OLDER
CONTACT ME
DIARYLAND
2004-01-22 - 12:35 a.m.
I had actually known The Priest longer than anyone had expected. I first met him when my parents died, four years ago. There was a drunk driver and a car accident, then I had two dead parents, life sucks like that some days. Before I even heard about the accident from Natalie The Priest told me something would change me that day. He was rather vague about it, but he's like that.
It was a dream, but one doesn't discount dreams of strange men dressed like priests telling you that something will change your life forever, or at least I don't. When it happened I was living in Shawston, before I started all the moving around and crap. I had graduated from high school in May, was working at Dent's Bookstore, and had recently been dumped by Charlotte, Sheriff Sikes daughter. In my mind, life was all right. I was hanging out in the park across from Rev. Rollins house, just reading and working on art projects; when I fell asleep in the grass. While I was asleep I dreamt that I was in a church. It didn't look like the any of the churches in town; it was way too big. I walked about halfway up the main aisle and took a seat in a pew. I sat there looking around when a large man came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. I looked up and there was this scraggly looking man in a priest's collar with a beat up back pack slung over one shoulder. I moved over and let him sit down next to me. He groaned as he sat, as if very tired, and spoke to me. "Kid, you don't know me and I don't know you, but I'm here to tell you something. Something is going to happen today, it's going to change your life. I'm not saying its going to change for the better and I'm not saying its going to change for the worse, its simply going to change. All you've got to do now is wake up." And I woke up in the park with my friend Stacy's dog licking my face. I gathered my things, talked to Stacy for a few minutes, and made my way home. When I got there Sheriff Sikes' car was in the driveway and I could hear someone crying in the living room. I walked into the house and Martin was sitting next to Natalie with his arm around her, they were only dating at the time. Rev. Rollins was sitting across from them talking to the Sheriff. When they noticed me Natalie came running at me and threw her arms around me and started sobbing into my chest. I looked up at everyone and no one said anything. Martin got up and took Natalie back over onto the couch where she kept crying. I asked the Sheriff what was going on, but he said that it would probably be better if Rev. Rollins told me. The Reverend took me into the kitchen and told me that my parents had been in a car accident with a drunk driver. They were killed in the accident, but the other driver escaped without serious injury. I don't know how to describe what happened after that; I just kind of fell apart inside. Nothing seemed to be right anymore. A few months after the funeral I moved to Palmero, got a job, and started making a life for myself. Then the incident with Max and Al happened and I moved back to Shawston. Before the incident happened I had another dream about The Priest. He had basically told me he same thing as last time, but was a lot more serious about it. Before nearly every traumatic experience in my life I've had a dream about The Priest; and he's told me that something was going to change. So, that day that I finally met him in Redstone was something of a relief for me. It meant that I wasn't really crazy, having dreams about some strange guy; I was just well informed in some way. Or that there was something planned for me. Amy's voice broke me out of my reverie, "You can let me out here, and I'll be able to make it back to Redstone with the gas I have left in my tank." Nikki pulled over to the side of the road and we all got out. When there was a good sized break in traffic she did whatever it is she does and the bike returned to normal size. We said our goodbyes and Amy rode off down the road. Nikki and I piled back into the car and pulled back into traffic. We had about another forty minutes or so to drive, I offered to take over driving, but she said no one drives her car but her. So I just sat back and watched the scenery go by.
