"It's the solar system, we made it in class." he explained, while proudly showing me which bead demonstrated the sun, Mercury, Earth and Mars. Even little Pluto had its place.
"Ms. Warner has extra beads. I'll make you one!".
I hopped into Alec's car, in the dark and rain and made my way down the road to work. Monday had been crazy with psycho-dad, Tuesday a little sleepy and now, Wednesday morning, I was on the road. I drove sleepy eyed toward an intersection, trying to grab my coffee cup without looking while the car in front of me passed through the intersection that I was about to enter. A speeding SUV tore through the red light without even putting on his breaks and plowed into the car in front of me, which in turn slammed into a telephone pole. The street lights slammed down and crashed on the street while the offending vehicle veered off and over the grass, into a library parking lot.
"911, can you hold please?"
"Yes."
Elevator music.
"Do you need the police or paramedics?"
"Both...I think both....."
"What happened?"
I explained the situation.
"I don't know how this guy could be alive...."
"Let me connect you to the Atlanta P.D."
"Now, let me connect you to the paramedics."
"Is the victim alive?"
"I don't know, he hasn't gotten out of the car."
"The paramedics are on the way. Please wait with the victim. Do not attempt to lift him or allow him to take any medications. Do not attempt a tourniquet...."
"Okay"
As I walked toward the car, a man approached me.
"What was that?!" he asked. "I was sleeping and it woke me up!". I pointed at the car and walked toward it.
A disoriented man wandered in the street. The front of his car was crushed, windshield shattered and air bag deployed.
"Are you the guy from the car?!" I asked, incredulous.
"Yes... yes, I was in the car...." he answered calmly.
"This is a county car...a county car.... I was starting to like this one....I need to call my boss....um, can you stay here?"
"Yes, um, are you sure you should be walking around?"
"I'm fine...this is a county car..." he responded.
Another man ran up.
"Holy shit, the other guy is making no sense!"
"I thought he was trying to get away, is he parked by the library?"
"He lost control of the car, the drive train is fucked, he nearly hit me down the street, he was driving without lights on...".
The police and paramedics arrived. The asked for our statements and the victim asked for my phone number.
"My boss is going to want to know what happened to the car...it's a county car...." he reiterated.
An ambulance from Grady had pulled up.
"Let me check you out" the paramedic said carefully.
"Okay...." the victim responded.
I was relieved.
I told the officials that I was taking off and went to work. I was nearly forty-five minutes late, but made it to my first class.
I stood in the bus line after school, telling kids not to run who systematically ignored me. They run like their asses are on fire out of the school.
Jaquey ran up with his hand behind his back.
"I have a surprise for you!"
I screamed and ran.
He chased me and pushed his closed hand out.
Inside was a solar system bracelet.
"Ohhh, thank you! Ms. Warner let you use the extra beads?"
"She had a SUBSTITUTE today and what she don't know won't hurt her....".
I sat in the Conservatory, exhausted from the day. I called back the officer that wanted to ask me questions about the accident that I had witnessed that morning. It was seven o'clock at night.
"Hi, I'm Hilary Wagner, returning your call about the wreck I saw this morning. Can I ask you a quick question? The accident was in Fulton County, but you are from Dekalb County. I don't get it."
"He is one of my undercover officers and thank you Ms. Wagner, thank you for calling me back. May I record our conversation?".
"Sure".
I explained what I saw. How the SUV didn't even hit the breaks while tearing through a red light at a four way stop. That the undercover cop was just going through the same green light I was about to go through.
"What can you tell me about the car that hit him, what more about that car?"
"It shot out of nowhere is all that I can say, didn't even hit the breaks".
"Ms. Wagner, you have my direct line. I would like you to call me anytime, especially if you can tell me any more details about the car that hit my undercover officer."
"Okay, sure, I will....".
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