I felt a crunch
I was in the backseat
Jake was driving
There was a dent a few feet below the big white words
“Student Driver”
Jake was 17 or 18
Just now learning to drive
Too busy with music and soccer
I wasn’t really good at anything
I was 15
I had time to learn to drive
She was really embarrassed
Obviously
The Driver’s Ed teacher
A Calvinist
Was very calm and matter of fact
He didn’t care if he lived or died
She must have been predestined to hit us
Unfortunately for her
Allstate is Arminian
Jake was in a band
The Replacements
No, that’s an 80s band
The Waterboys
Shoot, that’s an Adam Sandler movie
The Benchwarmers
That’s it
Wait, that’s a David Spade movie
Whatever
He eventually got a bunch of tattoos
And moved to Nashville
He’s got a new band
Phangs
And he’s been part of a huge band
Relient K
They sing Sadie Hawkins Dance
My wife used to work with a guy named Johnnie Hawkins
Every time she brought him up I sang that song
Johnnie Hawkins claimed he’d never heard it
I think he’s a liar
Sometimes I forget why we are even Facebook friends
I doubt we ever spoke before or after that shared ride
We were only connected by accident
An accident
