Monday morning, a little after two, my husband and I were in a car crash.

He has been working six day shifts, and had Sunday off. We were up early, went to breakfast and enjoyed being with each other for more than two hours. We even took a really long nap together, sleeping well into the night. After waking up hungry, I wanted Mexican food, and the closest place was a 24 hour joint downtown.

The other guy came out of nowhere. I was going the speed limit and chatting quietly with my husband, my eyes on the green traffic light we had ahead of us. We were almost in the middle of the intersection when I saw his headlights speeding towards us in my peripheral, and had a split second to hit the brakes. He hit the front drivers side, caving it in and fucking up the tire. He was speeding, going fast enough that after the first impact, we spun 90 degrees and he hit the back drivers side, propelling us forward at a sideways angle and ripping off our bumper. His vehicle ended up wrapped around a pole, the front end caved in and his motor completely ruined.

I remember gripping the steering wheel and closing my eyes for a second before opening them again. I remember the thoughts galloping through my head. My husband, our life together, our cats and rats back at home, would we even make it home...? Then it was all over. Somehow I had managed to get us parked at the side of the road. My pants were wet from a cup that had exploded everywhere on impact. My shoulder was killing me, the pain sharp and quickly spreading. I registered that my husband was gasping for breath, but he had no immediate signs of wounds that I could see. He was alive, I was alive.

It all happened so quickly. I keep seeing his headlights and just the sudden impact. It's so fucking clear and vivid in my mind. Then it finally sunk in early this morning. If I hadn't seen his headlights in that heartbeat before impact, if I hadn't been able to brake when I had, he would have full on t-boned us. I would have been seriously injured. I could have not come home. I could have not lived to see more than the brief month of married life I've had. We were so lucky...

Life changes so suddenly. I truly know that know. I walked away from an accident that came very close to possibly killing me. I walked away with a sore neck and shoulder, and a bump on my head from where I cracked it against the door frame. I've got pain meds and ice for my shoulder. No concussion, no broken bones or torn muscle. We got lucky in such a way that I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it....