Page 4 of Unforgettable
The tailor she had a last fitting appointment with was just a few blocks away and she was anxious to try on the chic pantsuit she purchased for her show and had custom-fitted to her five-foot petite frame. Clothes always proved a challenge for her, either the length or the fit This time, it didn’t matter how much it would cost to tailor. Tonight was the beginning of everything she had hoped for.
“I’ll be back,” she murmured.
As if leaving the canvas alone felt like leaving a part of herself behind.
Minutes later, she was on the road.
The hum of the engine, the rhythm of passing traffic, the familiarity of Rochester streets. It all wrapped around her like something safe, predictable, and contained.
Unlike the memories she didn’t invite.
A distant rumble echoed somewhere far off.
Was it thunder?
Her grip tightened slightly on the steering wheel.
Storms had a sound., even when the sky was clear.
Her chest rose, then fell.
Not today.
Today was different. Today was hers.
The light ahead turned green. Slowly she moved forward with the flow of traffic, her thoughts already drifting to gallery lights, quiet conversations, the way people would stand in front of her work and try to understand it. To understand her.
A flicker of something moved in her peripheral vision.
Too fast.
Moving too close.
Her head snapped to the right.
Headlights.
She screamed.
“God! No!”
A dump truck veered to her side of the road, heading straight for her.
There wasn’t time to think ... to react. She froze.
There was only time to feel.
Impact exploded through metal and glass. A violent, crushing force that stole her breath, sound, and sense all at once.
The world twisted.
Collapsed.
Shattered.
And then -
Silence.
