My Longest Night

My Longest Night

By Janeal Mulaney

My longest night actually started a couple of days earlier, when my sixteen-year-old came home to ask me if he could take my ninety-four Ford Mustang, to Fort Collins to be with his high school sweetheart at her swim meet. As a parent my first thought was are you crazy, my second thought was about my own high school sweetheart. I had wanted to be there for him, I had wanted to go to his football games, baseball games, and his school plays. I hadn’t been allowed to go. So I had promised myself I would never do that to my children, even if it was just puppy love I would find someway for my children to be there for their girlfriend/boyfriend. If there was any way at all they could make it I would make sure they could.

At first I was planning on attending with him, we would have two drivers and I had been wanting to see my best friend who lived in Fot Lupton, I could stay there and then come home with him, but my job had other plans I had to work. Although it would be risky to let my sixteen-year-old drive that far by himself, I also realized that he could have a bad accident just driving across town to school. After all life is a risk. So I prayed to God to bring my son home safe, and handed him the car keys. He had a cell phone on him, he would be meeting up with his girlfriend’s parents after he got there and he would be spending the night at my best friend’s house.

Skyler would call when he made it to Fonda’s house, and when he made it to Fort Collins, he did both plus once when he had lost the highway he was going to take so he wouldn’t have to go through Denver. Then before he left to follow her parents home, he called to tell me his plans, and still I sent up a prayer of thanks and another prayer for my son to come home safe.

Then I got his last call about two-thirty am.

“Mom, I’m okay, but I’m so sorry mom I rolled your car.” I could hear the heartbreak in his voice, but my son was on the phone, my Ford Mustang was rolled, but my son could call, once again I sent up a prayer to thank the Lord for being with my son.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” I asked.

“Yes mom, I’m okay. I’m just shook up, but I’m all right. We’re waiting for the tow truck and then we’ll be on home. They said they would have to tow the car to La Junta and I’ll have to ride with Kim’s parents on home.”

“Okay, babe I’ll see you when you get here, I said and hung up the phone.” Once again I thanked God and said another prayer for his safe return.

At about four am my son came walking through the door, he had two scratches on his left shoulder and that was all. He was home and he was all right. The next day I drove up to La Junta to pick up my totaled car. As I saw the roof being held up by the head rest of the driver’s seat I started to cry, my son was over six foot tall and set well above the back of the seat. He could have so easily had his neck broken, but he was thrown toward the passenger side of the car as he swerve and went of fhe side of the road.

Even now just writing the story I tear up, that accident could have ended so terribly. God had heard my prayers and answered them. He had brought my son home safe. Thank you God.

My son had told his girlfriends parents that I was going to kill him for wrecking my Mustang. When he had to call me and tell me my Mustang was totaled. It’s like I told him after everything was said and done. I can always replace my car, but I could never replace him. It had been ten years to the day when I had bought my Mustang when it was rolled. I still think about that night, and how God had answered my prayers, to bad I had forgot to mention in my prayer for my mustang to return safely too.