Fault

Chapter 20

"Is this n***a serious!" I shouted angrily punching the dashboard.

Prior to storming out, Jeremy never mentioned whether or not he was coming back— he actually didn't say anything at all. Maybe he just needed air. In the meantime, I unbuckled my seatbelt and got in the back to console the baby. Because he left the car running, I decided to wait for a while, in hopes that he would come back. Feeling more than buzzed at this point, the alcohol really began to set in. On top of that, a severe snow storm was due our way. So, why he would put us in this kind of predicament?

After about 15 minutes, and at least 10 unanswered calls to his phone, I settled on the reality that I would have to drive myself to the house. With liquor in my system, snow piling up on the ground, and the baby in the back, I was on my way. Visibility was low, and during the drive, I even witnessed a couple of cars sliding on the slick streets. It took nearly 20 minutes to get there, but we finally made it home safe and sound.

Leah was the only one in the house when we arrived. She could plainly see that something had taken place and rightfully inquired. While fully being able to understand the severity of the situation, at fifteen, there was no real fruitful advice that she could offer. Nevertheless, it still felt good to get things off my chest.

Because I had his car, I certainly knew it was only a matter of time before Jeremy would have to reach out. In between that time, I began analyzing how things had gotten so out of hand. Who was really at fault? Him for going through my s**t and punishing me for it? Or me for allowing the liquor to influence my decision to speak to him so disrespectfully? I wondered how many other times he invaded my privacy without my knowledge. My phone should have been off limits, Period!

An entire hour had passed before he called my phone.

"Are you f****n crazy? You left me to drive home knowing I had been drinking!" I screamed. "You saw it was snowing like crazy, and knew that your tires weren't s**t!"

"Can you please calm down?" He stated cooly.

"No! I'm NOT gonna calm down until you realized how stupid that was! I've never driven your car before and was uncomfortable the entire f****n time! You put me in a dangerous situation by leaving me no choice but to drive drunk, and you don't even care! My damn baby was in the car, Jeremy!"

"I'm sorry, okay! I didn't want to say anything disrespectful to you, so I thought it was best to just get out the car."

"I'm so pissed right now, you have no idea!"

"Yeah well, I need you to come get me. It's cold out here and you have my keys!"

"You should've thought about that before you hopped your stupid a** out the car without your coat n***a!"

"Shauna, c'mon man! Quit playin' with me!"

"Oh, now you're calling me by my government name, huh," I responded sarcastically. "Where you at?"

From the unfamiliar address he had given, I realized that he had traveled a total of twenty plus blocks. Part of me doubted that he really walked that far though. It was way too cold outside. I'm sure he either took a bus or had someone pick him up and then told me that sob story for sympathy. Either way, I would have to go out in the freezing elements to get him.

Before leaving, I asked Leah to keep the baby for an hour or so. I didn't think it was safe to be with me in my intoxicated state. Hell, it wasn't even safe for ME to be with me at that point.

The temperature seemed to have dropped drastically, and the snow was coming down faster than ever. The news advised people to stay inside and off the roads, but I had to do what I had to do. The trip was going successfully up until the point where the car began sliding. Terror overcame my body when I slammed on the break at a red light, but the car didn't stop! 

"OH MY GOD!" I screamed as I braced for impact...