We All Saw It!

WITNESS 1:  [whimpering]  I dunno, I dunno what happened.  Am I gonna die?  [groans as EMT inserts needle in arm]  I ‘member seein’ a lady with a stroller on the sidewalk up ahead.  [drifts off momentarily]   All of a sudden, she jumps sideways on to the grass, like she thinks I’m gonna bang into her.  Nex’ thing I know…[cries out as EMTs lift him into ambulance].

WITNESS 2:  I dunno, man, I was on the porch sippin’ a cold one when I heard the horn, heard the brakes squealin’.  I looked up an’ the kid was sprawled on the road, not movin’.  That’s it, man.

WITNESS 3:  Shee-it, man, it was awful!  Kid was boardin’ down the street mindin’ his own business an’ that friggin’ car jus’ nailed him.  I saw the whole friggin’ thing!”

WITNESS 4:  I saw the whole thing, Officer.  I was walkin’ the baby in the stroller an’ the boy was comin’ towards me.  I was on the sidewalk, he was on the road.  Looked so graceful, it made me wish I knew how to roller-blade like that.  Suddenly, that car swung around the corner behind him, rode up on the sidewalk, I thought it was headin’ right at me.  But last minute, it veered back an’ right into the kid.  He never had a chance.  Was the driver stoned?

WITNESS 5:   I’ve yelled at that stupid kid before, y’know.  Not that he cared, jus’ gave me the finger.  He’s always rollin’ down the middle o’ the street, like he thinks he owns the road.  Little shit doesn’t even wear a helmet!  Somethin’ like this was gonna happen sooner or later.

WITNESS 6: I was in the back seat, had my airpods in. Frankie was up front, Donnie was drivin’. Frankie was flashin’ some hot chick’s picture on his phone. The kid came outta nowhere, hit the windshield. No way Donnie coulda stopped in time.

WITNESS 7:  Hey, man, I was watchin’ the road.  The kid skated right in front o’ me, never even looked.  I stood on the brake, man, but I never had a chance!  My ol’ man’s gonna kill me…this is his car.

WITNESS 8:  I was shotgun, Donnie was drivin’, Sammy was in back.  None of us saw the kid ‘til he jumped right in front o’ the car.  [pause to listen]  Drugs?  No clue, man.  I never saw no shit.  If you found somethin’ in Donnie’s car, it ain’t mine!

WITNESS 9:  I’ve complained about this so many times, Officer.  Cars speeding up and down the street at all hours, like they think they’re hot-rodders!  How come nobody from the po-lice ever came to talk to me about it before?  I knew, I just knew, something like this would happen.  Imagine if it had been an old lady like me!  It’s like we’re invisible!

WITNESS 10:  Can’t say I saw it, Officer.  Like, not in real time, y’know?  But it’s pretty obvious what happened, right?  I mean, lookit the right front headlight, smashed to smithereens.  They sideswiped the kid, right?  That’s plain to see.  Some o’ these idiot drivers think they own the road!

_{© J. Bradley Burt 2021}