Read Online Accidental Meeting by Susette Williams - Free Book Online Page B

two.” Abbey could see
Bruce smile from the corner of her eye.
    “There’s
nothing wrong with my driving.”
    Bruce
chuckled. “Still touchy aren’t we?”
    “I
am not a bad driver.” She wasn’t. How could he think that? Realization dawned
on her. Okay, so maybe he could questions her driving, but now he knew why she was
upset the day of their accident. “If I hadn’t run into you that day, you and I
might have never met.”
    “I’ve
thought about that, too.”
    “God
has a way of working things out.” At least she hoped so. Abbey heard the low
grunt Bruce made. “What? Don’t you believe that God can turn a bad situation
into something good or that maybe he had a reason for us meeting?”
    Bruce
shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe it was meant to be. But I don’t know that
everything always works out. At least for good.”
    Abbey
glanced quickly at Bruce then back to the road. Father, is there something
that didn’t work out for Bruce? Please give me the right words to say. You know
how much I care about him. I want to help him. I love him. Gulping at her
own admission, Abbey clutched the steering wheel tighter, turning her knuckles
white.
    “Abbey,
there’s something I should tell you before we get to my sister’s house.” Bruce
was quiet for a moment. Abbey waited for him to continue. “My father died
nearly eight years ago. I haven’t spent any time during the holidays with my
family since then. You see…”
    Abbey
wanted to reach out and take his hand but she didn’t chance removing hers from
the steering wheel. Her eyes clouded with mist at his candor. She blinked
rapidly to clear her vision. Bruce was revealing a deep part of his heart,
sharing something she knew wasn’t easy for him. Whenever she talked about her
father’s death it made her throat constrict and she could barely whisper. It
was understandable that this was hard for Bruce. Men weren’t inclined to share
their feelings as easily as women. She felt honored that he would share his
with her.
    “…
It was my fault my father died in that car accident.”
    Abbey
jolted in her seat. She hadn't expect that piece of information. “What do you
mean?”
    “If
I had been there eight years ago, on the Fourth of July, I would have been the
one to drive my sister home and Dad would be here today.” Bruce looked out the
passenger side window.
    “And
where would you be?” Abbey glanced at Bruce. He continued to stare out his window.
“Dead, Bruce. You’d be the one who was killed instead and I don’t think that
would have been any comfort to your father now to be the one alive, knowing his
only son had died.”
    “Maybe
I could have avoided the accident,” Bruce mumbled.
    “Maybe,
but we can’t live by maybe’s. Maybe if I had given in to Gary’s advances I
wouldn’t have hit you and you wouldn’t have been hurt.”
    “That’s
ridiculous!” Bruce snapped.
    “Yeah,
that’s right and it’s ridiculous to think that if you had been the one driving
that things would have been different. You don’t know what would have happened
and it wouldn’t necessarily have been any better. Maybe by the time you and
your father argued over who was going to take your sister home, you would have
left later and perhaps both you and your sister would be dead today.
    “You
can’t blame yourself, Bruce. It wasn’t your fault. Things happen sometimes.”
Abbey’s heart ached for the anguish Bruce had gone through all these years,
thinking it was his fault.
    “I
don’t know, Abbey,” Bruce spoke barely above a whisper. “I feel responsible for
allowing work to keep me from going that night. I can’t help but wonder…”
    “Don’t
let Satan beat you with lies and don’t let him keep you from your family
now." Abbey sighed. Her tone softened. "Your family loves you, Bruce.
I’m sure it hurts them when you continue to stay away. You have to go on. Enjoy
what you have and don’t let the past destroy your