Chapter One
"I can't pick him up from football practice, I've got the big presentation." Dave said, with a hint of annoyance as he spoke on his cell phone. "Can't you get Mark to do it?" The voice on the other end began to nag at him again, the responsibility shifting harpy that was his ex-wife. "Mark's getting off of work in 10 MINUTES and he's been working all day, I don't think he wants to go pick UP your kid because you're too lazy to-" "YOUR kid, Rachel, he's your kid too so stop trying to pull that bullshit because he doesn't want anything to do with Michael." Dave couldn't stand it when she started her condescending tone, always emphasizing words that had nothing to do with the conversation. "He should have known what he was getting into when you two moved in together, consider this a reality check. I drop him off every other week and you guys pick him up, that's how it's been for four months now. Don't try to change things because I'm heading toward the meeting of a lifetime."
"Oh, David Vollmer, mister fancy pants architect trying to sell another-" click. He'd had enough, If he knew his high school sweet heart was going to turn into such an evil woman he'd have left her at the prom, but no...instead they end up getting engaged, went to the same university and conceived a child the night of graduation. The spring wedding was a rushed together ceremony with about ten of their closest friends and relatives, mostly on her side of the family. A quick verse, an "I do" and a ring. Ten years later, they'd been through a nasty divorce and custody battle. She had thrown words around like "workaholic" and "never there," he'd work late to try and provide a better life for his wife and son. It was only a matter of time before she started sleeping around, something he couldn't prove in court, and now she was entitled to 30% of everything he made until their child was eighteen. He would replay these little events throughout the day in his mind, mostly when he was given the luxury of having time for his mind to wander. He leaned forward in his pre-owned BMW to turn up the volume on the radio and at the same time his cell phone rang, nestled softly in the inner pocket of his business suit. As he reached for it he had the strangest sensation of the world slowing down around him, the ringtone of his phone slowed and eventually quieted...as did the radio and even the steady hum of his car's engine. All he could do was look around, in this peaceful moment of silence, and notice the SUV that was barreling into the intersection to his right. The front grill of the two and a half ton behemoth almost snarled as it showed no signs of slowing down, the driver oblivious to the road around him or the red light he just ran. It slammed into the right quarter panel of Dave's BMW, spinning the rear of the car, the sudden impact sending it into a barrel roll. The hand reaching for the phone had been jerked out, bringing the phone with it leaving it suspended in midair for a split second as the car shook violently. It came to a stop on its roof leaving its passenger shattered, buckled into the inverted car seat with his cell phone lying on the roof of the car. The last thing Dave heard as he slipped from consciousness was a fading voice on the other end of the cell phone.
"Oh, real mature..."
"I can't pick him up from football practice, I've got the big presentation." Dave said, with a hint of annoyance as he spoke on his cell phone. "Can't you get Mark to do it?" The voice on the other end began to nag at him again, the responsibility shifting harpy that was his ex-wife. "Mark's getting off of work in 10 MINUTES and he's been working all day, I don't think he wants to go pick UP your kid because you're too lazy to-" "YOUR kid, Rachel, he's your kid too so stop trying to pull that bullshit because he doesn't want anything to do with Michael." Dave couldn't stand it when she started her condescending tone, always emphasizing words that had nothing to do with the conversation. "He should have known what he was getting into when you two moved in together, consider this a reality check. I drop him off every other week and you guys pick him up, that's how it's been for four months now. Don't try to change things because I'm heading toward the meeting of a lifetime."
"Oh, David Vollmer, mister fancy pants architect trying to sell another-" click. He'd had enough, If he knew his high school sweet heart was going to turn into such an evil woman he'd have left her at the prom, but no...instead they end up getting engaged, went to the same university and conceived a child the night of graduation. The spring wedding was a rushed together ceremony with about ten of their closest friends and relatives, mostly on her side of the family. A quick verse, an "I do" and a ring. Ten years later, they'd been through a nasty divorce and custody battle. She had thrown words around like "workaholic" and "never there," he'd work late to try and provide a better life for his wife and son. It was only a matter of time before she started sleeping around, something he couldn't prove in court, and now she was entitled to 30% of everything he made until their child was eighteen. He would replay these little events throughout the day in his mind, mostly when he was given the luxury of having time for his mind to wander. He leaned forward in his pre-owned BMW to turn up the volume on the radio and at the same time his cell phone rang, nestled softly in the inner pocket of his business suit. As he reached for it he had the strangest sensation of the world slowing down around him, the ringtone of his phone slowed and eventually quieted...as did the radio and even the steady hum of his car's engine. All he could do was look around, in this peaceful moment of silence, and notice the SUV that was barreling into the intersection to his right. The front grill of the two and a half ton behemoth almost snarled as it showed no signs of slowing down, the driver oblivious to the road around him or the red light he just ran. It slammed into the right quarter panel of Dave's BMW, spinning the rear of the car, the sudden impact sending it into a barrel roll. The hand reaching for the phone had been jerked out, bringing the phone with it leaving it suspended in midair for a split second as the car shook violently. It came to a stop on its roof leaving its passenger shattered, buckled into the inverted car seat with his cell phone lying on the roof of the car. The last thing Dave heard as he slipped from consciousness was a fading voice on the other end of the cell phone.
"Oh, real mature..."
