The Bridge

We don't watch TV while the kids are awake, so, we had no idea that the 35W bridge had collapsed around 6 p.m. until the phone rang shortly after dinner. Kristin called and told us to turn on the television. We did and were shocked at the images of the broken bridge, the cars strewn about and that lone school bus pushed against the side of the guardrail. The phone continued to ring for the rest of the evening. My sister called from Kansas. An old friend of Luisa's called from California, a friend she had lost track of about 5 years ago. A friend's mother called because she couldn't reach her daughter and family and we felt so fortunate to be able to tell her that their plans for the evening would have taken them in the opposite direction. At the end of it all, all of those closest to us were safe. This is a bridge that we use frequently. We drove over it this past weekend and Luisa would have used it to take the cat to the vet tomorrow. The bridge is just gone and nobody knows how many cars are sitting beneath the surface of the Mississippi. Cars piled on top of cars beneath the water. That is the very image that kept me awake last night.