It's OK

Drake is fine.

That is all I heard Ben say before the phone went dead.

I felt my heart rate increase as I wondered what possibly could have happened in the short half mile trip from our house to daycare.

I frantically threw a sweatshirt on over my pajamas; slipped on my UGG Boots and jumped in my car as I prepared to retrace the route Ben takes to daycare.

Soon I came up on the accident.

I raced over to Ben giving him a hug while I covered Drake in kisses.

What happened? I asked as I took the scene in. Ben’s car sat with metal dangling off of it and fluid leaking into big puddles, while an SUV sat hugging the front bumper of Ben’s car.

I knew before he said anything what had happened. It was obvious by just taking a moment to look at the cars.

She didn’t stop at the stop sign. Ben said motioning over to a sobbing teenage girl. It was like she just did not see me coming.

While Ben filled out all the necessary paperwork, I could not stop thinking about the girl that hit him. She was standing beside her father shivering in the cold with tears rolling down her cheeks. What if Drake is involved in something like this someday? How awful and guilty he would feel. At that moment I knew what I had to do.

I took Drake’s hand and walked over to the girl. I looked her in the eye and said Accidents happen. Cars can be replaced. The most important thing is nobody was hurt.

Thank you she said as she smiled through her tears.

Before I walked away, I wrapped my arms around her and whispered it’s OK.

I felt her breathe a sigh of relief.

I'm participating in the Red Dress Club RemembeRED memoir event.  This week's prompt is about forgiveness. Forgiving others, forgiving yourself.