The Dream

The Dream

Dad was looking into the mirror shaving when Mom came up behind him, hugging him tight.  She said, “Ken, will you make me a promise?”

“What promise, honey?”

“That you will be extra careful, driving to work.”

“Ok, but why”

“I had a dream that you were in a bad accident.”

“Don’t be silly.  It was just a dream.”

“I know, but will you be careful?”

“Sure, but don’t worry.  I’ll be alright.”

Mom didn’t say anything else.  She just hugged him then went to make breakfast.

It had been storming all night, and rain was still coming pouring down.  Dad put his jacket over his head and ran out to the car.  Mom yelled, “Remember, be careful!” as he got into the car.

He waved at her as he got into the car.  He laughed to himself, she sure worried a lot.  Mom watched as he pulled into the road, and drove around the nearby curve.

Even though he gave no credence to Mom’s dream, he drove with more caution than normal.  The rain was really coming down.

About two miles out of town, he was rounding a sharp turn when he hit an area of standing water.  At once there was no traction, the car could not make the turn.  It continued straight ahead, through the guard rail, knocking over trees, and down the cliff hill side.

He woke up at the bottom of the hill, lying on the seat, the car a few feet from the rushing river.  It was hard to see, so he put his hand to his head.  His face was covered in blood and his scalp partially covered one eye.  He pushed the hair and skin back on his head and looked around.  He saw his jacket in the floor board.  He grabbed it and tied it around his head, like a scarf.  The make-shift bandage held his scalp in place, and slowed the bleeding.

The car was a mangled wreck.  When he tried first the driver’s and then the passenger’s door, he found they would not open.  He put his legs up and kicked out the broken windshield. 

He crawled out through the opening and onto the hood.  As he surveyed the area, he realized no one would be likely to find him for hours, if not days.  If he were to live, he must seek help, rather than wait.

He slid off of the hood and walked to the edge of the hillside.  He was sick and weak, and the rain was pouring down.  The area was very wet and slick, but life had never been easy; so he didn’t bemoan his situation but started pulling himself up the hill, using every tree and bush in his path.  Several times he lost his grip and slid partially back down, but each time he started again, and just kept trying until he reached the top.

There, next to the guard rail he had driven through, he waited for traffic.  After a short time, a pickup truck drove up.  Dad flagged the man down.  The driver gave dad a ride back into town, but didn’t want blood all over the inside of the truck, so Dad lay in the bed until they got to the hospital.

By the time they arrived Dad was in shock.  He was laughing as people screamed and ran at the sight of him.  He quickly saw a doctor and who started a transfusion, before putting close to two hundred stitches in his scalp. 

The doctor stated he had never seen a man lose so much blood and still live.  The police interviewed him several times wanting to know who else was in the car with him.  When Dad told them nobody, they didn’t believe him; they said one man could not bleed that much.  He healed, though he still carries the scars on his head. 

We can all learn a lesson from this.  No matter how bad things seem, just keep trying.  You are not finished until you give up.  Oh, and if your wife has a bad dream, LISTEN.