I’m not talking ’bout jet ski accidents

I’m talking about car accidents.
Yesterday was the weirdest. I was keeping Mike company as he ran errands in preparation for the 2 week road trip he and his brother will begin today. We were on our way to New Seasons to buy some Stumptown coffee and Mike was at the wheel. It was late afternoon and I was in the passenger seat trying to find the perfect Bowie song on my iPod. I was looking down when I felt the car swerve and saw a sedan coming towards us from the corner of my eye. “Did they run a red light?” I asked just before they hit us.
It was not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. My car has some body damage but runs fine. The other car was leaking anti-freeze but looked okay. Maybe it needs a new radiator? I don’t know. No one was hurt and insurance will cover the damage to their car. The case is under investigation so I don’t want to go into a lot of details, but we’re pretty sure we are at fault. I only have Liability insurance, which is dumb I know, but I was broke when I signed up for my plan and you know how it goes. I just drove really carefully and hoped nothing bad happened.
So in the end it was totally minor. But god, it was so scary! The sound of the crash, the panic we felt before we learned that everyone was okay. Mike and I took turns comforting each other, and luckily our waves of anxiety were staggered. The people in the other car were nice. They saw that we were real shaken up and dealt with us gently. The lady embraced me when I started to cry. Later Steve and Rebecca came by to cheer us up and we watched Ultimate Blogger videos from Season 1 until we were laughing easily. Mike packed, we drank some wine, and early this morning I drove him to the airport. We’re fine.
But I still feel so shaken! Cars are scary. They’re these fast-moving metal boxes that whiz around while their operators talk on the phone, rustle in the glovebox, and swat at insects. Mike was driving carefully and slowly. He wasn’t inebriated or distracted. But we still got hit. It could have been so much worse, and I guess that’s what’s really scary. I’m in the car for at least an hour every day going so fast on my way to school. Mike is embarking on a long road trip today and will be in the car for 8-12 hour stretches. We’re both good drivers, but what does that mean? Everyone makes mistakes, and in a car those mistakes can be deadly. We all know it, but right now I just really feel it.
It was hard to let Mikey go today. I want to be able to keep him safe, to reach out and feel his chest rise and fall. This feeling will fade, I know. He’ll have a great trip, I’ll be busy with school and the weeks will fly by. I feel so silly letting this get to me.
Tonight I’ll catch up on Project Runway. Nothing like Tim Gunn in Paris to cheer a lady up.