Kaleidoscope

Chapter Two

Two years earlier

It was the year that changed the family forever. Danny had just begun to enjoy the feeling of being an only child after Theresa left for school when she arrived home for Thanksgiving break. Having just grabbed a foothold in the family, once again he ceased to exist. The house instantly came alive with her presence. Conversation was non-stop. His parents grilled her on her courses, Jen wanted to know if she had met any cute boys, and he just sat quietly, not caring one way or the other. He simply watched her from the sidelines, jealous of her ability to captivate everyone around her.

As the days passed and talk turned to what time they should leave to get her back to school, she opened that file drawer and dropped the bombshell. She asked her parents if she could take the car back with her - the car Danny was now using. She so skillfully wove her request into the conversation, its impact was hardly noticed. She was a pro at persuasion. "Come on, Mom, Dad, you know how much you hated that drive." The rehearsed words spilled from her mouth. Rose, remembering the congested roads and trucks on all sides, balked, but Tom listened to his daughter's carefully crafted arguments and he finally agreed. No one noticed Danny's clenched jaw. Theresa had scored once again.

The next day, she and Kelly got in the car for the last time.

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It was just an ordinary Sunday. The jangle of the phone broke the otherwise silent household sending an unexplained chill down Rose's spine. It was an unfamiliar number but she instinctively answered it. She froze - the phone a dead weight in her hand. It was the highway patrol informing her of her daughter's accident. The policeman didn't have much information except that the collision had involved several cars; Theresa was in critical but stable condition at a hospital in Christiansburg.

Tom entered the kitchen and saw his paralyzed wife.

"What's wrong? Who was that?" he said, a frown beginning to form on his brow.

Rose looked at him and came close to collapsing.

"It's Theresa. There's been an accident. We need to go - NOW."

Tom, usually not one to overreact, immediately caught the urgency in Rose's voice. Without pressing her for details, he followed her upstairs where she frantically began throwing some clothes in an overnight bag, ordering him to do the same.

"Rose, where is she? How bad is it?"

"She's at the hospital in Christiansburg. She's in critical condition, that's all I know. Please hurry. Call Jen. Tell her to leave as soon as possible and meet us at the hospital. Where's Danny?"

At this point, Danny had already heard all the commotion and come out into the hall.

"What the heck's going on?" he said, watching his parents scrambling around.

His face blanched as his dad told him about the accident and told him to pack a few things and get down to the car.

Rose just kept saying "hurry, hurry," over and over again. The reality of what happened still hadn't registered in her brain. She was on autopilot. A mere twenty-four hours ago, Theresa was begging for the car. And now this.

Barely a sound was heard in the car on the way to the hospital except for an occasional shudder emitted from Rose's slumped body. Guilt at having allowed her daughter to drive herself washed through her.

"You saw how congested those roads were. Why did you give in?" she accused Tom.

"I thought that was OUR decision," he answered.