Will Your Child Make This Call?

I will be 17 years old in November.

This was my first real party and I was so nervous.

There was a special boy and well, the anticipation gripped me for weeks.

Finally, the night arrived and my best friend, Maggie, was honking in my driveway.

We giggled and laughed the whole way to the party.

It was truly our personal declaration of independence.

The party itself didn't live up to expectations.

It was loud, there was booze and the boy I had my eye on, made a total fool of himself.

Cross him off my list of potentials.

And then things got ugly.

Someone called the police and soon squad cars were swarming the house.

Maggie and I were giggling and laughing again, but this time I wasn't excited.

I was scared.

Maggie was drunk.

I could tell for sure when she was fumbling for her keys.

I had no doubt when I could smell the booze on her foul breath when she leaned over to whisper something unintelligible in my ear.

Maggie was drunk and as the rest of the gang plopped into the back seats, I realized that right then and there, I had to make a decision.

Fortunately, I had discussed this at home.

It was my dad who said these words for me and the movie in my mind of him was fresh as I quickly replayed the scene.

"I am giving you this cell phone baby, but I am doing it for a selfish reason. I know that you will use it to call your friends, text them and take pictures and the things you guys do that I will never begin to understand. However, I want you to make me one promise. If you ever need me, if you ever find yourself in some type of danger, no matter what the time, even if it is 3AM, I want you to call me. With this phone, I want that call and I don't want you to even think twice about making that call!"

I didn't think twice about that conversation a few weeks ago.

Now, it precipitated my very next move.

I was out the door before Maggie could manage to find the keys in her drunken stupor.

"What are you doing?" Maggie screeched the slurred words.

"I forgot something."

"Go on without me. I will get a ride."

I realized later that the foul words shouted after me that night, came from Maggie and some of my other inebriated "friends" in the car.

They had no patience for someone who was dropping at of the clique.

I had made my decision.

"Dad," I managed, but then for some reason, I began to cry.

"Dad!" I need you to come get me.

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It was my Dad who woke me up later the same morning.

The first thing my Dad did was give me a big hug.

Then, I realized that he had been crying.

"Dad. why?" I kidded him. "I'm safe. There is no reason to be sad."

Them my Dad showed me the newspaper.

FIVE TEENS DEAD AFTER PARTY!

CAR CAREENS INTO WATER...ALCOHOL INDICATED AS CAUSE!

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Note

Thanks to the dozens of story endings emailed and messaged to me in the last 24 hours.

A special thanks to Maria Cronin of Chicago and Facebook fame.

She knows how special I think she is.