Fields Of Barley...Vol. 14

Fields of Barley, Vol. 14

(If you want to read this from the beginning, click on the Stories, Short & Otherwise Link above)

To Mark the initial crash couldn’t hold a candle to what happened next. Mark sat, still transfixed on Janie’s face when without warning two small but powerful hands reached into the car and lifted his one-hundred and fifty pound body completely out of his seat. The adrenaline allowed the wispy blond to lift one and a half times her own weight and throw Mark’s body on the soft grass. The next thing Mark knew this woman was bending over him in an attempt to administer CPR. He started to object—his mind now finally understanding what she was about to do—when he felt her lips meet his and air from her lungs were pushed into his with such force it made his eyes hurt. Janie then lifted her face from his and turned to concentrate on what she believed was Mark’s non-beating beating heart. Mark tried to speak but the increased air in his lungs made speaking difficult. He lifted his head to get her attention but it was too late. Janie threw him back to the ground and began pushing hard on his ribcage with her clenched palms. Mark could feel the added adrenaline coursing through Janie’s veins as she continued to cheat death another day. Finally, the increased air supply forced into Mark’s lungs escaped and he half-screamed, half-cried out in pain. The sound snapped Janie out of her life-saving trance to see this victim was very much alive, even in spite of her efforts. The look of panic that once graced Janie’s bloodied face now showed sheer horror as the realization of her actions took hold.

The scene continued to unfold. A campus policeman heading home from his shift saw the aftermath of the collision, and hurried to help, calling 911 from his cell phone as he ran. This time it was Mark who was the only one able to speak as Janie sat next to him in shock. Mark explained to the policeman what had happened and why the woman sitting aside him may not be able to think clearly at that moment. Mark will never forget the look on the officer’s face as he explained how the accident had happened and how this Good Samaritan went to extreme lengths to save his life.

Mark was never known as a funnyman, his sense of humor best described as “dry.” Everyone who knew him understood this, but they also knew that Mark had quite the story to tell about how he first met his wife. Mark must have told that story hundreds of times, with Janie possibly telling it more than him. All who heard the tale could barely believe it, but Mark loved telling people they kissed before he ever said a singe word to her. Janie loved telling people that by bringing the driver of the old VW back to life gave Mark a re-birth, in a manner of speaking. And since he was reborn, the first person he saw after this birth was Janie and she was to be his own personal savior, for—as Janie told the story—she was the one who “saved” him. Janie’s life-giving actions created a debt that Mark could never fully repay, no matter how hard he tried.

To be continued...

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