Deer Eyes

For a limitless instant, the deer and I looked intently into each other's eyes. Despite our fear of the inevitable future, we recognized our common bond as living beings, and forgave. Then, time resumed. The deer and the car continued their converging velocities, Adi screamed, I swerved, tires screeched, a dull heartbreaking thump combined with the sharp clatter of splintering glass, the deer rolled on top of the hood, almost reaching the windshield, then disappeared. It was over. I slowly drove off the road, Adi frozen beside me. We are not hurt.

I stepped out of the car into total silence. There was no traffic on this road that leads from Canada towards Helena, Montana. The sun shone through a patch of blue sky illuminating the rolling prairie that extended to the eastern horizon. To the West, clouds lingered over the peaks of the Rocky Mountains. The majestic view accentuated the deer lying still on the road. An eagle approached, and watchfully spiraled overhead. The deer eyes were still open wide. I pulled the deer off the road to spare him any further indignities.

The silence was broken by a large SUV filled with parents and kids that came to a stop offering help.

"Yes, we are OK." and "Yes, please call a tow truck."

The couple was sympathetic, but not surprised. "This happens all the time in the Montana. Especially on country roads"

Up the road, Adi, got out of the pickup, and walked towards us. In front of the dead deer she stopped, joined her palms in front of her chest and bowed deeply.

Silence returned as the SUV drove off, leaving us to wait for the Highway Police and the tow truck. Something in me was incomplete.

"Yes, it would be good." Adi answered.

I turned towards the deer, joined my palms, and expressed my sorrow, wishing him eternally green pastures wherever he may be. Somehow, I felt better.

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Intermittently during our long wait, other vehicles passed by. Everyone stopped and offered help. Some drove on, and some lingered to chat, telling us their stories of deer encounters, most of them ending worse than us. I realized that deer encounters are part of Montana life. So much so, that it was hard to extract favorable treatment by describing our circumstances. In Helena, the rental car agent responded by telling us about her mother that hit a deer on her way, then hit another on her way back.

"You are lucky you didn't hit a moose." was the unsolicited comment by a man that overhead my story.

The repair shop manager regretfully explained that all body shops in Helena have a queue of at least two weeks, caused by deer collisions as well a hail storm that hit neighboring Bozeman.

In our room, after a dash to reach the repair shop and rental car before they closed for the weekend, we were grateful that Friday the thirteenth is almost over.