It was like a giant hammer falling onto a million little crystal bowls.
That's how she'd always described the sound. Maria honestly didn't know how she kept going sometimes, but then she remembered the look on Adam's face when she said she would. When she told him she'd never stop; never give up.
The sadder parts of the memory still burned, like flames on bare skin doused with gasoline. And she wasn't over exaggerating either. It hurt that much. And it always would. In the chaos of it she was surprised she even remembered anything.
The crash, the flames, the glass, the sirens. The tears. Those were the worst. Maria never cried, not even as a child. Not until that day. The day she lost…everything.
"No, because we were two minutes late," Ella was saying. They had just left the movie which they had missed five minutes of at the beginning. Or so Maria thought.
"Not possible, we were five minutes late because we missed the first five minutes." Maria said, smiling. She loved how her little sister always thought she was right. It made for interesting arguments.
"But you have to consider the fact of getting our tickets and snacks." Ella replied, smiling over at her sister triumphantly.
Maria glanced at her sister and giggled.
"Alright, alright. You win this time."
"Yay!" Ella cheered, causing Maria to laugh harder, swatting her hand playfully at her sister and not really looking at the rode. She hadn't even noticed the light had turned red and that a Chevy truck, maybe three times the size of her small Bug, was coming at them from the passenger side.
When the horn went off Maria's heart stopped and she hit the break. Ella's shriek pierced the air as she clung to her sister, desperately hoping for Maria to save her life—at least that's how it felt to Maria as Ella's nails dug into her skin.
Then shattering glass. It seemed to be amplified by the quietness that seemed to fill Maria's ears; she couldn't even hear Ella's screams anymore. Maria's car went careening into the next street, hitting another car about the Bug's size. Unfortunately, it was this crash that set off the flames. Maria had lost feeling in her arm from the crushing weight that seemed to be the top of her car. Then flames engulfed her vision and smoke filled her lungs. Coughing like crazy--it brought her to tears today to admit--Ella was the last thing on her mind. She had to get out of the car. She turned her body and grabbed the door handle, trying to push the door open. Some how the flames had sealed it shut and she had to use all her might to kick it open.
When the door was finally open, shouts of people in the streets filled Maria's ears: people calling for help and shouts of terror at the site before them. Suddenly a hand grabbed Maria's wrist and pulled her from the car.
"Are you alright miss?" a deep voice asked. Maria coughed loudly as she inhaled fresh air. Through her coughs she heard Ella's scream again, crying her name.
"My sister! Someone save her!" Maria cried, tears spilling from her eyes. She turned and went to jump pack into the car, but the man caught her around the waist and held her back.
"Maria! Ma-ri-a!" Ella's shriek's filled the air, as the people around got quiet. She looked around frantically, but no one moved to help.
"What the hell is wrong with you people? Someone save her!" Maria's voice went through three different, and very high, octaves as she struggled to get back to the car.
She kicked and scratched and yelled, but the man wouldn't budge, he just shushed her softly.
Finally, the most terrible part of this memory took place. The very thing that shook Maria to the core today. The car exploded. It's pieces flying in every direction. People shouted and dived out of the way as gravity pulled the parts back to the ground.
Maria stood frozen on the spot, staring at the very place her flaming and smashed car once stood. Her eyes were wide, and the tears just flowed. No sobs escaped her lips and finally her body gave out, falling dead weight in the man's arms. He bent down slightly and let Maria fall to the ground. She would have turned to thank him, but she had no voice. All she did was whimper as her thoughts reeled in her mind.
I should have done something. I should have swerved. I should have been paying attention. I should have saved Ella first. She didn't deserve to die. How could I be so heartless? So cruel? How could I not have known?
Finally she found her voice as her last thought escaped her lips in a shriek loud enough to be heard in space, "What have I done?!"
Her head dropped and the sobs rose. "Ellaaaaaaaa!" she screamed into the air.
Suddenly the man's arms were back around her and Maria clutched to him desperately.
"How could I? What did I do wrong? Please…she didn't deserve this."
"Ssh...You haven't done anything wrong. There was nothing you could have done but save yourself." The man said his voice gentle and understanding.
"No!" Maria shouted, pushing him away. "No, that's not true!"
"Yes it is." The man said, wrapping his arms back around her.
Maria slammed her fist against his chest, sobbing harder. "Why?"
"It was her time," the man said, pulling her closer.
"Whhhyyy?" Maria sobbed again. That was when the sirens filled the air.
Everything after that was fuzzy. The ride to the hospital. The tests they ran. She remembered on thing clearly though. Adam. He was the one that held her through the pain. He didn't even sue for the damage done to his truck. Maria had apologized millions of times. And Adam had forgiven her—millions of times.
So, he went to the funeral. He helped Maria buy a new car. He took her to dinner. He asked her to marry him. She said yes. They bought a new house. They had a child. And after a few years, Maria learned the miracle in the tragedy she thought would ruin her life forever. She found love to fill the void.