a peasant lost...

(jacob, chase, katherine, hannah, and barrett)

a week ago last night, we received devastating news on the lane...
a dear friend had been killed in an automobile accident.

~@~

katherine and jacob nervously came into my bedroom, "mom, people are posting on facebook there was a really bad wreck. they are saying chase was in the wreck... quick, will you turn on your police scanner?"

i did, but the scanner was unusually quiet.

katherine and jacob returned to her room to see if there was any more updated information.

in the meantime, john and i were watching tv. our local station had a "breaking news" report. the reporter, said that there had, indeed, been a head-on-collision on one of our county roads and one of the drivers had been killed. his passenger had had to be cut from the wreckage and life-flighted to a nearby hospital.

as soon as i saw the car, i knew it was chase's.

i turned to john and shook my head.
my eyes welled up with tears. my heart began to break.

~@~

many of you long-time blogger friends of mine will recall that katherine and hannah referred to their three best guy friends as their "peasants".

chase ryan trent was one of their "peasants".

~@~

i quickly got out of bed and put on my clothes. then i made my way to the kitchen and checked my cell phone for missed calls. i had MANY missed calls. the most recent was from hannah's mom, linda. i immediately double-clicked her name in order to return her call.

when she answered, i knew. "dani, there was a wre..."
i interrupted her, "was it chase???" my voice broke.
"yes..." she said. "he was killed, dani."
"no..." i replied as i physically sank.

katherine and jacob were standing right there with me. all the color drained from katherine's face, and jacob, in horror, ran out the back door. katherine chased after him.

~@~

"who was the passenger, linda?" i asked not knowing if i really wanted to know considering the image i had in my head of chase's car.
"we have heard that the passenger was 'a jake or a jacob'..." she hesitated.
"linda, jacob hagan is here. it's not him."
"oh, thank GOD!" relieved she exclaimed back into the phone.

i told her barrett was at home... it wasn't him either. as we finished our conversation, katherine told me jacob was on his phone with barrett, who wanted desperately for us to come be with him at his house. so, i grabbed my purse and keys.

~@~

on our way to the jeep, i told jacob to call his mother and let her know that he was okay... as it seemed there were those who thought he was chase's passenger.

~@~

on the drive to barrett's house, there was only the sound of muffled sobbing.

when we arrived, the three friends saw each other and embraced. for that moment in time, no one else existed. in total shock, i could only stand frozen and watch.
~@~

after a bit, katherine came to me and told me chase's girlfriend, tiffany, had asked that we come to chase's house to be there with her and chase's parents. hence, the kids climbed into the jeep, and i drove them to chase's house.

when we turned onto chase's street, i noticed the street was lined with kids and neighbors all waiting, wondering, and mourning. i stopped on the cul-de-sac right in front of chase's house. we somberly made our way to the front door and entered.

~@~

the house was mostly dark, but a light from the den shone through the kitchen. we walked toward the light and found chase's parents, randy and phyllis, and their pastor sitting in the den.

"oh, dani," phyllis said as she arose.

i made my way across the room to her and hugged her and cried with her.

love and God's blessings,
dani xxx

please keep chase's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.