Chapter Twenty-Four

53 7 22
                                    



Sweat poured from Theresa's brow as her head thrashed about on her pillow. Trucks were hemming her in from both sides, obscuring her vision, making her claustrophobic. Kelly, in the passenger seat, was oblivious to her situation, her blonde curls bouncing to the tunes on the car radio. In her peripheral vision, Theresa saw the tractor-trailer looming up on her right side. Then, everything went black. She woke up with a scream, trembling, realizing it was only a dream. She felt for her legs and knew the reality of what had happened. The vision of Kelly was so vivid, it was hard for her to accept that she was gone.

She wiped the sweat from her brow and steeled herself for the huge change she was about to make in her life. Today was the day she was to start her driving lessons and gain back her independence.


Knowing how her mom still felt about her driving again, she asked her dad if he would take her for her training. There was a mountain of things to learn and she knew she was certain of his support. He picked her up at the house and noticed how pale she looked.

"Is everything all right, honey?" he asked when he saw a slight tremor in her hands.

"I'll be fine, Dad. I'm really looking forward to this." It was only a half truth.

As they approached the center, she saw people in wheelchairs rolling into the building. Some were paraplegic, like herself, and others appeared to be quadriplegics. She wouldn't allow her father to push her in—she would do all of this on her own. She just needed to know that he was on her side. Her mother certainly wasn't. She thought of the look on her mom's face when her dad had picked her up. She wasn't sure if it was the driving causing such a frown or seeing her dad again. She knew her parents had started counseling but her mom was very hushed on the subject. And she was very reluctant to broach the subject with her dad. There would be time for that conversation later. Today was about her.

During her first session, the students, for that's what she felt like again, were told that each van was customized to the abilities of the person driving it. In her case, she had full use of her arms and hands and the controls would be easier to learn. They were taken out into the parking lot and shown the different varieties available. The expense floored Theresa. She didn't know if her parents could afford it. She looked over at her dad and he simply gave her a thumbs-up.

On the way home, she broached the subject of the cost with her dad.

"Don't worry about a thing, Theresa. We've got this covered. I'd do anything for you just to have you back to your old self again."

"I'll never be my old self, Dad, but I'll certainly try to be the best of the new me that I can be."

Tom looked over at his beautiful daughter and his heart felt heavy. She was facing so many obstacles and was stronger than he had ever seen her. He wished he could be back home with her and the family once again. But that was a thought for another time and he settled into enjoying this time alone with his daughter.

Rose was at the door waiting for them when they pulled into the driveway. The creases around her eyes seemed to have multiplied just while Theresa was gone.

"How did everything go, honey?"

By this time, Theresa was full of excitement for the new adventure she was embarking upon. She rattled on about the controls and how amazed she was that she could drive a car using just her hands.

At the mere thought of this, the color drained out of Rose's face. She looked askance at Tom but said nothing. Her daughter clearly wanted this and she had, after all, agreed to at least consider it. There was still time to put the brakes on.


KaleidoscopeWhere stories live. Discover now