Actually, that day in 2003 started out as a pretty normal day. I was at home in my apartment in Springfield, Missouri. I got up that morning, had breakfast and visited with my Mother by phone. She and Daddy were planning on going to Harrison to run some errands and they were looking forward to a nice day out. Mother loved to shop, and Daddy wanted to stop by and visit his friend, Bob Myers. Daddy and Bob had been friends for years, and whenever Daddy was in Harrison he liked to stop by Tom-Bar, Inc., Bob’s business on Industrial Park Road, to say hello and catch up a bit.
Mother and Daddy were going to invite an older friend to go with them. They wanted to give her a chance to get out of the house and let her get her grocery shopping done. I had been searching for a new table lamp for my living room, and Mother mentioned that she would look to see if she could find one that fit what I was wanting. She has always loved to shop!
Daddy wasn’t much of a shopper at all, but he did like to get out and about. He enjoyed people. Since his early retirement due to his Parkinson’s disease, these days were good for him. He liked driving his truck and getting out of the house. He had gotten that truck second hand from his brother, my uncle Jerry. It was a nice one, and we all enjoyed it. In fact, when I was home, I would often ask Daddy if I could drive his truck up to Sonic to get a Coke. It was pretty sharp… and also a fun truck to drive, so I know Daddy was looking forward to a pleasant afternoon.
It looked as if was going to be a good day for all.
Just before lunch, my cell phone rang. Mother called to tell me about a lamp she had found. She was excited – she thought it was exactly what I was wanting. She said it was a tall, narrow table lamp with an antique brushed gold colored finish. It sounded perfect. I told her to buy it and I would give it a try. I was happy she had found something and so was she. She loves to help! In fact, she would make a great personal shopper!
After lunch, I was doing some computer work when my cell phone rang. I looked at the number and smiled when I saw the name “Mother” displayed on the screen. I wondered if she had found another lamp she liked better – or if this was perhaps going to be a call about a good buy she had found on a package of ground round or a 5# bag of potatoes, wondering if I might want one also. Pushing away from my desk and leaning back in my office chair to relax, take a break, and visit a bit, I flipped open my phone. Everything changed instantly when I heard a strange voice say, “Is this the daughter of John and Jean Carlon?” Jerking up in my chair, I quickly replied “Yes, what’s wrong?” The strange voice continued, “They are all right, but they’ve been in a pretty bad wreck. Your mom is hurt worse but she is awake and talking. Your dad seems to be okay. They are taking your mom and the older lady that was with them to the hospital by ambulance. The older lady seems all right – just shook up. This is Bob Myer’s daughter, Laurie. I will stay with them until you get here. I’ll keep your mom’s phone if you need to call me.”
I hung up in shock – rushing to grab my purse and put on my shoes so I could get out the door and on my way to Harrison. I’m typically pretty calm – but this hit me hard. I called my friend Kay and asked if she could ride to Arkansas with me NOW. She was wonderful – waiting outside when I drove in to pick her up. We headed for Harrison – an hour and a half away. The thing I kept thinking about was that Mother hadn’t talked to me. Since I was a little girl, she has always worked so hard to reassure and protect me. I knew absolutely that she would have asked to call me and let me know she was okay if she could at all. It would be one of her priorities. She hadn’t called.
We got to the Harrison hospital emergency room as quickly as possible and I saw Daddy sitting in the waiting room. Laurie Myers was there also, as she said she would be. She handed me Mother’s phone and purse and updated me on all that she knew. She gave me her phone number on a piece of paper and told me to call if I she could be of any more help – then she said goodbye to my dad and left. My strong, quiet, kind father was sitting in that waiting room looking so shaken and lost. The physical and emotional trauma of the accident, coupled with the fact that he had now missed a dose of his Parkinson’s medicine, had left him unable to walk or talk well. Without his medicine, his body would just sort of lock up and his voice would reduce to barely a whisper. I hugged him and asked him if he was okay. He assured me he was and whispered urgently, “Go check on Mama.” I headed for the emergency room.
Mother was definitely hurt. Her knee had hit the dash hard and broken the truck’s stereo completely in half. The knee was badly injured, and her leg was gashed so deeply it was alarming to see. She was struggling a bit to breath due to the pain of multiple broken ribs, but she smiled when she saw me. Even though her eyes definitely showed she was in pain they were bright and clear. I instantly felt reassured.
The lady with them was also glad to see me. She was lying alone in the emergency room bay, and she looked relieved when I walked in. Her injuries were not as severe. Mother was definitely the one hurt the most. The doctor discussed the details and assured me that she would be fine – it would just take time for her injuries to heal. I was so grateful.
Mother and Daddy’s pastors, Mark and Joanna Bryant had arrived at the hospital before me. They had stayed until I got there and had prayed for Mother in the ER. When I arrived, they said they were going to check on Daddy’s truck – that Mother had mentioned that she had bought a lot of groceries that day. I will never forget the Bryant’s kindness. They somehow found the lot where the truck had been towed and gathered up all the spilled groceries and other items (including my new lamp) from Mother’s shopping. They came back by the hospital to tell me they had retrieved them, and would take them back to the church so the groceries could be kept in the refrigerator until we could pick them up.
The wreck, it turned out, really was a pretty bad one. Daddy was driving west on Industrial Park Road in Harrison. Mother was sitting on the middle seat, which was set a little higher than the main bucket seats. Their friend was sitting in the bucket seat to the right. As Daddy went through the intersection of Industrial Park Road and Speer Drive, a car driving south on Speer Drive was traveling fast and ran the stop light, hitting Daddy’s truck on the front driver’s side and knocking Daddy unconscious. The hard impact turned the truck to the right, headed straight toward Vikki Hudson’s Insurance Agency. Crossing the intersection diagonally, the truck headed over a brick retaining wall and crashed down onto the parking lot below. Still moving forward, they were headed straight toward the corner of the insurance company’s brick building. Despite her injuries, Mother half stood and got her leg over Daddy’s to slam on the break and stop the truck. They were just a few inches from hitting the building head on.
I stayed at the hospital until Mother and her friend were settled into a room and as comfortable as possible for the night. They were exhausted but smiling when I left – and I felt comforted knowing they were in a room together. I took Daddy, now completely exhausted, home to get his medicine and get some rest. When I laid down that night, I finally let myself relax and think everything through. I thought about how pleasantly the day had started and about the phone call from a strange voice that abruptly changed everything. I thought about Laurie Myers Mayfield giving up her time to stay at the hospital until I arrived. Even though I had never before met her personally, I felt comforted knowing she was there with my parents and would call me if the doctors needed to speak to me or if anything happened I needed to know about. She was my lifeline that day, and I will never forget her kindness. I thought about Mark and Joanna Bryant who dropped everything and rushed to the hospital when they heard about the wreck. I thought about them going to the trouble of locating Daddy’s truck and working patiently to gather all of the items from the day’s shopping and keep them safe for Mother. They didn’t have to do that – but it meant so much that they did. I thought about the EMT’s, police, and others who worked the wreck that afternoon, caring for my parents and getting them the help they needed. I thought about Kay who rushed to be with me at the hospital and had been there to help in any way she could. Lastly and definitely most of all, I thought about the fact that my Daddy was safe at home resting and that my Mother was safe, and stable in the hospital – her body already beginning the slow process of healing so that she could come home.
The lamp Mother bought that day was slightly bent in the wreck, but the damage is difficult to see unless you examine it closely. I did keep it. In fact, it still sits in my living room today. When I look at it, I often remember that day 16 years ago.
As it turned out, that day was a very good day.
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