An Unexpected Life

When she got settled in her seat, her mind started swimming.  She was terrified.  She was about to become the guardian of two beautiful children, but she was only 18.  She had plans.  She was going to be valedictorian at her graduation.  She was going to attend Furman University with her best friend, Keriann.  She was going to make something of herself.  Now, her world had turned upside down.  As the plane climbed higher and higher into the sky she took out some photographs of her home in South Carolina as well as her brother’s family in Colorado.  The images sent her mind soaring through time and the scene replayed again and again like a broken movie as she reviewed the past few hours of her life and the events that changed everything. 

The Carolina moon nearly took up the whole oceanic sky as its face smiled gently upon the single-stop-light town, gazing down like a silent guardian.  The stars dotted the dark horizon, as if a child’s connect-the-dot book exploded, accenting the moon by paling in its brilliance.  The air was thick and pushed down on the flesh, causing it to moisten like stepping out of a hot shower.  It tasted of salt from the nearby ocean, burning the nostrils and throat.  There was a faint scent, like that of mothballs, wafting on the hot breeze.  Steam rolled up from the roads, causing the town to look like an eerie graveyard from a horror film.  Indian grass crept up the ankles of any stranger, while fire ants ran rampant from hill to food and quickly back to hill again. 

            Crickets’ hums echoed through the dogwoods and pines.  They were singing praises for the clearing of the previous hour’s storm that had ruined their gallivanting.  The fervent storm had ripped through the town like a careless robber, tossing picnic tables, chairs, and pool toys aside without a second thought.  There were rain drops the size of golf balls coming down in hordes, wind that whistled through the snapping tree branches, and seeped through the cracks of acrylic painted wooden homes.  The lightning strikes were perfect and remained imprinted in the eyes even after blinking for several seconds.  They were followed by earth-shaking thunder that doesn’t just cause the windows to shudder, but induces the entire house to tremble and sounds as if a whip has been cracked by Hercules himself.  

            This is Jessica’s home: magnificent and unpredictable with beauty hidden behind every corner.  That is, it was her home until the day she received the phone call--the phone call that turned her perfect world upside down.

            Life was good.  She was a senior in high school, and she was on her way to being valedictorian at her graduation in a week.  She had been voted “most likely to succeed” and “best personality” in her sophomore and junior years, and she was planning to keep those votes for her senior year.  She was an active member in the marching band (ranked number one in the state of South Carolina and sixth nationwide) as well as in the Honor Society and the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper.  She had a full-ride scholarship to Furman University and offers from several others.  She had been first runner up for homecoming queen this past fall and was escorted by the quarterback of the football team.  She volunteered at the local hospital two nights a week and worked at the Piggly Wiggly on the weekends.  Except this weekend; this weekend she and her best friend Keriann had taken it off to go on a road trip to the mountains to go camping.  A girl’s night out was their monthly tradition.  This month was a little more extravagant in order to celebrate their upcoming graduation.

            She and Keriann have been best friends since diapers.  They were inseparable, practically attached at the hip.  They shared everything: chap-sticks and sodas to colds and chickenpox.  They even scratched each other’s pox when their parents weren’t looking, and learned that sometimes parents do know what they are talking about, because they really do itch more if you scratch them.  Somehow they even managed to have boyfriends at the same time, so they never felt left out or like a “third wheel.”  They were both accepted to Furman and planned to room together in the fall.

            Keriann is beyond gorgeous.  Her lemon curls graze the tops of her shoulders and bounce with every step she takes.  Her golden highlights accent her rosy cheeks and jovial, azure eyes.  Her smile runs from ear to ear, revealing perfect ivory teeth that have been corrected by the aid of braces back in middle school.  Her slim figure and long legs are those of a dancer, while her slender fingers are perfect to allow her to exercise the gift of music she was given.  She dances with elegance and moves with such grace that she could be compared to a golden eagle soaring through the crisp mountain air.  Her movements are meticulously chosen and continuously flow.  She always has her head held high and focused as she moves with purpose.  When she picks up an instrument, the sound that comes is as graceful as her movements and reaches the depths of every heart in attendance.

            Jessica’s father couldn’t raise three children on his own, so the small town took them all under its wing for help and support, but since Keriann’s mother was her mother’s best friend, she was partial to her.  Keriann became not only her best friend, but a sister by chance.  Though she still lives with her father, she spends as much time as possible with Keriann and her mother. 

Her father is Parker Sampson, a gentle man of high status in the town.  He is kind and loving and always ready to lend a hand to someone in need.  The oldest boy, Weston, married Marie Greenely and moved to Colorado to work shortly after their marriage.   He was always the one who made sure that everyone was happy and well taken care of, because he was worried that they wouldn’t know how to grow up properly without a mother.  They now have two children of their own: Spencer (5 years) and Cortnee (2 years).  The second boy, Jacob, enlisted in the Marines when he was 21 years old and is stationed in Okinawa, Japan.  He was the odd one in the family.  He was never content on just enjoying the quiet sounds of the town, but he was always a delight to have around.  Jessica was the youngest of the bunch.  All the Sampson’s, have the same build: lean, athletic, and tall.  They all have bright blue eyes and silky brown hair with dark complexions. 

            Thursday, after school, Keriann and Jessica headed out for their trek northward.  They had told their teachers in advance that they would be missing classes the following day.  None of them seemed to mind.  The drive was always fun for them.  They would blast the radio and sing at the top of their lungs, laughing at each other’s impersonation of the current singers.  The people driving past would often laugh at them, which would cause them to laugh even harder with tears streaming down their faces. 

            That was the last time Jessica could remember laughing.

            They were crossing over of the boarder between North and South Carolina when Jessica’s cell phone rang.  She was driving, so Keriann answered it.  All Jessica could hear was Keriann’s end of the conversation:

            “Hello?”  she paused.  “No, I’m her friend.  She’s driving.  Could I give her a message?”  Another pause.  “Yes, sir.”  She started jotting down a name and a phone number on a napkin from the Huddle House.  “OK, thank you.”  She hung up the phone.

            “Who was that, Keri?”  Jessica asked immediately after she hung up.

            “Jess, stop at the next rest stop.  You need to call this guy back.  He said it was important, but he couldn’t tell me what was going on.  He’s from the Denver Police Department.”

            “Denver?”  she couldn’t control the panic in my voice, “That’s where Wes and his family live.  You don’t think something could have happened to them, do you?”

            “I’m sure they’re fine.  Just call Officer Rogue back.”

            She pulled over at the next stop and dialed the number for the Denver Police Department.  When the call connected, an overly cheerful woman answered the phone.  She asked for Officer Rogue and she forwarded the call to him.

            “Hello?”

            “Hey Officer, this is Jessica Sampson.  You called me?”

            “Yes, I need you to get on a plane to Denver as soon as you can.  I can’t explain all the details without you and your brother’s attorney present.  Call me when you get to the airport.  The ticket will be paid for.”

            “Is everything OK?  Are Weston, Marie and the kids OK?”  The panic continued to rise in her voice.  She tried to brace myself for the worst, but even if she would have had a year, she would have never been prepared for his following words.  Each word was chosen with care, but they cut like a dagger twisting with each breath.

            “Your brother and his wife were in an accident.  Another car lost control and the car swerved into their lane.  It was a head-on collision.  Both Weston and Marie were killed instantly, so there was no pain.  They had been out and were returning home to the baby-sitter and the children, so the kids are unharmed.  I’m truly sorry for…”

            He continued to speak, but the phone dropped from her ear.  Nothing he would say could take the pain away.  This could not be happening.  She looked over at Keriann and began to sob.  Keriann held her letting her cry for as long as she needed, never asking any questions.  When she finally got control herself enough to speak, she told her what Officer Rogue said in between sobs.  When she got to the last part, she couldn’t finish because another fit attacked her.  After she stopped crying, they loaded themselves back in the car and Keriann started driving back towards the border.

            The ride to the airport was a blur for Jessica.  She called her dad and he told her to go ahead and head out to Colorado to get all the details and he’d follow shortly after to make funeral arrangements.  The airport was on the way home, so Keriann just dropped her off since she had a few days worth of stuff with her.  They’d been discussing the upcoming events.  Jessica knew what the lawyer would tell her, the same thing that Wes had told her a year ago: She would be the guardian of the kids.  Wes had asked her to be the guardian when he and Marie were making their living wills last year.  The will took effect the day she turned 18.  She would also inherit their home.  She was free to sell it, but she didn’t think it would be fair for the kids to uproot them from the life they’ve known, especially after losing their parents.  Her dad told her he’d move out there as soon as he could find work so she wouldn’t be alone for too long.

            When they arrived at the airport, she called Officer Rogue and got the flight arranged.  She had an hour wait before departure, so she just sat with Keriann in the waiting room.  They tried to think of things to say, but the words just wouldn’t come.  Finally, Keri spoke:

            “Jess, I know I can’t say anything to make this situation any better, but I do know it will all work out.  Those kids need you just as bad as you need them.  Just think, you always wanted kids and now you will get to have them without any of the labor pains.”

            Jessica couldn’t help but smile.  She gave her a hug.

            “You’re right, Keri, I get to skip a couple of steps.  This is why I love you.  You always make light of any dark situation.  I’m going to miss you so much.”

            “I’ll miss you, too.  Maybe I’ll come live with you in Denver and we can still go to school together in the fall.  Furman isn’t the only good university around.  We’ll have to see if we can’t figure something out.”

            “Flight 417 to Denver is now boarding all passengers,” the intercom chimed in.

            “That’s me.  I’ll see you soon.  Thanks for everything.  You really are the best.”

            The plane was beginning to descend over the luscious evergreen painted mountains, and her heart sank with it.  The snow-capped Rockies captivated her mind in their majesty and, for her, became the walls of a new home.