Hit and Run
It came out of nowhere. Streets slick from a sudden shower, lamp light reflecting in unexpected directions. Quiet. Late. She never jaywalks but after triple checking and the coast being clear she stepped into the roadway. She heard it before she saw it. It felt like seconds before her mind made the connection. A car, barreling towards her. A silver late model BMW sedan, swerving into the intersection at full throttle. Coming out of U turn from somewhere. It really is like they say: caught in the headlights. In slow motion she couldn't discern if the car was coming at her or going around her. It was wet, late, barren. This shouldn't be happening, not here, not now. She stops, trying to judge which way to move. Go forward, skirt back, zigzag across. All she knows is that at his moment, this very second in time she is in stasis, suspended. A simple walk home after class, a subway ride with a colleague discussing the merits of an outdoor sculpture park in Montreal she really must s...