• I laid in the hammock in front of my Aunt and Uncle's farmhouse, shaded by large Oak trees and a beautiful front garden full of flowers and succulents. Family members were soliciting with each other in the front, where there was a large opening of land surrounded by several tall oaks and evergreens. My cousins joked around and decided to pull out an old 3-wheeler from a rusted up shed. They had been drinking a lot, so I immediately watched them being idiots and trying to start it.
    Once they had managed to start it, I was already sitting up in the hammock trying to get a better view of what they’d do next. The engine sounded horrible, since it hadn't been used in ages, and unfortunately it had a full tank of gas. They had no helmets, and were dressed in tank tops and shorts since the Summer weather was hot and sticky. I walked up to my oldest cousin, who was about 23 or 24 at the time, and tapped his shoulder. I was only 8 years old. He was a lot taller then me, so I had to look up at him. I remember the sun glaring through his thick head of hair.
    “ Isn't this a bad idea? Shouldn't you have Papa out here watching you?” I asked him, trying to speak over the loud roar of the engine. I know this is a bad idea… why don’t you realize that?
    “Shh! Let us be big kids, you go sit down and stay out of the way.” He answered as he put his can of bear down on a rock and headed for the entrance of the driveway.
    I headed back towards the porch, unsure of what I should do. I felt terrible that I didn't feel the same about the fun they were having as my cousin did. I thought, maybe I should tell Papa to come out and set them strait, when really I was confused about what to do. I loved my cousins, and I didn't like upsetting them. I was always told not to tattle… so I didn't know what I should do.
    I heard a loud roar, and realized they were taking off on the ¾ mile road that led up to the farmhouse. Since it was private property, and there weren't any neighbors for miles, we never had a problem doing this kind of thing. AJ was the one on the 3-wheeler. He was only about 17 years old. Drunk. No clue why, but our family has a habit of being open with each other an allowing this kind of thing. Well, I didn't like the looks of this. I was a young girl, so I don’t really have a say on my opinion in my family, but I did believe it was a good idea to tell…
    I stood up and slowly walked through the front door, where I saw my parents, my aunt, Papa, and a couple older cousins and family sitting in the den talking about who-knows-what. I walked up to Papa, not sure what he’d do, but every one stopped talking loudly and continued their conversations quieter.
    “Papa,” I whispered in his ear, taking in the scent of his constant pipe smoking and the sweet smell of cigars, “AJ is on your old 3-wheeler. I think he’s gonna get hurt.” I was extremely nervous, I didn't know what he’d do to me for telling on my cousins.
    He didn't say anything, instead he just stood up and walked to the front with the two dogs, Sassy and Lucie, following at his heals. I watched him, he was a short man, and was already old at this time. He leaned heavily on a beautifully carved cane. He walked onto the front porch, then down the steps. I followed, leaving some distance between us. He continued down the path toward the entrance of the driveway. I stayed put at the bottom of the porch.
    The loud roar of the 3-wheeler got closer and closer, and within a moment, we saw AJ speeding down the driveway, out of control. The oldest, largest Oak tree stood at the entrance of the driveway. It was large, solid, and the bark was thick and rough. I felt a sudden feeling of sorrow and nervousness, and screamed. In a split second, AJ had slammed right into the trunk of the tree… totaling the 3-wheeler and landing several feet away from its’ remains.
    Papa ran toward him in a hurry, limping and trying to lesson the use of his cane. I stood there, crying, and watched as he gave AJ CPR. Blood was everywhere. My mom rushed outside and grabbed me, pulling me into the house as my aunt was calling an ambulance. I stood in the room that I stayed in every Summer, watching quietly through the window as the ambulance arrived and carried him away. I sat on my bed. I was still confused as to whether or not I did the right thing, because either way this would have happened…
    “Rachel, it’s getting late.” My mom walked up to me, and put me under the covers.
    I said nothing. I couldn't talk. I was zoned out, off into my own fantasy land. The thought of what if he gets angry with me and I hope he’s OK… maybe I should have told sooner raced through my head all that night.
    I woke up the next morning and walked into the den. I looked around sleepily, noticing that I wasn't the only one up… I saw my dad and Papa sitting in the two large arm chairs, and on the couch I saw AJ. He was covered in bandages, stitches, and casts. I sat in the arm chair with my dad, looking cautiously over at AJ. I listened to them talking, and AJ explained everything to my dad and uncle about what he had broke. I only picked up parts, but I recall over a hundred stitches, broken arm in 4 places, broken knee and ankle, a lot of broken ribs, and a severe concussion. I was shocked but I figured at least he was still alive…
    AJ looked over to me, and I was staring at the floor. “You know, if it wasn't for you telling [Papa] about us on the 3-wheeler, I wouldn't be alive. The doctor said with all the blood in my lungs from the broken ribs, I would have died if I hadn't had immediate CPR.”
    I looked up, opening my eyes wide. I guess I did the right thing then, huh.