A Lessoned Learned the Hard Way

Throughout my high school career I was dependent on my parents and friends for a ride to school and it was a little embarrassing. I couldn’t wait to get my first car. I was nineteen a college woman with a steady job, and it was finally time for me to get the car I deserved. After a couple of very generous paychecks and a lot of penny pinching, I was ready to hit the lots and get some test driving under my belt. After a few agonizing days of financing, credit approvals and signing dotted lines, I was the happy owner of a new shiny, blue Nissan Altima coupe. Although my car was supposed to be used for work and school, other plans came first. I immediately had fun in mind! Driving was my new favorite thing to do even when there was nowhere to go, there was somewhere to go. Needed a ride? I was there. Wanted to go out? I’d be there in a heartbeat. It was Starbucks every night during the week with my girlfriends, and the endless club nights during the weekend. When I was behind the wheel I felt like â€Å"speed racer†. The windows defiantly had to be down with the sunroof open because I just loved the wind hitting my face and blowing my hair back. Everyone new I was coming a mile away with nothing but Britney Spears blasting out of my speakers. Although I should have focused on school and work, having a new car to take me where I wanted only made me carefree. Little did I know I was writing my own recipe for disaster? I had started hanging out with acquaintances that liked partying more, and one of my â€Å"party† friends Karla invited me to a bar and grill called Wings N Rings on a Tuesday night. When I arrived a good friend of mine was playing that night in his band, Holly Madison. It was open bar for the band and their friends, including me. A good time was all I had planned for and I saw no harm in having a drink or two, but shortly thereafter it led to a shot or two or three. I had no idea what I was drinking but I drank it. Being that I’m not a big drinker, the alcohol hit me, and it hit me bad. I thought I’d be okay since I went home after work and had a big dinner with my family. As I sat at the bar with my friends I slowly felt a burning sensation in my stomach and my body composure was basically â€Å"loosey gossey†. People started o notice that I was feeling â€Å"tipsy† when I began slurring my words. Oh man, I couldn’t talk right for the life of me! I remember everyone just thinking it was the funniest thing they ever heard, and it probably was. In the middle of cracking up with everyone, the room slowly started to have a domino effect. It was then when I realized that I had way too much to drink. I was 2:00am and the bartender announced â€Å"You don’t have to go home, but you have to get the heck out of here! † I tried convincing myself that I was okay to drive, didn’t say bye to anyone and walked to my car. As soon as I sat in the drivers seat I threw up chunks of chicken and red hot cheetos. I thought I felt better after threw up so I left the Wings N Rings parking lot. I was so sure I’d make it home since it was only one exit way from the bar. I put my car on cruise control after I left so I wouldn’t get pulled over for speeding. While I was on the expressway I started feeling drowsy, my eyelids became heavy and I started â€Å"bobble heading† because I was doing nothing but steering. The next thing I new I was waking up to deployed airbags, blood running down my left shoulder and a burn on my forearm. The smell of gasoline made me picture explosion and I opened the drivers’ door without hesitation. I fell to the ground, looked around and couldn’t believe what I had just done. My new car was completely totaled under the expressway. It wasn’t the time to think it was a time to act. â€Å"What the hell do I do now? † I asked myself. I quickly pushed up with both my arms to get up from the floor when my left arm gave out. My arm was dislocated, but since I was so upset I popped it back in without thinking twice and didn’t feel a thing. I walked to the Stripes gas station on the other side of the expressway and asked if I can use the phone. She handed me the phone and the first person I called was my mom that was just three blocks away. She answered in a groggy voice I told her what had happened and she hung up scared for my life. I had just made the biggest mistake of my young life and stared crying. Instead of staying put I walked back to the scene of the accident and while I was crossing back I saw flashing red and blue lights heading my way. A police car pulled up next to me under the expressway and asked, â€Å"Where are you heading miss? † I gave him a blank stare back and said nothing. He then noticed the mascara running down my face from crying and the blood on my arm and figured I was involved in the car wreck up the road. I noticed my mom’s truck on the other side of the road and ran to her. I had never seen her so upset. She shouted â€Å"Que chingados estabas haciendo mija? † meaning what the hell have you been doing daughter? My answer to her was â€Å"I fell asleep mom! I’m sorry! † as tears came flowing down my cheek. It was at this time that the officer made his way over to me ask me to blow into a gadget I had never seen before, that just so happened to be a breathalyzer. As soon as he told me what it was I pretended to blow as hard as I could, but blew down so it wouldn’t go straight into the breathalyzer. I never in my right mind thought this would work, but the officer was fooled and thought the breathalyzer wasn’t functioning right. Right after that he asked me if I had been drinking and I told him I hadn’t. He read me my rights, handcuffed me and put me in the back seat of the police car. Everything was so surreal.