I felt so good. I was almost dancing, as I walked toward my meeting with Sara. I had good news to tell her, and I was sure she would be as happy as I was. That’s why I told her to meet me at the bar in the Plaza Hotel. Wow! Impatient, I just walked through a red light, a half a block more, and I skipped up the stairs into the hotel.

Reaching the bar, I looked around for her, but apparently she hadn’t arrived as yet. I decided to wait in the lobby rather than go to into the bar alone, it wouldn’t have bothered me, however this was a different day, and I wanted everything to be right. Where was she? Sara worked closer to the Plaza than I did, what was taking her so long?

Frustrated, I walked to the doorway and peeked out to see if she was coming, but all that was visible was traffic at a dead stop. Boy! Who would be in so much in a hurry to want to drive in this city? I wonder what’s holding them up?

So, I went out onto the sidewalk and looked to see what was the matter, and there, at the corner, I saw an ambulance, police cars and a lot of commotion. I asked a passer by what had happened, and was told a young woman had been hit and it looked like she was dead.

I don’t remember running, or pushing myself through the police officers that were surrounding the lump on the ground in Sara’s pink coat. I don’t remember screaming, swearing and completely coming unglued. I was told about that later in the hospital where they took me. Sara was dead, run over by a drunk on his way home from an office party. Sara was dead. My best friend was gone.

They kept me overnight, as apparently I was in shock, and they wanted to observe me. When Sara’s parents came to identify her they stopped in to see me, but I could hardly look at them, much less speak. I was glad when they left. Late the next day, I was allowed to go home, where I continued to try to rationalize what had happened. Why Sara, sweet, kind, loving Sara — why was she taken and not me? I was the girl with the loud laugh, the stumbling, foolish daredevil who took on any task, or person, without an ounce of fear. It was I that people put up with, not like Sara, who everyone liked, loved, and wanted to be with. I thought I had totally lost my understanding, as nothing made sense.