In the Face of Fear

Have you ever stared fear in the face and something inside of you kicked into motion and you stomped on that fear and kept on going?

I grew up fearful. In fact, thank God I was born an identical twin because many nights, my twin and I either slept in the same bed, hiding under the covers or sat in the bathroom until the sun came up, afraid of monsters, robbers, ghosts, boogey men - you name it. I once had this dream that I saw a headless guy riding a horse on my closet door and that did it for me. I slept with my head under the covers just in case.

One time, there was a male cat, prowling for a female and he was making the most horrible sounding mating call. We just KNEW that it was some dead person coming back from the dead. My twin and I ran to the bathroom. She sat on the floor and I sat on the toilet, waiting for the courage to go back to bed. The courage didn't come until we heard our dad getting up for work the next morning at 4:30 am.

One day, though, I didn't have a chance to feel the fear. I was on my way home when a small pickup truck was turned over on the side of a dirt road. It was 1:30 am, off of a two lane highway. My ex and I turned back around to see what was going on. Pinned under the truck was a lady. There was glass everywhere and the gas tank was leaking. She was conscious but trapped. I ran across the highway to a call box and asked for help. Then, ran back to the lady. She was conscious and asking for help. She wanted us to call her mom. I was more worried about the dripping gas tank. I held her hand and then told her that she was going to be just fine. For no explained reason, the ex and I, literally lifted the truck enough to get it off of her. By the time the paramedics came, I was on the phone calling her mom.

I went home, in shock. Not only had I never seen anything so horrendous and bloody but also, that we had moved that truck off of her. I remember hopping in the shower and washing my hands and arms over and over again where her blood had been. I prayed for her. Her name was Charlie. I remembered that most of all.

Two days later, I spoke to her mom using the number that Charlie had given me. She was going to make it. Apparently, the doctor told her that had no one stopped for her, she would've bled out on the side of the road. Where she had been pinned had almost been completely severed. I remember her mom crying on the phone and her telling me, "Thank you for saving my daughter."

I didn't save her daughter. In fact, the circumstances to this day still remains a mystery. We drove that route often but where she was pinned was unlit. Also, how did we pull that truck off of her? I know that it was only God's doing. For such a time as this....we were there.

Have you ever been in the face of fear and yet, stared it down and kept on going?