The First In A Line Of Dominos

A/N: This story is about my uncle, and I only know it from word of mouth.Parts of it have been filled in with my imagination (i.e: dialogue, time, etc.) and names are changed, but the story is true.


Long Island, NY is not quite at night, especially if you live in the Bayshore area. There are cars all night long, lights flashing, music playing, and most of the nutters out on the street are busy stumbling home from the bar.

That's what teenagers Mark Smith and Frank Brower III were doing. Sure, they were underage, but the bartender hadn't cared. Still, they were nowhere near shit-faced, and they were walking safely on the sidewalk. Or so they thought.

Frank heard the car first. It was speeding, he could tell from the way that the water swished out from under it's tires. No big deal, few people do the speed limit. But suddenly it was louder, much louder than it should have been. Frank turned.

"Mark! Move!" The warning was too late for both of them.

There was the sickening crack as they both hit the drivers windsheildand rolled off, one to either side. Franks face scraped the pavement, the skin tearing open. The back of Marks head cracked inward, but neither Frank nore Mark felt the pain. They were both unconscious.

Walter Skelly, driver of the vehicle, managed to get out of his car and telephone 911, and was immediately arrested for D.W.I. No one knew the further charges that would be brought against him later at that point. Both boys were brought to the hospital.

Anita Brower, Fred's mother, was going back to bed when she head the phone ring. For the life of her she did not know why anyone would call at this hour. But she picked it up any way, and when she put it down she ran back to the bedroom to awake her husband, Frank Brower Jr.

Anita headed towards the hospital. Frank headed towards the home of Mark Smiths father, who the hospital had been unable to reach.

Anita came in, and when she saw her son, she felt nauseaous. His face was distorted and covered in stiches, a less green and more red version of Frankenstein. He'd been in his coma for almost an hour and the doctors said both his and Marks chances of waking up were slim. She walked up to the bed side andsat next to him.

"Frank? Frank? I know you're there Frank, and I'm telling you to get up."

Frank Brower, Jr. was at the home of Mark's father, pounding on the door loudly. He had no clue what condition Mark or his own son were in. When Marks father finally opened the door, Frank practically dragged him out to the car.

It was a night no one would forget.

****

Approximately four hours after the accident, with fifty-someodd stiches in his face and glass still being removed from his scalp, Frank Brower III awoke. It was a long, slow process, but eventually his face healed and he was able to function normally.

Mark Smith never awoke again. After three months in his coma, Mark passed away.

Walter Skelly recieved 6 months in jail and 5 years probations, despite the fact that before hitting both boys he had recieved a D.U.E less than a week earlier.

But amazingly, that is not all.

****

Mark Smith had a girlfriend, who had found out she was pregnant not long before his death. When her parents found out, they threw her out of the house. A deep depression seeped through her and she began using drugs.

Her son, Mark Smith Jr, lost his mother to her addiction at just two years old. He was further taken care of by his aunt (Marks sister) for his childhood years. She gave up most of her life for him, but they argued and now never speak.

****

What could life have been like for Mark Smith, Jr., if Walter Skelly had not been on the road that night?

He would have a father, an adoring aunt, probably still have a mother who was happy and an overall good life.

Please, don't drink and drive.

****

Ironically, almost eighteen years after the accident, Frank Browers niece, Kaitlyn Brower, met Mike Smith Jr. online through a friend of a friend. He had turned out such a bad kid that Frank Brower, Mark Smiths best friend, forbid his son from seeing his niece.