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Bernice Edwards was drawing herself a bath when everything changed. The only bathroom in her old country house was on the first floor and had a window that looked out over the busy street in front. The end of her day always consisted of this bath, as it was the only time she could truly relax. She was often anxious upon getting in bed, tossing and turning with no true comfort. Instead, she bathed. She bathed for hours. She would first pull the dingy brown curtains in front of the window and then twist the faucet as far to the left as it would go, heat on full blast. After undressing, she would put one foot over the side of the tub, letting her toes sink in, and then the other foot, slowly lowering her underweight body into the steaming water until she was covered up to her neck. This was relaxation, for Bernice. But today was different. When the very tips of her toes hit the water, there was a scream outside the window followed by screeching brakes and the sound of something bouncing off a vehicle. Bernice quickly climbed over the tub, scorching her legs up to her knees. She pulled the curtains all the way open, forgetting that anyone outside could see her naked chest. She was shocked at what she saw. In the middle of the road was her sixteen year old son’s Blazer and a body that was not moving. She was even more shocked to see her son step out of the Blazer, seemingly uninjured. |