Part of what I do at work is clean up leaves and debris from around the property. The property itself is rather odd in that it is two buildings across a pretty busy avenue from each other.

One building is a parking garage whose north side parallels a side street that empties onto the avenue.

The other building is two city-blocks long and fronts the avenue.

The intersection at that point is a "T" with the avenue being the cross member. If you roll the "T" onto its left side, you'll have the image exactly.

About an hour ago, I had filled a 50-gallon rolling can full of leaves from along the garage's north side, crossed the intersection and emptied the can in the compactor inside the building's loading dock. I was on my way back to the crosswalk to cross and finish along that north side, pushing the can, when I stopped to pull my work gloves on.

As I did so a car came speeding down the wrong side of the cross street where I had just raked, passed a car on the left, failed to brake or even attempt the left turn onto the avenue and slammed head-on into the building about 20 feet in front of me.

I called 911.

Two people were trying to help the driver and were leaning into the passenger side window. They said the driver still had a pulse.

When the medics pulled him out of the wreck, they were performing chest compressions on him and I could see them working on him in the Medic One unit. They pulled away with the siren on and I've heard that they only run the siren when their rescue victims are alive.

I came home early.

All I've been able to see is that car slamming into the building. All I've been able to hear is the sound of the impact. All I've been able to wonder is if the driver made it. All I've been able to think about is about what might have happened had I not stopped to pull on my gloves.

Can I tell you all that I love you?