Buying a New Car, Installment #2--The Turn

We brought the new (2010) Suburban home to an excited crew--everyone wanted to see what each button did, where the radio was, what the seats felt like, etc.    We talked about the rules of the new car:

2.  No feet on the seats.
3.  No eating in the car.
4.  Pick up your stuff when you get out.
Then it was bedtime for all concerned.

The next morning, I was out visiting a friend with the two little ones.  I've never been a real stickler for seat belts in our neighborhood, even though I do know better.  I've been a mom for a lot of years now, and seat belts and car seats are used--about 60% of the time.  The new car was no exception.  Even though Evie's seat was belted and strapped in, I just let her and Hyrum sit on the middle bench for the two-minute ride home.

I made the turn around the corner, and from here the world changed to slow motion.  Suddenly I heard Evie scream. I looked in the rear-view mirror, and to my horror, I saw that the passenger side rear door was gaping open and Evie was nowhere in sight.  Could this really be happening?

Next thing I heard was myself screaming, which made Hyrum snap to attention and ask what was wrong.  I braked as gently as I could, and the thought crossed my mind that at the speed I was going (about 10 mph) and the direction I had turned that it would be virtually impossible to run over her.  I jumped out of the car, ran around to the other side of the car, only to see Evie's silky in the road about 20 feet behind us.  I looked toward the vehicle, and Evie was hanging by both hands from the door handle, suspended in the air, pacifier still between her screaming lips.  I ran to her, scooped her into my arms and held her close.  As we walked back to retrieve the silky, she just kept muttering, "Scary.  Scary.  Scary."

She was right.  I returned her to the car, this time I carefully and tightly strapped her down in her car seat, with Hyrum in his buckle now as well.

That turn on a quiet neighborhood road added a new rule to the top of our list:

1.  Dentons always wear seatbelts, no matter how short the journey.


I cringe every time I think how different the outcome of that morning visit could have been.  And Evie is still talking about "Silky fall out.  Scary. Scary. Scary."

Linking up to T at Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday.