One bad choice leads to tragedy

The luckiest boy in the world knocked on my door at 3:30 a.m. Saturday.

He was soaked to the bone, bleeding, half-frozen and smelled of alcohol. This darling boy had just escaped from a submerged vehicle in an iced over pond near my house. He told us the car was in the pond and we called 911.

My friend went to the scene and I stayed with the boy. I got his foot wrapped and got him in the shower, at the same time asking questions and trying to find out how many more kids were in that water. “Seven, counting me”, he said. ”Oh my God.” I said, and was nearly sick to my stomach. I asked if he was sure he wasn’t going to pass out, and I’d be right back. Just the thought of six more wonderful kids in the wrong place, doing the wrong thing, and so scared took my breath away.

My friend and a policeman were the first on the scene. They pulled one girl out of the water. She was sure she was dead. When I arrived, there was one boy, wet and cold, but coherent, asking about the boy at my house — his best friend. I told him he was OK. He said “My mom’s gonna kill me.” I thought, “That’s good you think that, but if she saw what I just saw, I know she’d just hold you so tight you’d wonder if you’d ever take another breath.”

I went back to my charge, got him out of the shower and dressed and sat him by the heater. He was relieved to hear his friend was OK. He was not sure he knew most of the people in the car. He kept saying, “If I’d just stayed home tonight.” “I thought the guy driving was sober.” “I thought we were OK with him.”

This is a great kid — polite and kind. He was so worried about waking us up and apologized over and over and thanked me again and again. I might be wrong, but I don’t think this was a usual night for this kid. But, regardless, here we are again — bad choices! And not necessarily even a series of bad choices. One bad choice. Kids and alcohol.

I’m so tired of hearing about these kids and reading their obituaries. Somehow, someone, something needs to make an impact.

I don’t know how many kids died tonight. I do know too many died. It only took one bad choice to end up in that pond.

So, to the Arlee schoolteachers that gave alcohol to their students to “help” them, and to the Plenty Coups Athletic Director and school board that fired their basketball coach for making a student athlete face the consequences of his repeated bad choices, I hope you never have to see what I saw tonight.

I hope the luckiest boy in the world never comes knocking on your door.

Betsy Potter

Charlo