A Hard Night

In a flurry of activity we jumped into the car late for Jonathan's baseball game. All loaded we were verbally making sure everything he needed for the game was accounted for; glove, cap, bat, shoes... Gabe had to know the snacks were also covered. All was good. We were going to miss the warm ups but would make the game no prob. So I calmed the frazzled nerves and turned off our gravel road onto a paved back road of Monroe. We were talking about the chance of rain, if Gabe would be allowed to play on the playground, when mom would be at the game, when Cheryl's folks, (known as Ama and Daco) would be there, what would be for dinner, why the sky is blue, why Jonathan's stomach felt all funny before games, why stealing bases is okay but stealing other things is not, if dragons are real...the typical stuff. As I crested the last roller hill prior to turning onto 132nd street a small scruffy dog ran out in front of my car. He was small and moving way to fast to stop his little body. Everything went into slow motion. (I've always wondered if this "slow motion" reality is due to some chemical in the brain that allows us to process information faster...) I saw the dog's head turn to see my car, I knew I could not avoid hitting him due to my speed, how fast he appeared, and the fact that another car was in the other lane. He dissapeared from my view and I braced myself for the soon to come noise of an animal under my car. I have only experienced the sound and feeing once before on a trip back from California. The truck in front of us hit a deer and we could not stop prior to running over it. The thud under the car was gut wrenching. I didn't hit my brakes very hard for fear of skidding out of control. The boys didn't see the dog but when they were thrown forward in their booster seats, caught by the safety belts, and heard the thudding under the car they both asked, "What was that?" I quickly pulled over to a safe spot on the side of the road and told them, in a strong voice, I had hit a dog and to stay in the car. They know when dad pulls over fast and they are told to stay in the car something bad has happened. Three times I have had to quickly leave them with this strong order and all three time they have respected my command knowing it is for real and daddy is helping someone. It was a terrible experience. Through my limited emergency vehicle driving training with the fire department and way back in Driver's Ed. I have been taught when this happens; hit the dog. But to actually make the decision to not avoid the dog and hit him, well, I was sick. I ran back to the pup who was motionless in the middle of the road. A woman ran from the unlandscaped yard of a newly build house screaming, "It's not your fault, it's not your fault...He was chasing the motorcycle." She was wearing an oversized green sweatshirt and jeans with a metal studded belt. Why I noticed I'm not sure. When she crouched down and reached out to comfort the dog her triple diamond wedding band stood out in stark contrast to the blood matted fur. I had her slide him onto a piece of scrap plywood to keep him immobilized but the dog wanted to move so badly she had to just hold him. A man ran out seconds later spewing obscenities about how people drive too fast and the idiot who ran off after hitting the dog. I said nothing to him, neither did the woman. The dog was bleeding from his ears and appeared to be bleeding from his mouth. I felt his head and it was solid but he was not moving his legs. I was pretty sure he would not make it, but I'm not a vet. I quickly assisted the woman into a car the man had parked in the street, told her I was sorry the dog was hurt, shut the door, and they were off. And within 3 minutes it was over. I doubt I will ever know if the dog made it. The boys and I drove off to the game, an exciting back and forth competition ending in a 13-11 victory for Jonathan's team, the Timber Rattlers. I shared the story with a few friends at the game to help myself process and come down from the painful excitement. It made it a bit easier but I still have deep pain for the dog and woman with the big diamond ring and ratty sweat shirt. Tony