The Crash

James and Naomi were kissing on their picnic blanket while the sun rose. James has his hand on the back of Naomi's head. Her hair flowed through his fingers and down to the blanket. Naomi had one of her arms wrapped around James' waist and the other around his neck. Today was the beginning of their two year anniversary together.

James pulled away and stared at Naomi. This made her blush. He brought his hand to her cheek. He pulled her to his chest and they sat in silence watching the beautiful orangey reds of the sunrise. Naomi picked up her phone out of her backpack and checked the time. Naturally, they were late for school.

“Might as well make it worth something,” Daniel joked.

They packed up their blanket and threw it in the trunk of their car. They got in and drove to a nearby restaurant. Holding hands, they entered the restaurant and were seated. James kept peeking over his menu at Naomi. She giggled every time she caught him. The waitress came over and took their order and their menus, They were left just staring at each other for a while. Naomi put her hand on the table and James took it.

“You’re so beautiful,” James complimented Naomi.

“You’ve said that, like, a million times today.” Naomi smiled. 

The waitress brought them their drinks, orange juice and apple juice, and went back to tending other tables. Naomi and James raised their glasses.

“To two years,” Naomi toasted.

They clinked glasses and drank. The rest of their meal was good and by the time they were finished, they were full. They paid and left for school. James had pointed out that they'd missed the first period and would barely make second. Entering downtown, they were turning right at a stoplight when a pickup truck ran the red light and hit the driver's side door. James' door.

The impact was hard and the force rolled the couple's car. They rolled down the road two full rotations and landed upright. Naomi had her eyes closed the entire time. She wasn't able to breathe, whenever she tried she inhaled glass or pieces of the car. There was hot pain all over her body and she didn't want to move. She couldn't even if she wanted to. Her seatbelt pinned her to her chair and dug into her chest. By the time the car stopped moving the only thing she could do was move her head to the side and hurl.

"James," she said weakly, "James!"

Moving slowly she finally could see James. He had a huge piece of the windshield through his face into his skull. Naomi screamed as hot liquid streaked through the dirt on her cheeks. The sound of people running filled her ears. People all talking at once until one man took control.

"Somebody call an ambulance and the police!" he shouted. 

Someone tapped on the glass. Her whole body ached. She managed to turn and see an older man at the window.

"Are you alright?" he yelled through the glass.

Her eyes felt heavy and she couldn't keep them open. Closing them stung but it was a welcome, familiar pain. The rest of the crash was a blur. They got the door open and dragged her out. Then she was on a stretcher. And then she fainted.

She woke up in the hospital. Her parents were beside her. She tried to talk but her throat burned. 

"Shh, baby," her mom shushed.

They explained what had happened to her and the memories that came back felt like she was watching from above. Then an image came across her mind that will never leave. James' impaled face. Sobbing, Naomi cried for hours. Each sob leaving her throat in severe pain. Her mom held her in her arms the best she could. 

The doctor came in later and explained her injuries further. She would have to remain in the hospital for a few days for observation and she’ll need physical therapy to regain full control of her hand that was crushed. No surgeries needed. She was lucky to have just messed up her hand. But the loss of James was weighing on her.

That night, Naomi wasn’t able to sleep. She tossed and turned all night. Eventually, she gave up and turned on her television and watched late-night talk shows for the better part of her night. The nurses that came in to check on her always suggested that she sleep but whenever Naomi closes her eyes all she can see is James’ disfigured face. She had tried to think of good memories with him but they were just too painful. 

After three days Naomi was sent home. She had a huge smile on her face as she left the hospital waving to her favourite nurses. Her parents for the last couple of days have been psyching up the return home just so Naomi could have something to look forward to. They thought it might give her some hope. Their first stop was home so Naomi could have a shower. 

In the shower, Naomi couldn’t stop reliving the day of the crash. The sound of the impact, the glass breaking and metal collapsing, replayed in her head and she jumped. She could see the headlights on the wall. She left the shower and threw on a towel and ran into her bedroom. She cried until she fell asleep. 

When she woke up it was a little after three in the morning. She needed air, it felt like she couldn’t breathe. She decided on a walk. Zoning out on her walk, she ended up at the same place she and James had their picnic. She sat down where they had sat. She felt the grass and quietly cried some more. She looked up to the sky. A beautiful speckled black with the most gorgeous full moon.

The lake at the bottom of the hill was still and calm. Seeing the peaceful sight and the calming night air was enough to slow her heart. Naomi took a deep breath. As she exhaled she looked at the moon’s reflection in the lake. It was almost a picture, it was so pretty. You could see every crater in the reflection. Every imperfection. Somehow, seeing the moon’s reflection on the still water made her feel like everything was going to be okay.

Like this night was James’ way of saying goodbye.