Avery is Late for Work

It all happened so quickly. I barely remember a thing. One second, I’m cruising down the street toward my hospital then BANG. Although I was shaken, there didn’t seem to be any immediate damage. Nothing dramatic, such as the airbags deploying, occurred. I only hoped that the driver of the car I’d rear-ended could say the same.

I looked at the clock: 6:45 PM. Good grief. I was due at the hospital at 7:00. I took a deep breath and chose not to panic. As long as there wasn’t any serious damage, the driver and I would simply exchange information and be on our way. No big deal.

The rain continued to pour, making the information exchange more difficult that it sounds. I began to dig around the back seat for the umbrella I kept in the car for emergencies such as these. Unfortunately, all I could feel was carpet. Suddenly, I remembered that Jack had taken my umbrella to work one morning when he couldn’t find his. Apparently, he’d never returned it. All together now:

I hate Jack.

Lying on the passenger seat next to me was last month’s issue of CS—that’s Chicago Social to us old-timers. Perfect. I could use it to cover my head as I approached the other driver’s car. Unintentionally, I opened the magazine to a page of party pictures taken at an event at \ Nordstrom. Who’s smiling faces do I see front and center? You’ve got it. Jack and Me. It really does pour when it rains.

I didn’t have time to dwell on this. My thoughts were interrupted by the driver of the other car who was now briskly tapping on my window. I rolled it down.

“Are you alright?” I asked with all sincerity.

“Yes. You?”

I confirmed that I was in stable condition. This was going to be a breeze. She was fine. I was fine. There seemed to be minimal damage. There wouldn’t need to be a police report, and I would make it to work on time.

“Should we exchange information?” I offered. I’d actually never been in a car accident before.

“Actually, I’m a police officer,” the other driver replied. “I need to see your license and registration, please.”

This was obviously going to be an incredibly long night.