While I Was Watching

Last night, my best friend threw an outdoor movie party with all our friends. Unlike the last time–where I nearly died of hypothermia, fell asleep for the whole movie with a blanket on my face, woke up with messy hair and several bug bites (on my face), and was made fun of–I was prepared this time. I came with a pillow, a couple throws, and armed with bug spray. I felt like a warrior.

We watched The Scarlet Pimpernel, which I absolutely loved. Although, I am currently racked with the torments of wondering how it ended. My mom texted me ten minutes before the end, declaring she was tired, wanted to go to bed, and she was waiting for me in front of the house.

Darn.

There was a moment, coming home, which nearly sent my sisterly instincts into a frenzy… There was a sort of tension, upon first entering the car, and when I asked what was wrong, it was my sister who replied. It was nearly midnight and I could barely understand her when she said something like, “Bradley was babysitting… ran out in the street… hit by a car…”

At that point, I jumped out in my seat and screamed, “WHAT?! NO!!!”

“He’s okay, he’s got a broken leg. Dad’s at the hospital with him right now.”

And then there was this silence where I tried to soak in what they had just said. My brother… broken leg… will I get to see him? Is he okay? How– I asked for a clarification, and I was told that Achilles the Dog had got out of his kennel down the street and… something about a car…

“Who, Bradley or Brevin?” I asked, confused now. My mom looked at me strangely.

“What? No, the dog. You know Achilles, the Nelsons’ dog? He got hit while Bradley was babysitting him.”

I have never felt more relief in my entire life.

“Did you think your Brother was hit by a car?” my mom asked.

“Well, that’s what you said!”

“Oh, sorry, Britt. It was the dog, while your brother was babysitting him. Didn’t mean to scare you there…”

Well, that was that. I felt both stupid and relieved that, in fact, it was the dog that was hit and not my brother. I eventually found out how my family desperately tried to get him into the kennel, how the front door was left open and the dog escaped, how they chased him around the neighborhood until finally he was clipped by a car on center street. What more, was that several times they were on my best friend’s street, and while I was happily watching a movie, to no mind what was going on, my family was driving through heck chasing the neighbor’s dog. Why they didn’t come ask me for help, I don’t know.

I’m still just glad it was the dog, not my dear Bradley…