“Avonlea has to use the restroom.” my mom said over the phone to my dad. We were on our way up to Vail for our yearly Labor Day weekend vacation. The drive that was supposed to take only a little over three hours, was taking much longer because of a construction detour we had to take up a back canyon. Since we were a big family, we had to take two vehicles whenever we went places together. 

Pulling off the highway, we drove to the nearest place so my youngest sister could have her bathroom break, which happened to be Chick-Fil-A. My dad parked, and I jumped out of the front seat. As I turned around to shut my door, I saw my brother still sitting in his back seat with a strange disgusted look on his face. “Um dad” he said. “Is she…dead?” My dad hurried to look into the front window of the car next to us. Heavy metal music blared from its stereo. There was a single girl in the car– with her head slouched under the steering wheel! She looked dead. You had to focus really hard on her back to see her very shallow breathing. We hurried into the restaurant, and told the manager, who quickly followed us to the car and dialed 911. A crowd started gathering around. People banged on the windows trying to awaken her. Nothing. 

Another alarming factor was that the car wasn’t in park. It was in drive, and her foot was just holding in the break. If she let her foot off the break, and unknowingly hit the gas, she would run right into the car parked in front of her. Even though the firemen on the other end of the phone told us to not disturb her, someone reached into the car which was unlocked and shut the vehicle off. I don’t know whether that was the right thing to do or not, but it probably was. 

The firemen finally arrived, and the next thing I knew, the girl was standing out of the car getting questioned. “What is your name?” they asked her. “Montana” “Have you been doing drugs?” Montana nodded first yes then no. After a little while, they told her she was ok, and they left, but I wonder what would have happened if we wouldn’t have been there. 

There is no doubt in my mind that God had us take the back way up the canyon to save the life of someone.