4. An Accident

We were on the last stretch of highway to Wasaga Beach when we saw the accident. It's embarassing but I had no idea what was happening. I had zoned out. I have a lot of practice keeping myself busy on long car rides but this one was torture. I couldn't stop staring at the stranger across from me. I concluded that my cousin was not a mind reader after a thorough examination of the evidence. She probably noticed that the gas was low when she climbed in.  I couldn't stop thinking about Noa Park. I kept imagining 'the conversation'. The one where I took her aside to explain the rules for the summer. Stupid things like who gets the top bunk. Stupid but important. She paid no attention to me, reading her book the entire time. The cover said Crime and Punishment. No kidding.

I watched as the freeway ended, shrinking into the familiar two lane highway. The scenery changed from warehouses and billboards to farmland and trees. For an hour, we cut through the woods on the paved path, passing through several towns, including Stayner, so I knew we were getting close. That's when we spotted the accident. There was a yellow jeep on the side of the road. It had gone through the guardrail and was turned on its side.

At the time I was looking out the window, seeing how high I could count before we passed a house, anything to stop thinking about Noa Park. The best car game was when I was a kid. My dad used to hand me a toy steering wheel and pretend I was driving. My mom hated that game because I had a tendancy to steer into oncoming traffic. She was always worried that I was developing anti-social behaviour. My mom doesn't do well in cars. She feels cooped up and becomes annoying. On this ride, she kept bombarding us with questions. I swear she had one for every kilometer.

“Are you cool enough in the back, Noa?”
“Rachel, are you hungry?”
“Noa, did you see those cows?”
“Rachel, did you remember to pack your bathing suit?”
“Noa, have you ever been to Wasaga Beach?”
"Rachel, remember when you used to look for deer?"
“What's your favourite board game? Rachel? Noa?”

And on and on and on. The questions began to repeat because my mother is insane. I tried to focus on my game but she made me lose count. I don't know how I look when I'm irritated but apparently, it's obvious. My dad often described it as, 'it looks like you tried eating bees'. Noa saw that I was losing it, she scribbled on her bookmark and passed me the note. There were only two words.

Say Noa.

I have a gut reaction to being ordered to do anything. Especially by a stranger. What if that note had said 'I demand the top bunk'? I wasn't prepared to do that. My mind raced for a comeback. I was trying to figure out if this was some type of declaration of war. I needed a pen. I wanted to write back and demand that she 'say Rachel'.

"Rachel?" I jumped when Noa spoke, we had been driving in silence for so long. I had no idea what game she was playing. "Did you bring anything to read?" I didn't want to answer but I could feel my parents waiting for my response.

"Nope." I looked into Noa's eyes. I had to make my stand. I had no intention of saying her name. Then I realized that my dad was hitting the brakes. I could feel the minivan pulling over. I continued to stare at Noa, wondering how long I could possibly last. I felt that she was reading my face like one of her books. The story of a girl who was guilty and punished by having her summer ruined. Suddenly, she dropped her novel, hopped out the side door and sprinted. I had never been in a staring contest where the loser ran away. It was a confusing victory.

"Noa wait!" I could hear my dad shout. "Where's the cell phone?" He added, searching frantically. I got out of the minivan. That's when I saw the twisted guardrail. Up ahead there was a yellow jeep turned on its side. It looked liked a movie set. There was even a young couple, holding each other, beside the vehicle. I could see that they were talking to Noa. "Get away from the car." dad yelled.

“There was a deer.” The man called back.

“Get away from the car.” My dad insisted. He led them back to our minivan, leaving the wrecked jeep behind them.

“There was a deer.” the man explained as they walked.

“Is everyone okay?” dad asked.

“Yes.” The woman said. They were both shaking but there were no visible scratches. “We were lucky.” Noa opened the side door of the minivan and offered them a place to sit. Then my mom came over. She had already placed emergency flares on the road.

“Have you called for help?” she asked.

“There was a deer.” The young man said.

“Yes, we have a cell phone.” The young woman replied. “The police are on their way and so is a tow truck.”

“Crazy deer,” the young man continued, “I had to swerve off the road to avoid it. Right, honey?” She nodded and he continued. “It froze when it saw us coming. You know how they do that. It stopped in the middle of the road. I had to get off the road.”

“You did the right thing,” dad said, “it might have been worse if you hit the thing.” The man grunted in agreement and was silent. We quietly waited for the arrival of the OPP cruiser and tow truck. I wasn't allowed near the jeep because my dad thought that it might explode or something. I couldn't imagine how it ended up on its side, facing the wrong way. When the police officer came she spoke to my parents for a long time, taking their statements. The young couple walked around, making small talk with the tow truck driver. Noa sat in the minivan, reading, and I happened to sit down close by. I was getting hungry for lunch but I had to admit it was still a beautiful day. Funny that accidents still happen on beautiful days.

I was bothered by what had happened. I spent many rides to Wasaga Beach, sitting in the backseat, trying to spot wildlife. I had never seen a deer north of Stayner. “Do you think there was a deer?” I threw it out there, not really at my cousin at all. I turned to see her shake her head. No. Noa didn't think so either. “My dad thought there was one.” I added. No response. “There was a guardrail on both sides of the road. That would be an awkward place for a deer to jump out.” Noa stopped reading, her eyes peeked over the book and studied the jeep. The tow truck driver was using his winch to put it upright. “That guy kept saying that there was a deer over and over again. As if he was afraid that we wouldn’t believe him.”

“And the woman?” Noa asked.

“She didn’t say anything about the deer without his encouragement.”

“Why would they lie?” Noa looked at me and I looked to see my parents still speaking to the police officer. They were far away but I found myself whispering.

“Maybe it was his fault that they crashed. Maybe he was driving dangerously.” I stopped. I felt bad accusing the couple of lying. “But we can’t be sure.”

Noa nodded minutely, seeming to agree. “He stopped repeating his story once your dad acknowledged that there was a deer.”

“What do you mean?”

“He also said that the deer froze when it saw the car.” She paused and returned to her book. I could feel that it was my turn to say something. This felt like some kind of test. I hate tests, I think everyone does, except when they're doing really well. I thought about what Noa had said as I watched the tow truck driver work. He had the jeep back on all four wheels and was investigating the cracked headlight. It hit me.

“That would only happen at night.” I said, trying to stay cool. “Deer freeze on the road because the headlights blind them at night. Maybe he was making his story up from something he heard.” My parents were heading back to the minivan. It was time to get back on schedule. Noa put down Crime and Punishment and turned to me. She spoke quickly and quietly.

"Your mom keeps asking questions so we learn each other's names. If you say my name she'll stop."

Intrigued by this theory I waited strategically until my mom was in earshot. "Noa? Do you want the top or bottom bunk?" My cousin shrugged nonchalantly and I knew it was up to me. She didn't care after all. My mom smiled, happy to see we were getting along. More importantly, she stopped asking questions.

We were back on the road to paradise. Wasaga Beach, where I knew there would be three familiar faces that were dying to see me. I couldn't wait. “Slow down Rod,” my mom warned, “there could be more deer. You can’t trust these roads.” My dad nodded in agreement. I glanced at Noa but she was busy reading her book.