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I parked my car outside of the large gray building that was St. Luke’s Academy. I grabbed the papers that I had in the backseat and headed through the mahogany double doors that led inside. After being checked in by a security guard, I turned and made my way down the long hallway towards the main office so I could finish up my paperwork for night school, which would finally allow me to get my GED.
I’d just come from physical therapy, so I was dressed casually in clothing in which I could move around. My 6 foot frame was wearing a pair of gray sweat shorts and sneakers, plus a white t-shirt. I’d gotten a couple of looks from some women at the facility. I wasn’t arrogant at all but I understood that I was attractive to the opposite sex, and I didn’t mind the attention the women gave me one bit. I had light caramel skin with and had recently started growing in a thick beard that I kept groomed. All of my physical therapy had left me more muscular than I’d ever been.
It was late afternoon so I didn’t see a lot of people around. Most of the students were gone, and it looked like the staff was as well. I looked at the various pictures, awards, and trophies that adorned the walls of the school and was reminded of a time when I was just like them. It was almost funny how life could happen sometimes and disrupt whatever plans we may have had.
I stepped into the office and noticed that it was just like the hallway had been, empty. I was about to go back to the security guard and ask if anyone was around when someone stepped out of the supply closet. It was a woman carrying a stack of papers. She had her head down and was reading through them, so she didn’t notice me. She was pretty too.
She was about 5’7” and had smooth brown skin. She was rocking a short pixie style haircut that showcased her beautiful face. She was dressed professionally in a gray and purple dress, but it did little to hide her obvious curves.
“Excuse me,” I said as I cleared my throat.
“Ahh!” She let out a little yell and then dropped the papers that she’d been carrying. I couldn’t help but to laugh as I hurried over to her and helped her scoop them up.
“My apologies. I didn’t mean to scare you,” I said as I stood back up. She nodded, straightening the papers in her hands.
“No, it’s fine. I should’ve been paying attention,” she said.
“I was looking for Brittany. She's’ the secretary here. Have you seen her?” I asked.
A sad look came over her face. “Brittany has taking a leave of absence. I’m filling in for her. My name is Adia,” she said.
“I’m Raphael,” I introduced myself. I was confused, and I was sure the look on my face also showed it. “A leave of absence? Did she say why?”
Adia nodded slowly. “Her fiancé was in a really bad accident and she’s been helping him get back to good health. It’s been a while, and it looks like it might be a while longer,” she explained.
I couldn’t hide my shock. “Wow, really? Brittany is good people. I can’t believe she’s going through this. I’d hate to be the person, but do you know what happened?”
She frowned. “Well, I’m not sure if you heard about that big bus crash-” she began.”
“Wait, not that one that only had one survivor?” I questioned. “That was him?”
Adia nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “I don’t know if it was a gift or a curse, but either way he’s still here. Brittany’s helping to nurse him back to health and from what I hear, he has a long way to go. I can’t imagine having to go through something like that.”
I shook my head, not only because I couldn’t believe that Brittany experiencing such a trail, but because the story that she was telling me was so similar to my own.
“I can,” I said quietly.
“Can what?” Adia asked.
“I know what Brittany must be going through,” I said. “Five years ago I was hit by a drunk driver. It was during my senior year of high school, almost halfway through the first semester. It took me years to recover. I had to work on getting my mind and body back together, but God has finally allowed me the chance to have a clear mind and the full use of my body.” I could have shouted right there as I thought about it.
I was only 17 at the time it happened. I had been crossing the street after school, same as I did any other day. The light had just turned red, but the driver of the car had been trying to make it before it changed. He claims that he never saw me, not that anyone was willing to take the word of the drunk. I felt pain all over my body and then nothing.
I thought I’d died. When I woke up in the hospital I was glad to be alive, but that changed almost immediately. The doctors informed me that the injuries which I’d sustained were severe and that even with years of physical rehabilitation, there was a huge chance that I’d never be able to walk normally, let alone run.
I was so young at the time that it sent me into a depression almost immediately. I figured that since I was young, my body would just snap itself back together. When it didn’t happen, I became angry and bitter. I watched my friends graduate and move on with their lives while I was stuck trying to get used to my new circumstances. Every new day that came only made me more and more bitter.
I wasn’t making progress in rehab because of my attitude and the fact that I felt sorry for myself. My parents were at the end of the rope trying to figure out what to do with me. Ultimately, they decided that in addition to taking me to physical therapy and seeing a mental health therapist that I needed to go back to church. I was in such a dark place that I was against the idea but I went with it begrudgingly.
At first, I felt nothing. I’d gone to church a lot when I was younger and though it had been cool, I was young, so I was always ready to go. One day, the sermon was about giving your problems to God. He spoke about how free we could be if we stopped holding on to the things that weighed us down and just stopped worrying about them. It sounded strange to me, but when I got home later on, I prayed and did just that.
It wasn’t magic or anything. It took time and patience in order for things to get better, but as time went on, they slowly did. I’d felt like God had turned his back on me, but in reality, He was just waiting for me to turn around and see that He had always been standing there waiting for me to recognize Him. I started to progress all around, and I was finally almost as good as new.
“Wow,” said Adia, impressed. She looked me up and down. “I’d never be able to tell.”
“I’m the six million dollar man. All of this is electronic,” I joked with her. She laughed lightly.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I got so caught up in conversation that I didn’t even ask you what you why you were here,” she said.
I smiled. “No problem. I’m a student,” I said.
Adia gave me a strange look. “You know we’re a high school, right? You don’t look like any of the boys I see running these hallways,” she joked.
“I’m here for night school,” I said. “I was told to drop off the last of my paperwork, so I could finish my enrollment. I have big plans, and this is the first step.” I reached into the bag that I’d brought and pulled out the paperwork I needed to submit.
“No problem. Let me get those I can make some copies.” She took the papers from me and started running them off. While she waited for them, she turned back to me. “So what are these big plans you’ve got? If you don’t mind me asking, that is,” she pondered.
I shook my head. “No, it’s no problem. I need to get my GED so I can head to college. I want to become a physical therapist. I’ve been inspired by the team of people who’ve helped me get myself together, and I want to do the same for someone else.”
Adia nodded her head. “That’s ambitious but impressive,” she said. “It’s also very admirable that you’d want to help people the way that you were helped.”
“We have to be able to pay it forward,” I said. Adia came back over to me and returned the papers.
“I’m going to put these in your file and update everything on the computer. I’ll see you when you start,” she promised.
“I’ll be looking forward to it,” I smiled at her. I didn’t know if I was only talking about school or her as well. Either way, I was excited for a new beginning.