I never thought in a million years that I would be writing about my daughter's death. I guess noone does. But, I first want you to know about her life. She was always full of life, always wanting to be doing something. she did not like just sitting around. She was like that since she was little. She loved watching scarey movies. My mother would always get on me about that. I would take Jessica to rent movies when she was younger, and I would always let her pick out a scarey movie but, I would make sure they weren't too bad. Jessica and I would make a night of it we would sit and watch movie after movie, eating popcorn sitting close together under covers on the couch. That was our time. This is one of many special memories of our time together. As she got older, Her friends and boys got in the way, which it's suppose to I guess. We had less time of watching movies together. She loved her friends with all her heart. She would always tell me things that she was concerned about with her friends if they were having problems. She would talk to me and her father about issues, in hoping maybe she could do something to help. She played sports from the time she was 8 years old. She played softball, basketball, cheerleading. Her father was a basketball player in high school and college, so her dad always pushed basketball. She has a brother that is 7 years older than her. His name is Chris.
He played basketball and football. Sports was big in our family. When she first got her driver's license, that is when the sports took a backseat. She started working some. At Mcdonald's she worked for me actually. I run a Mcdonald's. she wanted to make money for extra stuff she wanted. she would always wanted me to hire her friends, which I did of course. She did not like working with me too much, because she said I mean at work, which we always found humor in it. She started dating a boy she really cared about, they were always together. and of course I hired him as well. She started talking to me and her father about what she wanted to do in life and her plans as a career. she was ending her junior year at high school when she seemed to be so focused and seemed like she was growing up and we were so proud of her. Her plan was to wanted to work in the medical field. The summer just beginning 2005. She and her boyfriend would go fishing on their days off of work. He loved fishing and she was beginning to enjoy it. At first she didn't like it. Her boyfriend got her own fishing rod. Father's day June 19th, she gave her father a wonderful father's day card which she wrote a very touching note to him, thanking him for everything he has done for her in her life. That would be the last day we spent with her.
Early morning of june 20th. Her and her boyfriend went fishing that morning. She had already left when I woke. Her father saw her that morning before she left. I left for work. Around 1:30 pm A policeman comes to my work with the horrible news that stopped my life at that moment. She left the creek where they were fishing by herself, to exchange cars wih her father. she was on a county road going around a curve, her car ran off the side into a deep ditch which caused her car to flip several times throwing her through her sunroof, trapping her underneath her car. She was killed instantly. Oh how I HATE telling this!!!
my heart feels like it's going to explode each time. She was not wearing a seatbelt. They told me if she had been, she wouldn't of been killed. This just makes me sick to my stomach, because me and my husband did not wear seatbelts and I feel like she was following our example. We tell Jessica we are sorry every day. It tares us apart. We did not know how to go on living. We felt so guilty. We knew we had to do something to keep us going. We knew we must do something to prevent another parent of going through this. We could not save our own child, maybe we can save someone else's. We pushed and pushed untill we got the primary seatbelt law passed. We give out "buckle up for jessica matlock" magnets for people to put on thier cars. We even give out t-shirts with her picture on them with buckle up on the back. This does not ease the pain, but it does give us a purpose. I feel Jessica is guiding us from heaven. She is saving lives through her death. Oh how we miss you Jessica, can't wait to see your smiling face when we join you. Love and kisses to our sweet girl.
