Tag: #drunkdriver

Forgiveness

( Intermediate Level )

As Allison and her husband, Craig, sat in the courtroom listening to the defendant, the defendant who had recklessly chosen to get behind the wheel of his car while he was intoxicated, she wept.

This man had taken the life of their daughter Anna Marie, who just months prior received her driver’s license. She would have started her junior year in high school and had so much promise in her future.

The judge had asked if the defendant wanted to say something before he was sentenced. Mr. Brown shook his head in affirmation.

“Thank you, Your honor. I can give you all kinds of excuses to say why I got behind the wheel that night but I am not. I should have just stayed home but I didn’t.”

“You see, your honor, I lost my wife and our unborn child while my wife was giving birth a month prior to the accident. Complications set in and the doctors tried to save them or at least my wife but they both died.“

“I blame myself. I insisted we start our family while we were still young. My wife never really wanted children. However, she loved me and knew I came from a large family and she reluctantly agreed.”

“As the months went by, my wife was actually getting excited about having our child. Our little girl. Once she felt her move in her stomach she felt differently.”

“We started to set up the nursery next to our bedroom. Decorating with pink flowers and lots of teddy bears. We must have worked on it for a week or so and my wife started feeling a bit under the weather.”

“She took it easy for a few days. Resting as she felt so tired. I insisted she make an appointment with the doctor as soon as possible, which she did.”

“She was to see the doctor in two days but something happened the night before her appointment. She doubled over in pain and she wanted to go to the hospital.”

Immediately, we headed to the emergency room. Upon arrival, my wife started to bleed and the pain worsened.”

“All I remember is the doctor saying she was in labor with complications. He took her into surgery hoping to save them both.”

An hour or so passed as I waited outside in the waiting area and the doctor came out and told me that he tried his best but they both had died.”

Mr. Brown’s voice began to crack as he held back his tears. “I lost, Your Honor, the love of my life, and my little girl that night. Life has not been the same since.”

“I cannot bring myself to sleep in the bed which I shared with my wife nor can I walk past the empty nursery.”

“I lost my job after a week. My boss understood what I was going through but he had no choice but to let me go.”

“I lost my willpower to continue living and the only thing that made me forget was the whiskey. It dulled my pain until I sobered up. So for me not to feel my pain I drank again. And again and again.”

Allison’s sobs grew louder. She felt his anguish. Craig put his arm around her and drew her in closer to him.

“That night I had to leave the house. The walls were coming down on me as my world did that night in the hospital. I grabbed my keys to get the hell out of there.”

“The next thing I remember, Your Honor, is waking up with a splitting headache with my wrist handcuffed to the hospital bed. It wasn’t until later that day I heard what I had done and I regret it to this day. I was irresponsible.”

He turned slightly in his chair to face Allison and Craig, “I am so sorry for what I took from you. I am not asking for your forgiveness, just understanding. That night was not who I am.”

Allison buried her face deep in her husband’s shoulder trying to hold back her tears. Mr. Brown turned back around to face the judge once again.

“We will take a recess and continue after lunch. Thank you Mr. Brown for sharing your story. When we come back we will hear from the parents before sentencing” The judge slammed his gavel down. Everyone stood as he left the courtroom.

Lunch break was an hour and a half. Both Craig and Allison didn’t feel like eating. Instead they sat at a local café mulling over if they wanted to speak. Craig felt he wouldn’t have anything nice to say so he opted not to.

Allison, on the other hand, felt she had much to say. Ï am going to speak from my heart.” she told her husband. “Ï believe we owe to ourselves and to Anna Marie.”

For the remaining forty-five minutes they sat there without speaking. Allison sipped her coffee and watched the people pass by the café’s window.

The two walked slowly to the courthouse dreading the afternoon session. This will be the most difficult thing for Allison. Face the man who took her daughter from her and speak.

They reached the courthouse and went inside. Allison looked over at the benches by the courtroom where they were to go to see an older couple sitting there. She figures they were about ten years or so older than her and her husband.

They were holding each other’s hands and talking quietly to each other. She doesn’t remember seeing them in the courtroom earlier.

The bailiff opened the double doors and nodded to both couples. It was the signal that the court session was about to resume. Allison and her husband entered and sat in the seats they had earlier.

The other couple sat behind the defense side of the room. At this moment Alison realized they must be either Mr. Brown’s parents or his deceased wife’s.

Mr. Brown was led into the courtroom. He saw his parents sitting as he entered. His mother looked like she hadn’t slept in days. As he sat his handcuffs were removed.

He turned to his mother and mouthed, “It will be ok Mom. I love you.” He then glanced at his dad. They locked eyes for a moment before he turned back around. This did not go unnoticed by Allison.

Within moments the bailiff was echoing “All rise. The court will now go into session. Please rise as the honorable Judge Smith enters the courtroom.” The judge entered carrying a stack of papers never looking towards the occupants of the room.

As he sat the bailiff was heard again. “Please be seated.” The judge seemed to organize the papers into stacks then he looked up towards the room.

This case was a difficult one for him. He too is a father of two teenage girls and he could feel the pain of both sides in this case before him.

The judge quickly summarized the morning session and then asked,” We will take a few moments to hear from the parents of the victim. After this, I will make a decision in this case..”

Allison took a deep breath and stood to address both the judge and Mr. Brown. She glanced over at his parents who were looking with great sadness in their eyes.

Allison looked down for a moment to compose herself and her thoughts then looked directly at the judge.

“Your Honor, If I was to speak this morning I may have had different things to say to you. My husband and I took this break to do some deep soul searching after what Mr. Brown told the courtroom this morning.”

“We realize, I realize he lost not one but two that were precious to him. Yes, He was irresponsible in getting behind the wheel of his car that night. Sure, he could have sought counseling to deal with his grief, but he didn’t.”

She turned towards Mr. Brown, “I can stand here before you and be angry at you for what you did but I am not. I hurt for you. I know the pain and sorrow you are feeling.“

“My husband and I feel the same. I see your parents in the courtroom and I do not want to give them more pain than they feel now.” She glanced back at them and saw his mother’s tears.

“I forgive you, Mr. Brown. Nothing will bring back my daughter, your wife, or your little girl and I am sorry. We are entitled to make a mistake here and there. I hope this is one mistake you never make again”

She looked down again and rubbed the top of one hand then she looked up to the judge. “Your Honor, My husband and I lost our little girl. Our only child but Mr. Brown lost also.”

“I can ask you for the maximum sentence allowed by the laws but I will not. It won’t bring back those who we’ve lost. Instead, I would like to see Mr. Brown begin to heal as we will.”

“His parents have suffered enough too. So I stand here before you asking that he be released with mandatory counseling to help him deal with his loss. My husband agrees with this. We forgive him.”

She sat next to her husband and felt like a huge burden had been lifted. It was time for their journey to healing. Allison and Craig had taken the first step. Forgiveness. Now it was time for Mr. Brown to forgive himself.

Written By: Angel

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Thoughts From Angel:

Forgiveness allows you to move forward in life whether it is forgiving yourself or others.

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Vocabulary:

intoxicated – adjective: drunk

wept – verb: shed tears

complications – noun: a circumstance that complicates something; a difficulty

reluctantly – adverb: unwilling and hesitant 

under the weather – idiom: ill, not feeling well

sobered up – phrasal verb: to become less drunk

irresponsible – adjective: not showing responsibility

recess – noun: a period of time when the proceedings of a court of law are temporarily suspended

gavel – noun: a small mallet with which a judge hits a surface to call for attention or order

mulling – verb: to think about

opted – verb: to make a choice

speak from my (one’s) heart – idiom: to speak or say something with deep emotional sincerity

bailiff – noun: an official in a court of law who keeps order, looks after prisoners

locked eyes – idiom: to stare into the eyes of someone who is staring back into your eyes

decision – noun: a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration

soul searching – noun: deep and anxious consideration of one’s emotions and motives or of the correctness of a course of action

counseling – noun: assistance and guidance in resolving personal, social, or psychological problems and difficulties, especially by a professional.

entitled – adjective: having a right to something

Question ( s ):

Which is more important to you? Justice or forgiveness?

Would it make a difference if it involved a family member?

Unexpected

( Intermediate Level )

High school is the time of your life when you discover yourself. You hang out with friends, have a girlfriend and if you are lucky, be part of the popular crowd.

Billy Randall was just this. He was a promising young athlete. He made the varsity football team, and with that popularity follows. Not to mention, all the girls wanted the chance to date a member of the football team. It had not taken him long to have a girlfriend by his side.

You had to prove you had extraordinary talents, as a freshman, to be on the varsity team, which was reserved for juniors and seniors and an occasional sophomore.

Billy’s passion for football had started at a young age. He remembered the day when he received his first football. It was on his fifth birthday.

His dad and he would play for hours every Sunday. Tossing around the football at each other. Billy would tell his father, one day, he was going to be a professional. He would play on an NFL team.

Billy’s high school football team had an exceptional winning season. They had one game left in the season. The championship game against a rival school. This Friday would determine the overall season champions.

The day before the big game, Thursday, it was traditional to have a homecoming dance. At this dance they would vote for a king and queen, usually, those who were the most popular were voted for.

Of course, Billy had asked his girlfriend, Amber, to go with him. She, like Billy, held special popularity status. She was the head cheerleader for two years in a row.

Thursday night came quickly. Billy was given permission to drive his dad’s car to the dance. His father had given him strict instructions.

“You may pick up Amber, and go directly to the dance. Once the dance is over, you are to come directly home after you drop her off at her home.”

Billy was a little annoyed that his father made such a rule. He felt he was responsible enough. After all, he was on the varsity team and always kept his grades up at school.

The night had come for the homecoming dance. Billy had borrowed his dad’s blue tie and sported his favorite dress shirt along with a new pair of dark blue pants.

Like most moms, Billy was busy taking pictures and telling him how handsome he was. She took pictures of him alone, then with his dad, and of course one with her.

After all of mom’s excessive picture taking, Billy had made his way to the front door. He gave his mom a hug and told his dad he would be home right after the dance. This was a promise.

He arrived at Amber’s house about twenty minutes later. She was so beautiful. She wore a long blue gown that had matched Billy’s tie. Her hair was pulled up into a bun with ringlets cascading to her shoulders. Billy smiled and told her how beautiful she was.

Billy and Amber arrived at the dance. His fellow teammates were already there. The two made their way over to the group. Everyone was having a great time. They danced and talked endlessly.

The time had come where they would announce the winners of the homecoming court. Everyone gathered by the stage. All the votes had been tallied and the announcer held the results in her hand.

The announcer looked around the room keeping everyone in suspense. She then said, “The homecoming king is Billy Randall!”

The crowd clapped and whistled as Billy made his way to the stage to receive his crown. His teammates had given him high fives as he passed them.

“Now for the homecoming queen,” said the announcer, is Amber Smith!” Her friends, too, ran up and gave her big hugs, congratulating her.

Each, now, wore their crowns to the dance floor where it was customary for the newly crowned to dance a few minutes alone with spotlights on them. Others could join after a few moments.

As Billy and Amber danced he said to her,” This night is magical. Thank you for coming with me. Whoever thought I would be a king and here dancing with such a beautiful queen.”

The night had come to an end. The team had their championship game tomorrow night so each said their goodbyes. Walking out together, Billy yelled, “See you at the game tomorrow night!”

Billy opened the car door for Amber, he waited for her to slip in, then he shut the door. He made his way over to the driver’s side. As he got in, Amber said, ” I will never forget this night.”

They pulled out onto the street heading towards Amber’s house. As they talked aimlessly regarding the night’s events, Billy had pulled up to a red light and stopped.

They were talking about how much fun they had. Laughing when they spoke of someone’s dancing skills.

Billy had not noticed the light turned green until the car behind them beeped their horn. Billy signaled to the driver an apologetic wave and proceeded forward. This was a mistake. He had forgotten to look both ways.

What was a fun-filled night ended in tragedy. Billy and Amber were hit by a drunk driver speeding through, what was now, a red light for that driver. Glass shattering, the sound of metal bending and screams were heard.

Many stopped and tried to help. By the time the paramedics arrived, unfortunately, it was too late, Amber and Billy did not survive.

The drunk driver survived with only a few scrapes and bruises. He was, obviously, unaware of the tragedy that had just occurred. He would wake up later, in the hospital, in handcuffs.

Parents of both Amber and Billy were notified, later in the evening of the accident, by the local police. Each disbelieving what they heard. Eventually realizing their children would not be coming home.

It was too late to cancel the championship game since the opposing team would be traveling from another city. Tonight’s championship game would not feel the same.

The community was still in shock from the evening before. They lost two promising members of their community.

There was a mix of emotions throughout the town. Some were angry towards the carelessness of the drunk driver as others felt sadness for the parents whose children were taken.

As the bleachers filled with onlookers for both teams, the team had gathered in the locker room. The team captain spoke, “We lost an important member of our team. He is here with us today, in spirit. He would not want us to give up. Let’s win this one for Billy.”

As the team entered the field, everyone stood. In one hand they held Billy’s jersey number pasted on a bright red piece of paper, the same color as the team’s jerseys, and in the other hand, a peach-colored rose for Amber. It was their way of showing Billy and Amber would be missed. It was difficult for everyone to hold back their tears.

Both coaches had walked to the center of the field. Here they would, usually, have a coin toss to see who would have possession of the ball first, but instead something different happened.

Billy’s dad walked slowly onto the field with his head down, making his way to where the coaches stood. He had asked to speak to the crowd. He stopped and gazed at everyone sitting in the bleachers, trying to gather the courage to speak.

After a few minutes he began to speak, his voice quivering and holding back his own tears, “No matter how we try to protect our children, things can happen unexpectedly. Your outpour of love to myself, my wife, and Amber’s parents has not passed unnoticed.”

“I am here today to ask that you remember Billy and Amber, not as victims but as two young people full of adventure. They would have wanted you to remember them as kind, and determined, and being the best they could be.“

“Let them be role models to everyone. And parents, life is unexpected sometimes, remember to tell your child you love them and are proud of them….. before it is too late”.

He, then, turned and walked silently off the field, looking towards the ground. He could no longer hold back his tears.

Written by: Angel

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Vocabulary:

varsity – noun: the principal sports team representing a high school 

popularity – noun: being liked or admired

extraordinary – adjective:  unusual or remarkable

reserved – adjective: slow to reveal emotion or opinions.

passion – noun: strong, controlled emotion

professional – adjective: belonging to a profession

NFL – noun: National Football League consisting of thirty-two professional teams

exceptional – adjective: outstanding

rival – noun: competition

traditional – adjective: habit or long-established

permission – noun: consent or authorize

annoyed – adjective: irritate

sported – verb: wear or display

excessive – adjective: more than necessary

ringlets – noun: curls of hair, corkscrew-shaped curl

homecoming court – noun: a group chosen to hold various titles at the homecoming dance, for example, the queen, king, prince, princess, duke, and duchess

tallied – verb: calculate the total number 

high fives – noun: a gesture or greeting in which two people slap each other’s open palm with their arms raised

customary – adjective: usual practices 

aimlessly – adverb: without purpose or direction

apologetic – adjective: regretfully excusing an offense

proceeded – verb: continue a course of action *this word is often confused with precede which means come before*

tragedy – noun: suffering, devastation, or distress

paramedics – noun: a person or people trained to give emergency medical care 

unaware – adjective: no knowledge of a situation

disbelieving – adjective: expressing disbelief, questioning, or understanding

opposing – adjective: in competition with a specified subject

carelessness – noun: negligence

onlookers – noun: observer

outpour – verb: flow

unexpected – adjective: not expected

Question(s):

Were you ever on a school sport team?

Is popularity important to you?

Do you think laws are strict enough to prevent drunk drivers in your country?