by Cheryl Kottke

Created on: August 13, 2009

Audrey grabbed her purse and keys and dashed out the front door. "Darn! I'm going to be late!" Jumping into her corvette, she threw it in gear and raced down the street. Audrey had an important meeting at eight o'clock with Mr. Walters and didn't dare walk in late. The traffic this time of morning was so congested on the freeway she decided to take the back road. It was a paved two lane road that had one sharp turn after another, but it was faster. She didn't have to worry about traffic or police. If she hurried, she could make it on time, hopefully with five minutes to spare.

Glancing down at her Bulova, she had ten minutes to make it. Unless she pushed a little faster there would be no way on God's green earth, she would make it on time. Speeding up, she rounded the next curve, with brief recognition and shock as she saw the garbage truck parked on her side of the road.

Audrey stood trying to remember what happened as the man approached her. She thought she recognized him but wasn't sure. Her mind was a complete fog.

"Audrey?" he greeted her as if he had known her, her whole life. "I'm Michael."

Trying to figure out where she was and how she got here. "Where am I?"

Michael shook his head up and down with a smile on his face, "You've had a serious accident."

"I have?" She tried to remember but couldn't remember any accident. "What kind of accident?"

"You drove into the rear of a sanitation truck." He paused for a moment, cautiously adding, "You didn't survive the accident."

"That can't be, I'm here! I'm not hurt! Where's my car? What are you trying to pull anyway? I have an eight o'clock meeting with...with... someone! I can't remember his name right now but I know it was important!" She looked at her wrist, where her watch should've been. "What happened to my watch? Did you steal my watch?"

"I don't need a watch. You have an important decision to make Audrey."

"What kind of decision? You haven't told me yet where I am and how I got here."

"You are in the waiting area."

"Waiting area? Waiting for what? What waiting area?"

"Well, you are one of the lucky ones. You have the option to go back and live your life with a choice to change one event in your life."

"Event? What like whether or not I went to college, got married or something?"

"Yes, but it can only be one event. If you can choose any single event in your life that you could change, what would it be?"

"I don't know! I have a wonderful husband, job, two sons who have made me proud; I have everything anyone would ever want. Why would I want to change anything at all?"

"I'm sure there is something in your life you would go back and change if you could, what would it be?"

Audrey stood trying to think of what she would change if she could go back and change it.

"What about the accident, can that be the event I would change?"

Michael shook his head no and grinned.

"Well, when I took my job as Director of Marketing there was another job offer I wish I'd taken instead."

"What was that? And why?"

"Well, it was for a Grants Coordinator for a non-profit organization. It didn't pay much, hardly anything at all, that's why I took the one I did. I would've felt more like I was doing something good for people. I wouldn't have been constantly pressed for time, rushed, and pressured on that job. Most important though, I would've had more time to spend with my family."

Audrey sighed, "You ol' clunker! Not again!"

Her husband, David stuck his head in the door, "Won't start again?"

"Nope!" She grabbed her purse from the passenger seat, "That's okay, not much happening this time of year with the Grant business anyway. I'll call and let them know I'll be staying home today."

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