Part 39: My First Car Accident

It was like Brody and I had always been together. I was so in love with him, and it felt amazing to say it out loud and in person. I brought him home to Abbotsford with me to meet my family. They had met him as "Elder Jensen" when we had done a Zoom lesson with him, but this was the first introduction as my boyfriend. They instantly loved him and welcomed him into the family with open arms, ending the trip with family photos and a birthday dinner for me.

The birthday prior to this, I was sad. I thought about how I would never find someone to spend my life with. This feels silly now because I was only twenty back then, and it is completely normal to not be married at twenty. Anyways, the family felt complete now that Brody was there. This was my first time being in Abbotsford since I moved out, and it could not have come soon enough. Even though I was so thrilled to be with Brody, I hadn't been able to shake that homesickness. I cried almost everyday, longing for my parents. Facetime often made it worse, and when I would hang up I would just cry. I was happy to be home, but sad to leave again. 

Because Brody and I weren't married, and because I didn't have a room at this house anymore, I slept on Jill's floor while Brody slept in the guest bedroom in the basement. Jill hates sharing a room with me, because I breathe loudly when I sleep. This often results in her begging me to be quiet, which isn't very effective when I'm asleep and also because I have to breathe. 

Brody is typically an early riser, and so is my dad. One morning during our trip, I woke up at 6:30 am. This is quite unusual for me. Because it was November, it was still dark out and the house was quiet. As I emerged from Jill's bedroom door and started down the stairs, I heard two voices come from our family room. My dad and Brody were having a private conversation, and since Brody and I had openly talked about marriage for months, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on. 

We bid our sad goodbyes and went back to life in Calgary. The Thursday after we got back, I was still feeling sad about leaving my family so Brody treated me to a date at Costa Vida, one of my favourites. That night, we were back at his parents house watching a movie. There was no work the next day because of Remembrance Day, so it had gotten quite late when Brody told me to start my trek back to my place. My drive from Brody's house to the James' house was about fifteen minutes, but included a stretch on a long road in the dark. It got quite sketchy in the winter, and this was November so it was going to be cold. I whined about not wanting to leave, begging Brody to let me stay longer. The drive home after a sleepy movie watch was never a good feeling, but especially when it was -20 degrees outside. He told me that he didn't want me to fall asleep and crash while I was driving, to which I replied, "I will literally never get in a car accident." This conversation was turning from play fighting to actually getting annoyed because I was getting frustrated that he wanted me to go, and he was frustrated that I wasn't prioritizing my safety. He ultimately won the battle and I left. 

About five minutes into my drive home, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I wanted to live with Brody and not have to drive home at the end of the night. Suddenly, my car began drifting toward the shoulder of the highway. I tried to correct the steering, but the moment my tire hit the ice along the edge of the road, I lost control. The car spun violently, sending everything inside flying. In a matter of seconds, I crashed into the metal cable barrier. The impact hurled me back onto the icy roadway, where I spun again before slamming into the cable a second time. The car finally came to a stop, battered and silent, on the side of the highway. The good and bad news, was that the road was empty. If there had been cars, I would have spun into oncoming traffic and it could have been a way worse outcome. On the flip side, the road was empty and I was alone. 

I frantically searched for my phone. It had been on my lap but had gone flying when I got hit. I couldn't tell if I was hurt, but I was scared. I found my phone at the feet of the passenger seat and I immediately called Brody. I don't remember what I said, but I was definitely crying and panicking. "Don't worry, I'll be right there." He said into the phone. As I'm on the phone begging him to hurry, someone pulls over and runs towards me. A middle aged man comes to my window and I just put my face in my hands and sob. "That was scary, hey?" he said. He asked me if I was hurt or if he could call someone for me. I kept saying no and he offered me a hug. Some might think it was weird, but it was exactly what I needed in that moment. As this exchange was happening, a cop car pulled up next to us. I didn't know what to tell them, I just kept crying. They probably thought I was hurt, but I was just so shaken up. 

I told them my boyfriend was on his way, and they told me to sit in the back of their car to get out of the cold and calm down. I don't know if anyone reading this has been in the back of a cop car, but the bars are about six inches from your face and the doors lock from the outside, so I actually started to panic more. Brody called me again and asked what had happened. I couldn't explain it. It had happened so fast. 

I will never forget it. There I am, in the back of the cop car. Brody pulls up in his Ford Focus and gets out of the car. He raced out of the house so fast, he was in his pajama shorts (did I mention it was -20 in November) and Blundstones. He made a beeline for me and got me out of the car. People ask when I knew he was the one, and it was that moment. I knew in that moment that he would do absolutely anything to keep me safe and happy. He was going to be my husband. 

After things had calmed down, we were advised to get me to ER just to make sure everything was okay. When we got in Brody's car and drove to the hospital, he decided it would probably be best if I stayed at his place that night, since we would be together again the next morning and because I was so shaken up. It was already about midnight, so Brody picked up the phone and called Kyle James, my Calgary dad and told him what had happened. I asked Brody to call my parents too. He was so calm on the phone, and helped everyone else stay calm too. I don't know why I couldn't call them myself, but I was happy he was there for me. 

We got to the hospital and once we were getting triaged and explaining the situation, I asked what the wait time was. "Seven hours" the nurse said. We weighed the pros and cons of leaving the ER. I felt okay and I did not want to be in the hospital overnight. We ultimately received guidance about how to monitor for a concussion and left the hospital (without paying for parking I might add) and were out in fifteen minutes. It was the best hospital experience I have ever had. 

When we got back to Brody's house, it was almost 1:00 am and time for well-earned bed. That night, Brody tucked me into his bed as I was still physically shaking from the accident. He woke me up every two hours all night to make sure I was okay and that I didn't have a concussion. He helped me call the insurance company and figure out how to bail my car out of the impound lot. I couldn't have done it all without him. It was the first real struggle we endured together, and I came out of it with a new found love for him, and assurity that I had chosen the right person for me.