I will never forget....

by Kathryn Peterson
(Clearlake, Ca )

I remember that day all to well. It was November 6, 1989 a school day for me than seven years old. I remember walking out the door of my house with my 9 year old sister Kim. As we walked down fir ave to soon cross davis to catch the morning bus it was cold, but my sister Kim was excited she had just gotten a brand new navy coat, and matching boots to wear to school. As we walked down the dirt road Kim noticed her cat's following us as we neared the end of the road they still followed. I told her I would get them away so I ran back towards them yelling, and they scattered and ran home. I turned and started running back towards Kim so we could cross together. I remember starting to reach out my hand for hers and then she wasn't there anymore. A loud screech, and there standing in front of me were two empty boots the right one laying on it's side, but she was gone. I looked around and that's when I saw her in the driveway of a house which was determined to be 20 yards away. I stood a moment and then running towards her, but someone stopped me and told me to run home to get my parents. I turned and ran back up along davis and then turned down fir, and the road at that time and age seemed to be so long. I ran and ran, and as I reached the front door my dad, and mom were there. I couldn't speak, and I couldn't tell them what had happened, but they must have known by the look on my face. We ran again down what seemed to be the longest road in the world. When we got back the police & ambulance were all ready there. Millions of people all around and I watched as they cut away her garments and her new jacket. I stood next to a large oak tree that lined davis just watching everything. My parents talking with the police and paramedics. I remember seeing the bus pull up, and an empty ache in my heart wishing that I was getting on it. As they loaded my sister into the ambulance there was blood squirting from her neck, and I was scared she was dead. They rushed her to the hospital, but they couldn't help her locally so they called for a REACH helicopter to take her to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. I had asked to see her when they put her in the ambulance to leave, but I had missed it, my dad lifted me up to look in back of the window of the ambulance and I thought at that moment that I never got to say goodbye.
I was lucky though, my sister survived. Although the sister I knew would never return I at least got her back, and our rolls became reversed I was now the big sister, because on 11/6/1989 the Kim I knew did die, and on 6/6/1990 my new Kim was born making her 8 years younger than me. All because a man that morning decided to get behind the wheel after drinking. I lost a big sister that day and will never get her back...