Now that we both checked each other over and we seemed to be in one piece, I realized it was dark outside. Really dark outside. Then I noticed that the air in the cab was already getting stuffy.
“I’m cold!” Alexi complained.
“Yeah, me too!” Alex agreed.
“Where are we?” I asked as calmly as I could, trying to distract Alex. He had a fine mind but needed something to focus on but me and his sister.
“Mom, I think we drove off the road and fell down an embankment.”
“Holy shit that was a tumble” Alexi agreed.
“Language kids!” I said automatically.
“Why is it so black outside the windows?” Alexi said with a little panic now in her voice.
Shrugging, Alex added, “Honestly, I think the Jeep tumbled down the hill and is now buried in snow.”
We could see the worry in Alex face. Being the “Mom” for these teenager, it meant I had to be as brave as I could. Anyone who has lived in the Great White North knows that there are only a few rules for survival. But first and foremost is to always stay calm. The very next rule was to stay warm.
“Alexi, do you see our jackets? I think we are going to need them.”
Alexi immediately perked up. He now had something she could control and do.
“Alex, I need you to crawl in back and find our survival kit.”
The Jeep not only tumbled down a hill, but the back of the Jeep was turned such that the back was pointing down the hill. This put the front grill towards the top of the hill and Interstate. I didn’t know if it was five feet or a hundred yards away, but I knew that “Up” was where help would come from.
Alex crawled aligned himself up between the front bucket seats, he was able to duck down under the stick shift that was now sticking down from above. Then he was able to turn sideways was able to squeeze to the back seats with Alexi. The slope of the hill was steep enough that He was able to partially slide down to the back seats area and then to the back storage area of the Jeep. With the snow blocking out any light around the jeep, it felt that we had been just been dumped down into a very tight closet, with only the dingy light coming up from the front consul light.
While I had almost no memory of falling into that damn well so many years ago, I still couldn’t help my chronic case of claustrophobia from kicking in. When I say I am claustrophobic, I mean that it has left me catatonic in the past. But I was no longer a kid and years of therapy has got me to the point that before I fall down into that mental rabbit hole that I called my little psychosis, I now can bravely talked myself out of my panic.
I could feel that this time was different. I was injured and the car was trapped in the dark. It would have been oh so easy to freak out. But instead I knew I had to be strong for my kids. They meant everything to me. As Alex’s mother and in reality also the only mother Alexi had really known growing up, it was vital I not lose my shit right now. Interestingly enough, this need actually allowed me to have a break through. I would never again have the mind numbing fear that claustrophobia could bring on.