Update

Let's start with yesterday. Let's start with two words: Smashed. Car. Now put them together.

We were on our way home from church, when we collided with another car at a T-junction about 500 metres from our house. You know how they say, during these near-death moments, your whole life flashes before your eyes? Yeah, that didn't happen for me, because I was asleep, in the front passenger seat; the crash was one hell of a wake-up call.

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was a car spinning to my left; we'd rammed hard into the other car. I froze in shock, and Dad's voice, coming from the back-seat, was firm and urgent all at once: "Everyone get out of the car. NOW."

At the corner of my eye, I saw fluid seep from beneath the steering wheel onto Mom's lap. Up until this point, I'd been completely calm -- possibly from sheer shock -- and it was only when I couldn't get the car door to open that I started panicking. The door was dented from the collision, and it took me a while to force it open. We stumbled onto the sidewalk, a crowd gathering around us now. I watched as a police car serendipitously arrived at the scene.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked. Everyone was.

We watched the driver from the other car climb out in a daze.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. He nodded, unable to speak.

***

I didn't know what had happened, but as I was standing on the sidewalk, assessing the damage, people started walking up to me to give me their eyewitness accounts. I was unbelievably touched, and I tried to gather myself as quickly as I could; I started taking down names and numbers, and thanking each one profusely.

***



That's us in the silver car. And consistent eyewitness accounts allowed me to piece together the sequence of events. (Probably the first and last time you'll get to see an MS paint drawing from me.) This explains why Mom said she never even saw him coming.

The drivers of the pink and green cars, who were waiting to turn right, both testified that Blue had overtaken them and dashed through the junction, turning from a no-turning lane, with the light green in our favour. Again, I am unspeakably grateful at their willingness to offer help, especially when they could have easily gone on their merry way; they were under no obligation, and I was all the more touched by their kindness and initiative.

***

I'm all for second chances, but I just find it incredulous that just because there's no injury and "no damage to any government property," the police could not file any official reports. We exchanged particulars and insurance details, and Blue apologised again. In between those moments, strangers actually walked up to him to berate him for driving dangerously. I was quite surprised at that; I'm not sure that was the best time, although I certainly did understand the sentiment.

***

When everything had settled down, I went back and watched as the traffic police, in their fluorescent yellow vests, directed the traffic around our cars. I scanned the front part of our car, saw that it was completely smashed up, and wondered how it was that we survived; I scanned Blue's car, saw that the left side of his car was completely dented in, and wondered what would have happened if he'd been carrying a passenger. I thought about all these things, and even though I was standing in the scorching sun, a chill ran down my spine. The fact that we had all come out of it unhurt -- it's something I call the grace of God and nothing else.

***

Sunday is typically Family Day; lunch or shopping trips after church -- nothing fancy, but always together. Yesterday, however, we headed home straight after, because I was rushing a deadline, which is also the reason for my blogging absence.

We had a huge project to turn in last Thursday. On Wednesday, they announced an extension, and we all had until Monday to complete our projects. I can't remember ever having been given an extension in all these years; that will tell you how much we've been struggling -- to the point that our lecturers have acknowledged that they have given us Too Much Work. We're the first batch to complete this project in one semester, where others had previously done in two.

That meant many late nights in the computer lab, and by late nights, I mean that the newspapers are at my doorstep by the time I get home; not that I had any time to read them at all. And that also explains why I was asleep in the car; grabbing every chance I could at getting some shut-eye.

We turned in the project this morning, and that's the only reason why I have time to blog. It's not over, of course, more deadlines are coming up next week. But today, today I rest, today I thank God that I'm alive. Today I catch up on a week's worth of news, today I clip my fingernails, today I watch Grey's Anatomy.

***



I banged up my knee in the crash, I forgot to mention. But that's fine. I've certainly had worse.

***

Me (concerned): "What was that leaking from the car earlier?"

Mom: "Something was leaking from the car?"

Me: "Yeah, from under the steering wheel. Was that the radiator fluid?"

Mom: "Er, no, that was my water bottle."

Me: "..."