not so bad. But his life is lonely."

"Which is something he needs to change. Maybe a wife would make his life less lonely." The nameless man said. Then before either Peggy or Trevor could answer he was gone. And a seed was planted that began to grow between two people.