French Twist Memoir Excerpt - The Accident

Janine Winters has dealt with some big challenges in her life. Even now her life can be difficult, although she always finds a way to stay positive and to keep doing the best she can each and every day.

Recently she fell and broke her wrist. It was quite painful and she has a cast on her left arm. Fortunately, she is right-handed, so she is able to continue doing some things she loves including painting, something she has done for years. She has a real artistic talent as you can easily see.

When you read the Janine Winters' memoir, French Twist, one of the things that stands out has been her ability to overcome various challenges in her life.

An excerpt from the Chapter "The Accident" illustrates this:

"It was a Saturday, and I went to the store early to get a list of potential customers to call and perhaps interest in renting a television set. Most of our customers were immigrants with whom I could connect. Martin advertised a $19-per-month rental, but I convinced clients to buy a TV when I told them they could get a brand-new unit for the same price and own it after thirty-six months.

On this particular day, I drove to the store with my little dog. After parking, I locked the dog in the car and started across the street when, suddenly, another car hurtled very fast toward me! I tried to get out of the way, backing up between parked cars, but the driver hit the front of my car and pushed it into another vehicle, sandwiching my knees between them.

I glanced up at the car that hit me and saw all four doors open simultaneously. The occupants jumped out and ran away, leaving the scene.

Later, the police discovered the car was a rental. The driver had fled so quickly that he’d left the rental papers in the glovebox, which helped the police to find and arrest him.

The pain from the accident was almost unbearable, rendering me unable to walk, the muscle above my right knee severed. The police were called, and I was taken to a hospital.

Martin was phoned, and when he saw me in the hospital, he began to cry. I must have seemed pretty bad. My recovery was a long process, so Martin moved into my apartment to take care of me and also the children.

It was good to have Martin there, since it was so hard for me to get around. My legs were very swollen and blue, and just getting to the bathroom was difficult. As an independent person, that frustrated me a great deal.

However, sometimes a person had to accept help when circumstances required. I was grateful for Martin’s assistance. He was a kind and fun person whom I enjoyed being around, but I just wasn’t ready for a serious commitment.

As I healed, I started to feel much better. During this time, I realized I wasn’t the kind of woman to be locked up in Martin’s world. My convalescence had given me plenty of time to think about that. I’d already been in a grueling relationship with Bruno, so I wasn’t going to submit to another man’s requests that often seemed more like demands. As such, I made a decision—time to get another job!"

French Twists book

Read the amazing life adventures of Janine Winters with her profound memoir, French Twist -- A Tale of Travel, Testing and Triumph.