"Signs?" She said softly. "What kind of signs?"
I told her about Mike and how he had come to me, telling me he was thinking about the Air Force.
"That's it?" Tracy said. "That's the sign you were talking about?"
"Yes," I nodded. "Don't you see, I should've at least called you and…"
"Bill," she interrupted. "You couldn't have prevented this. If you would've called me up with that story about Mike and the Air Force I would've laughed at you. I would've asked you if you were going to start reading the entrails of chickens next. Then I would've tried to get you to steal someone's invention or tell me about the Super Bowl. It wouldn't have made any difference. I still would've gone to Tahoe and I still would've gotten into the cab that night. You're not to blame for any of this. You've saved my life three times now because of what you know, what you've told me. If I hadn't of thought of you, of all you've gone through while I was upside down in that cab, I would've just drowned. It was thinking of you that got me moving, that got me out of that cab. I owe you my life and I promise I'll never forget that this time. I promise."
There were tears in my own eyes now as I listened to her. I was unable to say anything for a moment. Finally I looked at her.
"San Francisco and Miami," I told her.
She looked confused. "What? What are you talking about?"
"The Super Bowl," I said. "It's going to be the Forty-niners and the Dolphins. The forty-niners are going to win."
She looked surprised, "You DO know?"
"I didn't know about the World Series," I told her. "And I wouldn't know about any other Super Bowl. But I have a memory attached with this one. My first trip through I was at the community college working on my history degree during it. I remember specifically that it was my first year of college. Some friends that I was hanging out with had a Super Bowl party and there was a girl that I knew was going to be there. I was trying to get into her pants and had received some hopeful signs that the party just might be the clincher.
"Back then I was just getting over my shyness and learning that girls weren't the mysteries that I'd always thought they were. Everyone else at the party liked the Niners but Terry, that was her name, liked the Dolphins.
I didn't really give a shit about football one way or the other so I braved the contempt of my peers and allied myself with her on the subject of the Dolphins." I smiled. "It worked. After the Dolphins lost the game we went to her place and consoled each other."
Tracy laughed. "You know," she said, "it just figures that the reason you would remember something like that would be because of sex."
I shrugged, laughing with her. "Unlike most guys, I know where the real priorities lie."
"And so do I," Tracy told me, turning series. "So thanks for telling me and if there's a pool at college, I suppose I'll get in it. After all, who could resist? But I think I'm going to have a new outlook on things from now on. I won't call you up and bug you anymore about your knowledge, okay?"
"Okay," I said. "But remember, nobody's a saint. If I happen to remember anything non-dangerous, I'll be sure to clue you in. And when you get some free money, I happen to know of some good stocks to invest in."
It was three more days before Tracy was able to travel. We stayed in Reno, visiting her every day as much as we could. I'd called Mindy at the hospital in Spokane to let her know what was happening and that I would not be in to work probably all week. She commiserated and told me she would say a prayer for my sister. I thanked her. Mom had a similar conversation with her employer. Dad, being a teacher, was off work for the summer and had no such concerns. I also updated Nina on how things were going and she was pleased to hear that Tracy was going to be all right. She told me she loved me. I asked her is she'd heard anything about Maggie and Mike. She hadn't.
With less to worry about I silently wished them luck.
Tracy was unable to fly on a commercial airline due to her cast so a medical transport plane was suggested in order to get her home. We were delayed an additional day because the insurance company that covered Tracy did not want to pay for such a thing because they felt it was unnecessary. I had a little talk with them while Mom was out of the room, mentioning things like lawyers and lawsuits and media coverage. They listened to me and eventually saw it my way, making the arrangements, not just for the plane but for ambulance transportation from the Spokane Airport and for a hospital bed and visiting nurses at our house. I thanked them politely and hung up.
Tracy said goodbye to the nurses that had cared for her and to Dr. Kwack. An ambulance picked her up and drove her to the airport where they loaded her onto a twin-engine prop plane that was designed just for such things. It was staffed with two nurses in addition to the pilot. Mom rode with her after giving the small plane more than a few nervous glances. Dad and I had a flight back to Spokane in another two hours on a commercial jet and would actually arrive home first. We watched the small plane climb into the sky and disappear into the clouds.
I'd told Dad about my conversation with Tracy and he was shocked to hear of her greed and feelings before the accident but also pleased to hear about her apparent conversion after the accident. As we waited in the lounge before our flight was called, Dad drinking a beer, me drinking a soda, he asked me about what I thought the meaning of all this was.
"So the accident that Tracy was supposed to have has happened," he said, taking a sip. "But she's still alive. What does that mean?"
"I've been thinking about that," I told him, envying the beer he had. "And the answer is, I'm not sure."
"You're not sure."
I shook my head. "I can see it both ways. For one, all of the requirements of the accident were allowed to come together and it occurred. Though Tracy didn't die, probably because she had forewarning of the accident, it has happened. So maybe it can't happen again. But on the other hand, Tracy was supposed to die in the accident. But she didn't. Will fate keep trying to get her? Will it try to arrange another accident? Maybe, maybe not. Again I believe that the basic premise still holds. The longer Tracy stays alive, the more likely it is that fate will accept her being here. What confuses me however is the fact that she's been in taxi-cabs before without any problem."
"What do you mean?" Dad asked.
"She's been in the exact same circumstances before in Berkeley and nothing happened to her there. She told me that they even drove along the Bay a few times. Part of me wants to think that there is no fate and that everything is just random chance. But I can't believe that since the accident was almost exactly the same as it was supposed to be. It just doesn't make any sense that earlier, when the pull to put things right was stronger, that fate didn't seize the opportunity on one of her cab rides. How much of this IS random? Can fate send a cab driver that is drunk when Tracy hails a cab?
Or does it have to wait until a drunk one just happens to cross her path? Before, I would have thought that if Tracy tried to get into a car as a passenger that fate would automatically have arranged to have a drunken cab driver there. Remember, it wants to put things right. So if fate was trying to get her and all of the conditions had been met, why hadn't…" I trailed off, a thought suddenly coming. ALL of the conditions?
"What?" Dad asked.
"Jesus." I said softly. "Could it really have been that simple?"
"What do you mean?" He repeated.
I told him what I was thinking. He raised his eyebrows thoughtfully.