Time Stopped

It was 1:25pm and I was in a rush. I had to pick Ari up from art class. I strapped Samara into her car seat and drove down my block. I arrived in front of the art class and parked the car in front of a fire hydrant. I opened the driver's side door and leaned my body diagonally across the car to unbuckle Samara and take her out.

All of a sudden I heard what sounded like an explosion. I was certain a bomb had just gone off. I turned my head to see glass flying through the air towards me and onto the street. I ducked and covered my face and my body. I looked back at Samara, she was fine. I was fine, physically. We were both fine.

I stepped out onto the street. I saw a small yellow school bus. A pregnant woman stepped out of it.

"Are you okay?!" She asked me "I'm shaking." She said looking at her hands.

"I'm okay," I replied. "I'm shaking too."

"How far along are you?" I asked

"33 weeks," she replied. "I have to get my kids!"

I looked at the driver's side door of my car. The window was gone. The door was hanging off it's hinge. How was I still alive?

I thanked G-d that Samara was okay, that I was okay.

A man came out of nowhere. He pointed to his phone.

"Miss, do you want me to call 911?"

"Yes. Yes. Thank you." I said without emotion.

He did.

I stepped into Ari's art class.

"Are you okay?" Karen, Ari's art teacher asked.

"Yes, I'm okay, just in shock."

"Do you want to sit down?" She said kindly.

I didn't know what to do. Ari and I went outside and he climbed into the car. He buckled his seat belt.

"No, Ari. We can't drive the car now. It's been in an accident. See? There's no door."

"Oh." He said, unmoving. I unbuckled him and he still did not move. I picked him up and carried him onto the sidewalk.

"We should exchange information." Said the pregnant bus driver.

"Yes. We should." I agreed. I went back inside the art class with Ari to get a piece of paper. When we returned to the street, she was gone. The bus was gone.

The police arrived. They took a report. They told me it wasn't my fault because it was a hit and run. My dad came and met us. The car was towed to my mechanic.

We're all okay...physically. I'm still in shock.

I took the train yesterday, and I was thankful that the windows were made of plastic.