2723 words (10 minute read)

Chapter 1

Steam rose from my coffee cup like a plume of smoke from a cigarette. In the early morning light, beams from the sun shown in, softly lighting the kitchen and illuminating the steam from my coffee. It was a calm, peaceful and perfect moment. My phone rang, breaking the beauty of my peace. It was strange to get a call so early, it was only 7:15am. Seeing the number, I knew immediately who was calling. I pushed the annoyance from my voice before I even spoke.

"Hello," I said, "This is James."

"James, it’s Chris, I need you to come in ASAP. We had an issue overnight with the system not triggering communications as scheduled. I don’t know what the issue was, but I’m getting heat on this."

"Hey, Chris," I said. "You know, I can check that from here. I just need to login."

"I know, but I’d rather you be in the office," explained Chris.

"Alright, I’ll be there in 30," I said begrudgingly.

"I’m on my way in now," said Chris. "Don’t take the interstate, it’s totally backed up." He hung up.

My freshly poured coffee still exhaled steam from the mug, the morning paper, still folded up. I’ll have to read it tonight.

"Eve!" I shouted upstairs. No answer.

"Eve! I’ve gotta go in to the office now, Chris is freaking out."

"Mmm-hmmm, ok, love you," came a groggy reply.

She wasn’t up yet.

I poured my still steaming coffee into a to-go cup, grabbed my bag and headed out the door. Another day, another drive and more of the same. Instinctively, or more accurately, reflexively, I started my drive. Public radio started up with the engine and I backed out of the garage. I could do this part with my eyes closed. The monotony of my daily work routine had, in the past year or so, become so automatic, so cruise control, that I feel like if someone asked me what day an event occurred, I wouldn’t have a clue.

Wake up, shower, drink coffee, eat food, drive to work. Do my job, go home, rinse and repeat. Thankfully Eve kept things enjoyably unpredictable when I wasn’t grinding out 9-5 five days a week.

I met Eve only four years ago, in New York, and we got married a year later. She had just finished traveling for a year after her parents passed away in a freak accident. For someone so bubbly, happy and beautiful, I was shocked to learn she didn’t have any siblings and no close friends since "she had bounced around a lot until we met."

I was on my way to grab some gum from a newsstand when she caught my eye immediately, standing there staring at a map, looking terribly lost.

"Do you need help?" I asked her. "You seem like you’re not quite sure where you are."

She looked up at me, a hint of panic in her eyes. Deep, soulful green eyes penetrated my very being. She looked frazzled, but stunning nonetheless. Her hair was relaxed, like she was on vacation, or had just unwound from a long day. Odd considering the morning hustle of a New York commute. A bit shorter than me, she wore a casual sweatshirt, with a logo for a university on it that I didn’t recognize. Her dark denim jeans fit like a glove, and showed that she was healthy and fit.

"Hi, yeah, that would be great. I’m trying to find where we are on this map." Her voice trembled slightly, showing her nerves. I thought it was cute.

"No problem," I said. "Where are you from?"

She smiled, nervously. "Not here."

I smiled back. "Well, we’re on E. 35th St. and Grant Ave."

"Got it, right here."

"Yep, the neighborhood is called EaPre," I said. "East - President. All the streets, north and south are named for presidents."

"Thanks, much appreciated," she replied, the tone of her voice relaxing with each word.

"Where are you trying to go to?"

"Umm, I guess I’m not sure. Just trying to get my head straight, I just..." she paused and trailed off, staring around aimlessly.

"I just arrived here and I am really confused, I don’t have anything other than this book, and my phone isn’t working."

I looked at the book in her hand, a cover and title I didn’t recognize.

"You’re traveling and don’t have any luggage?" I asked confused.

"Yeah, I... my stuff was stolen this morning." She looked at the ground.

"Damn, I’m really sorry to hear that. Let me get this map for you, my treat."

"Seriously?" she asked with a smile that disarmed me. "You don’t have to."

"My pleasure. Happy to help," I smiled back. "My name is James."

She shook my hand and I felt sparks. Something. I still can’t describe it. It was a feeling like nothing I’d felt before. I fell hard, right then and there for her.

"I’m Eve," she said. "Thank you for your kindness."

"Do you want to grab a cup of coffee?" I asked. "We can talk over where we are a bit more in detail."

"Yes, please. I’m beat, it feels like I’ve been up for hours already. Like it should be dinner time. I’m just so hungry and tired."

We left together, walked and talked all the way to a nearby coffee shop. I got us coffee, and got Eve some food. I didn’t stay long, I was already late for work, but I gave her my phone number and let her know that if she needed anything while she was here to not hesitate and call.

She called me two hours later.

I’d learn in the coming weeks that she was a total mystery. We hung out casually at first, but it wasn’t long before we began dating. I learned about her parents, her nomadic life and her having a hard time understanding where she was. She blamed her constant confusion on being in so many places for so short a time that she had lost track of anything consistent. I would just stare at her, mesmerized and nod. I must have looked like an idiot, but I was always transfixed.

Fast forward eight months, we were engaged. We found ourselves survive one little relationship scare, but four months later and almost a year to the date of meeting, we were married. That was three years ago. We’d since left the state and moved out west. We craved more nature and a smaller urban footprint. Eve always said how she’d felt out of place and that the west would feel like home. Who was I to argue? I just followed where ever she went, like a puppy following his human.

Our new lives were exciting. She loved to rock climb, got me into running, hiking, skiing and being more active. I’d get home from work, bored stiff and she’d give me a kiss, hand me a basketball and say "game on." Her spontaneity and enthusiasm was contagious. People gravitated to her and she was the beacon that grew our friend base. My family loved her. Everyone loved her. Eve was perfect. But, occasionally, behind closed doors, I’d sometimes hear her weeping. I always assume about her parents. The most that she’d ever told me was that she lost them suddenly in a freak situation. The mere thought of it seemed to break her. I never dared ask about it again.

Damn, I just got on the interstate. There’s a perfect example of that reflexive monotony. Chris wasn’t kidding, the highway was bumper to bumper.

I dialed work, then extension x345. Chris picked up immediately.

"This is Chris."

"Chris, it’s James. Traffic is horrible, I’ll be there as soon as I can."

"Fine, thanks for letting me know. See you soon." He hung up. Weird. He must really be worried about that system glitch.

I shifted in my seat, adjusted the air and turned up the radio. I’d missed most of the story during my zoned out drive and was only now tuning in right in the middle. Something about a massive fire in a city in the East somewhere. I’d missed all the details and was just hearing first-hand accounts of what was happening.

I looked up to see the taillights in front of me and the car in front of my grind to a halt. It happened too quickly to react.

My eyes blinked slowly open. Nothing but a blurry haze of white seeped into sight. Sound came back into focus, the horn was sporadically pulsing.

"Sir! Can you hear me? Sir!"

Slowly, my eyes focused. I pulled myself off the wheel, unwrapping myself from the deployed airbag. It was cold, and a fine powder caked my hands and face.

"Sir, stop moving," a voice to my left said. "I want to ensure you’re not injured."

I turned to the voice. Every muscle ached. A woman guided my head to the headrest on the seat.

"Sir, my name is Alice, I’m an EMT. You’ve been in an accident. What’s your name?"

I tried to speak, only saliva and blood made it’s way from my mouth. I spat and tried again, coughing.

"James." My mouth tasted terrible.

"James," she repeated. "Do you know where you are?"

I paused, searching desperately for mental clarity to respond.

"I’m in my car. On the interstate."

"Ok, rest your head. Please don’t move."

I coughed again. Some blood spattered onto the airbag.

"Umm, I don’t think that’s good," I said as I wiped my mouth.

"It’s ok, you’re head is bleeding and I think you bit your tongue as well."

Alice continued to check my neck and applied a compress to my head.

"Your neck is ok, but you’re going to need to move slowly as you get out of the car," explained Alice.

I put my hand on the door where the window once was and gingerly pulled myself up. Alice had slashed my seatbelt, but the door was jammed.

"You’re going to have to carefully crawl out the window," said Alice. "Let me help you."

She grabbed my arms, slowly pulling me from the car. I fell to my knees as my feet slumped from the window like deadweights. Alice helped me stand up.

I leaned on a cement divider just to the left of my car and surveyed the carnage. Crumpled cars, people on their phones, emergency vehicles and personnel everywhere. Chaos, confusion and cars. A big freaking mess. The accident was huge. At least fifty cars. It looked like something from a movie. I’d scanned the area with my eyes for only 10 seconds or less and that’s what I saw. Any more would have been too much to comprehend.

"James, can you stand?" Alice asked.

I let go of the divider and stood up. Alice turned towards me, placing one hand on my forehead, and with the other wrapped gauze around my head.

"You’re going to need stitches for your forehead, but you’re going to be fine. It’s possible you may have a concussion."

"What happened?" I asked.

"I don’t know exactly, but a man further ahead said he swerved to avoid another man who had wandered onto the highway."

"What?" I asked confused.

"Can you walk to that ambulance?" she asked as she pointed behind my car, and past a row of at least another twenty smashed cars.

"Yeah, I’m fine. I can get there."

She tapped me on the back and ran further down the highway to help others in need.

As I shuffled to the ambulance, I reached for my phone before remembering it was still in the car. I turned around to retrieve it. That’s when I saw him. A man, cuffed by police, staring right at me. He seemed like he had a glow, a light haze surrounding him. He was at least 100 feet in front of the cars, amidst the chaos. His matted beard, sunken eyes and tattered clothes suggested he was possibly homeless. His stare made me feel uneasy and sent shivers down my spine. I tried to ignore it and looked away.

As I got back to my car, reaching through the shattered window, I grabbed my phone from the passenger seat and began to dial Eve. Looking up, the homeless man was gone. Presumably, in the police car now.

Eve picked up immediately.

"James! Tell me you’re not on the highway! It’s all over the news, there was a huge accident."

"I’m on the highway. I’m ok. I don’t know what happened. My head is cut and I may have a concussion."

"Oh god, where are you?" she said with her voice shaking. "I’m coming to get you."

"I’m still on the highway. I have to go to an ambulance and check in with them. I think they’ll take me somewhere."

"Stay on the phone with me. What are you seeing?

I described the chaos as I shuffled back to the ambulance. It was worse than I had initially seen. Where the homeless man had been, 100 feet ahead of me, a row of first responders were facing traffic. Drivers and passengers were shuffling through the maze of twisted, colored steel and shattered glass. People were being pulled from vehicles through the windows like I was.

As I described the scene to Eve, I occasionally repeated myself over the blaring of sirens and horns. I continued winding my way back towards additional ambulances at the rear of the chaos.

An EMT approached me.

"Sir, come with me, I’ll get you organized. We’re sending all the injured to St. Joe’s."

"Did I hear St. Joe’s?" asked Eve over the phone.

"Gather at the bus over there and we’ll get all of you out of here in just a few minutes," the EMT said.

"Did you catch that?" I asked Eve.

"Yes, I’ll meet you there. I love you. You sure you’re ok?"

"I love you too. I’m ok. My head just hurts. Be safe. Don’t speed, I’m fine!"

I hung up, staring at the phone as if it would answer some of the questions swimming through my head. I turned to get on the bus and stopped. Looking back, I could see that this was one mess that wouldn’t be cleaned up anytime soon. No end to the chaos that littered the interstate. Taking a deep breath, I turned to get on the bus.

Shock gripped everyone inside. I walked slowly down the aisle, doing my best not to stare at everyone I passed. They all sat there catatonically, some holding bandages on wounds, others with their eyes closes, faces glossy with slowly drying tears. A few people were on their phones, talking quietly. I grabbed a seat halfway back and sank into the seat. The stiff, fake leather seat, comforted me in a way the seat had never done for anyone before. I took a deep breath and my head sank into my hands, longing for clarity.

Not an ideal way to start this day. It was then I remembered Chris. I dialed work. Chris picked up almost immediately.

"Chris, it’s James. I was in an accident. I’m on my way to the hospital."

"Are you alright? I take it you’re not coming in then."

"Uhh, no. I’m not. I’m headed to the hospital."

A long awkward silence filled the phone.

"Fine, I’ll get someone else to handle this. Keep me posted. Take care of yourself."

He hung up again. I stared at the phone briefly in dismay before throwing it down violently next to me.

After a couple of deep breaths, I zoned out, gazing blankly at the back of seat in front of me. My eyes wandered. Outside the window, a man stood at his car, looking at the accident. He had a light haze surrounding him, it looked like the sun was behind him, making him appear backlit. It was bright, like a photographer had placed a light behind him. Odd. That homeless guy looked the same before too. My hands found their way over my eyes and around my head. What the hell kind of concussion was this?