Last night…
My son and I were in our usual positions, seated at the dining room table before two identical laptop computers typing away, he, on some strategy battle game and me on an unfinished essay, when I heard the boom.
For a second, I wondered if someone had been shot, but I was in the middle of constructing a really clever sentence and didn’t want to break my train of thought. When I finished, I looked over at my son, “Hey, did you hear that?” He was obviously creating an extremely clever plot to overthrow the world because he didn’t even answer.
I gave it another moment’s thought. What could that have been? Thunder? A garage door banging down? I had no idea, but easily dismissed it and went back to my essay.
It was about 15 minutes later that I heard a rap at the door. I was in the process of corralling the boys up to their bed, about a half an hour later than I should have. With much hesitation, I slowly descended the stairs. No one knocks on my door at night, except occasionally a neighbor to tell me I left the lights on in my car, or my sliding car door open, or my keys hanging in the door. But every time, it unnerves me, especially without my husband home, at his third baseball meeting of the week. But that’s not important.
I looked through the window. It was a police officer.
Boom.
Now it’s never good to see the police standing at your door at 9pm at night, but I have to say my first thought was not fear that something terrible had happened, it was paranoia. Was this really the police? Was I going to open the door for a robber or worse, a killer?? My husband and I had been watching The Following on television, I no longer trusted anyone.
Unsure if I should,yet unable to stop myself, I slowly opened the door, wishing I had a bat nearby.
“Yes?” I asked, intimidated by the uniform and the situation.
“Someone hit your car.” He alerted me in a very police like fashion. “You have a registration and insurance card?”
I peeked out my door and saw a police car and another vehicle a few feet behind mine in the street. Felt legitimate. “Sure,” I responded. “It’s in the car. Let me get my keys.”
I made sure boys were in their beds, actually, they decided to huddle in one bed. The policeman at the door had turned them simultaneously nervous and giddy. I grabbed my keys and walked out in the dark and cold. There was plastic and pieces of car everywhere. A man approached me and said, “I didn’t even see it. I really wasn’t going very fast.”
Hmm. The car might disagree.
“Are you okay?” I asked and he nodded. He seemed okay, but his Ford Explorer certainly wasn’t. The whole passenger side looked eaten away. This car had nothing in it behind its exterior shell. The corner was totaled. It was made of nothing. On the other hand, my car fared substantially better. I mean, it wasn’t great, but all cheer the Odyssey. This was no mini-van. It was a mini-tank.
After finding the necessary paperwork, a small miracle in itself, there wasn’t much to do. I stared at his car. I stared at mine. I made light small talk with the man who I learned only lived a block away, and I was told to pick up the police report the next day.
I was surprised how mild my reaction was to the whole incident, but of course, it’s just a car. No one was hurt. I guess when the police turn up at your door at night, someone hitting your parked car is a big relief. Because in this crazy life, in this crazy world, sometimes real shit happens. Boom. It could have been a lot worse. There was no need to fall apart, just because my car did.
Although this does change my plans for the day.
My car…
His car. Boom.
Icescreammama 
when did this happen.
poor car,glad you weren’t near it .
Wise girl!
Love,
A.
i mean, it wasn’t like he ran over my tub of ice cream or anything like that. 😉
😀
Wow!! But true, it could have been worse. A car can be fixed, that’s what insurance is for. Way to go Odyssey…and I used to criticize that mini-tank…who knew? (I’m a Mopar girl)
i know! i have new respect!!
A few years ago my husband and I were watching “The Office” (when it was still funny) and we heard a BOOM! I shrugged it off (again – this was when “The Office” was funny and I didn’t want to stop watching). My husband – the wiser one – decided to check it out.
Some girl chatting on her cellphone had crashed through out picket fence and parked her car on our lawn – about 3 inches from the house.
that’s crazy!!! booms are never good sounds to hear.
It’s interesting to me to hear how normal human beings describe how they felt when the police are at their door or are around them at all. Lol.
I’m sorry!!!!! hahaha!!!
Awful!! And The Following has me hooked and not trusting anyone either!
i swear, i am now afraid of everyone!
Saw your car this morning… Bummer! Glad it wasn’t worse.
Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:39:34 +0000 To: lisaverdino@hotmail.com
You are lucky that the guy that hit your car was nice enough to call the police and report. (Then again he couldn’t have really driven away with that much damage.) Someone backed into my car and broke my tail light. Didn’t put a note on it or anything letting me know. I didn’t know it was broke until some one pointed it out… I’m glad nothing worse happened!!
that sucks!! yet i’m not surprised, people continually disappoint. and yeah, it was the responsible thing for him to do, but he lives around the corner and there was much carnage… still, i’d like to believe he would have no matter what.
Bummer, but a good thing you and the boys weren’t in it! I’m sure it ill be back to normal in no time…
But I mean, what is the big guy thinking, crikey, three games in one week, I hope he’s come home with some Edy…
yes! it’s all fine, inconvenient, but fine. i do keep getting reminded though, how intimidated i am by the police!! you’d think i was an ice cream robber!
and really, my husband is Mr. Baseball. Plays, coaches, on the board, meetings, teams, travel… blah blah.. although they are super cute on that field. 🙂
LOL for sure, The Following is enough to destroy your trust of any other person you’re not personally related to (and even some of those as well).
Wow, those big manly SUVs are just made of tinfoil and fairy dust, huh?
i swear! seeing the police alone at night at my door definitely freaked me out. i can’t watch these shows anymore!!
and totally – tinfoil and dust!! exactly.
Hondas are the best. I have one and I love it. And my mom has one that we are all pretty sure saved my sister’s life when she was in a car accident a couple years ago while driving it. Booms in the night are always unnerving…glad yours turned out ok!
yeah!! i was fascinated by his car.. the night picture doesn’t do it justice.
The police again?Hmmm 😉 Seriously though like others have said, lucky you were nowhere near at the time…
i know!!! so now, i’m not only intimidated by their uniforms, i’m afraid they’re killers!! thanks bad tv shows!!
Ugh, bummer. I’m glad no one was hurt!
I’m surprised at how unusually calm you were. If it were me, I would’ve been calling my husband in a total panic after the police officer left my house. Needless to say, I need to get some better coping skills. I’m happy to hear that no one was injured!
ha!! that didn’t bother me at all. i just need to stop watching bad tv so i’m not afraid of everyone… actually, there’s probably good reason to be afraid of everyone.. now i’ve just depressed myself. ice cream!
Damn! Good thing your car has survived and nobody was hurt!
yep. – just picked up my loaner car. expect the unexpected
Shit! His car has been hit real bad but urs also has been damaged. Sometimes, people do not exercise caution while driving and it may cost lives.
Cheers
Vishal
http://www.vishalbheeroo.wordpress.com
true!!! thankfully, no one was hurt.
Nice job keeping perspective. Its the best to do in a lousy situation.
absolutely. can’t sweat the small stuff.
Well, of all the types of wrecks you could have had, that one was the best. But your poor, innocent car, just sitting there doing nothing!
Awesome that your car fared so well. And your perspective? Excellent! Way to know what’s really important.
thanks. it’s true. it’s just a car right?
Wow. Good thing the cops came and it wasn’t a hit and run!
i was more happy that the cop was a cop!! haha
You crack me up! What a story! I love getting a peek inside your head – your thought process is so similar to mine, I can’t help but smile. I’m sorry for your scare. And your poor car! 😉
my mother was so amused that i wrote it almost as it was happening. but really, i was more afraid of the cop at my door than anything else. i no longer trust anyone. you hear me girl scouts!! 😉
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