Tree Trunk Trauma

1) Physical Experience
• smell of gun powder wreaked coming immediately after the thunderous BANG from the airbags
• smell of grease and motor oil that didn’t wash out of my hands.
• crumpled front end of the Ford Trekker
• mahogany tree that had not clearly visible scars resulting from the massive impact
• exposed wire coming from the shredded wire of the rear tire of the car
• door jammed shut from impact, but the window of the door had already been rolled down
• the roof of the truck crumpled as the crane strained to the lift each of the four wheels off the ground
2) Scene
• The still smoking pick ip truck, two disoriented missionaries sprawled out on the ground, old women screaming incessantly among the surprising growing crowd of onlookers
• Standing on the dock, see the trucks inside of the ferry for a moment before they disappear completely as the ocean violently tosses the small boat despite the massive ropes desperately attempting to hold the tiny vessel before it ventures into the impending storm
• The garage that was once cluttered with tools, bikes, camping gear and remote control airplanes, now stood empty except for the lone crippled sedan that remained occupying one of the four available spaces.
• hearing the crash as the vehicle was literally dropped bay the crane, and shriek of metal on metal of what was left of the bumper catching the bed of the flat bed truck and being ripped off
3) Speech
• Bradley over heard mom telling Scott on the phone, “Next time he comes home, he either flies, or he’s not allowed to work on his car. I can’t handle this again.”
• The mechanic said, “It’s going to take at least 3 hours. This is a BMW.”
• talking on the phone and hearing Elder Bailey in the background yell, “They did what to the truck!?”
4) Emotions in the Moment
• Frustration with myself, knowing that I am responsible for engineering the conundrum that I found myself in
• Sheer surprise that they actually believe that the truck would explode at any moment
• Frustration knowing that I was the only one stable enough not only physically but unfortunately emotionally stable as well to talk to the police about what happened, and even worse being the one to call and report the incident to Elder Bailey
• Feeling completely alone, despite always having people around me and even my companion with me at all times
• a thick foreign accent through the phone saying, “I fix BMW, I do that for you.”
• Tire shop owner saying, “There is only one BMW in Shelby, Montana, and we’re looking at it.”
5) People of Consequence
• Elder Bailey, the missionary in the office responsible for vehicles, finance, and housing, that had the best of intentions, but that wasn’t afraid to raise his voice from the slightest irritation
• old women driving an ATV in downtown Billings, Montana
• tow truck driver, with a thick Iraqi accent, that drove an old beat up truck, and was talking on the phone the entire time he worked in the garage