Syracuse, New York. April 27th, 2004.
	I always hated the ride back from work. The mundane, beat up factories from when Syracuse was a booming manufacturing city. They looked even worse at 3 in the morning. The boring, creepy drive home was made even worse that night by the torrential downpour.
The 2002 Nissan Sentra struggled to pull itself up the waterslide so generously called an on-ramp, after I turned onto the highway. After about 5 minutes of driving, I turned on the radio. I needed something to keep me awake, as my eyes were already wavering between open and closed. Country? Nope. Hip-Hop? No way. Electronica? Not in a million years. Finding nothing good on, I shut off the radio. I'd rather get lost in my head, than listen to terrible music. I fixed my eyes on the road ahead, and kept driving.
I jolted upright as I woke back up. I must've fallen asleep. Not for long however, as I could still see the building I had just passed only moments before in my rear view mirror. Atleast I hadn't gone far in either direction. There luckily was no cars around, either. 'Almost home. Half way there.', I thought, shuffling in my seat, struggling to find a comfortable position.
I could see the bright lights before I could hear the horn. The horn kept blaring as I lifted my head. Headlights, at head level, were all I could see as I turned the car to the right, trying to move out of the way. The semi-trailer truck turned the same way, also trying to avoid me. All of a sudden, I stopped. Everything stopped. My car, the truck, the rain. It all stopped. My thoughts landed on my two beautiful children, and my gorgeous wife.
I loved them all with my whole heart. They were the center of everything I did in life. They were my core.
My son, Mark, is almost done with preschool. He's 4. Everyday he would come home from school and tell me all about his day. He would then reach into his bag and pull out whatever his class had made that day. He would jump into my lap with the biggest smile you could ever imagine, and explain to me what he had made. I would tussle his short chestnut colored hair and give him a hug, and he'd ask me about my day. Afterwards I would go outside and play some games with him.
My daughter Jessi is only 2, and already talking non-stop. She always asks simple questions about everything going on around her. I always try to give her the simplist and silliest answer, trying to make her laugh. She has the cutest laugh imaginable. Once she starts, she won't stop. Even the slightest thing will set her off after that.
Then there's my wife, Anna. The love of my life. We fit together better than two puzzle pieces. We always know what the other is thinking, and often finish each other's sentences. At 31, she still looks as beautiful as the day I met her, 7 years ago. Even after having two kids. Her long dark brown hair always flowing across her shoulders. Her dark green eyes that could pierce through your very soul and feel your every emotion.
I hardly even had time to say "I love you.", before colliding head-on into the semi-trailer.