Alan Belmont remembers his girlfriend, Rebecca Bray, who died after being struck by a drunken driver
Alan Belmont is reminded of that tragic night every time he looks at his phone.
Here's the texts she sent me, he says before pulling out his black iPhone and reliving the final conversation he had with Rebecca Bray, his girlfriend of almost a year who died Saturday, Jan. 19 when a drunken driver ran her over in downtown Portland.
Alan, 20, of Gresham, reads aloud a series of text messages sent between a young couple, hearts aching at the thought of being apart.
Rebecca, of Gresham, sent updates about the fun she was having in Old Town, helping her childhood friend, Brandi Butner, celebrate her 21st birthday. With Alan many miles away in Corvallis, she tried to include him in their night.
But Alan told his girlfriend to go enjoy the evening.
I don't want to bother you, baby, Alan wrote. Have fun.
Soon, the text messages stop, and as Alan reads the last one, tears come without warning.
He's taken back to the news he received on that awful morning, Sunday, Jan. 20, the date of their 11-month anniversary.
An alleged drunken driver ran a red light and collided with a taxi at the intersection of Northwest Fifth Avenue and Everett Street around 2:30 a.m on Sunday, Jan. 20. The impact sent the driver's pick-up truck onto the sidewalk, where Rebecca, 20, and Brandi were standing.
Only Brandi survived.
The Fairview woman was hospitalized and upgraded from serious to fair condition on Tuesday, Jan. 22.
The truck's driver Brent Warstler, 42, of Cornelius had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the state's legal limit of 0.08 percent.
It feels like my heart's in my stomach, Alan says, as the tears, one after another, drip from his chin onto his sweater. It's been so hard to accept that she's gone.
With it only being two days since that night, Alan fights each moment not to succumb to the pain. But he finds strength in the memories.
Rebecca's confidence. Her independence. Her love of boxing.
And the crush he had on her, long ago, in sixth grade.
****
Sitting in Ms. Lucy's class at Reynolds Middle School, Rebecca and Brandi who even back then were best friends played truth or dare with Alan and another boy.
When it was Alan's turn, he bravely chose dare and was asked to kiss brown-haired, brown-eyed Rebecca.
The pretty, popular, outgoing girl always caught Alan's eye.
I had a crush on her, he says. She was the most gorgeous girl in school. I was in love with her.
So he boldly leaned in for a peck.
After that, we hung out all the time, Alan says.
The two quickly became close, but other than that truth-or-dare kiss, Alan never broke through the friend zone.
Rebecca was too focused on getting straight A's, singing in the school choir and developing a work ethic she'd carry throughout her life.
She had a really, really nice voice, and she loved to sing, Alan says. Her singing could even make her mom cry.
It became a ritual for Rebecca to sing for her family on holidays. Shari Bray, who raised her two daughters Rebecca and Sarah, 22 as a single mom, would sit and listen, always overwhelmed by the beauty of her daughter's voice.
Her mom supported the family as a hair dresser. Rebecca helped out, sweeping up clippings, taking out the trash and singing all the while.
Her mom taught her independence and not to rely on anyone else, says Kayla Londos, Rebecca's close friend.
Alan lost touch with Rebecca when she moved to Florida with her mother and sister after her freshman year at Reynolds High School. But when Rebecca returned to Reynolds before her senior year, the two rekindled their friendship without missing a beat.
****
After graduating from Reynolds High School in 2009, Rebecca enrolled in Mt. Hood Community College's hospitality program to peruse her dream of becoming a hotel manager. She wanted a job that allowed her to travel the world, and in school she worked tirelessly to make that happen.
Just finally saw my grades!, Rebecca wrote on Facebook on Dec. 13, 2010. Yay for me! This 4.0 student is going to bed. Good night everyone!!!
Woven into the hours of studying were an array of part-time jobs.
She worked at Quiznos in 2010, but after seeing an opening at Banana Republic, she decided to apply.
The store's manager, Kayla, 22, conducted the job interview. It was the first time they met, and as Rebecca spoke of juggling school and work, Kayla instantly sensed this girl's determination.
She's always been used to working a lot, Kayla says. She's never had anything handed to her.
Kayla hired Rebecca and the two quickly became close.
Meanwhile, Alan became Rebecca's inseparable best friend. Their days were spent together doing homework, socializing with friends, watching movies usually scary ones, Rebecca's favorite.
He was becoming infatuated with the young woman.
She was happy, she was outgoing, he says. I don't think I ever saw her act (mean) or be rude to anyone.
She did like to fight, though.
As a young girl, Rebecca developed a passion for boxing, her grandfather's favorite sport. He spent hours honing Rebecca's skills and instilling his characteristic toughness. She developed a mean one-two punch and learned to be strong mentally, as well as physically.
By the time she reached college, friends knew not to mess with Rebecca.
If you ask people, she was probably one of the toughest girls, Alan says. Everyone was scared of her. People would joke around, 'Alan, don't piss off Becky. She's going to put you in your place.'
She could definitely beat someone up, Kayla says. She was really strong.
But her tough exterior always melted away around Alan.
And in February of last year, after years of platonic friendship, Alan and Rebecca became a couple.
They moved into Alan's parents' house late last year, taking the first steps toward making a life for themselves. Alan worked part-time as a construction worker, while Rebecca started working at the front desk of a Portland Red Lion in Portland
Living in his parents's garage, Rebecca tried to pay her way. Much of her money went toward utilities, her cell phone bill, car insurance and other expenses.
She's really independent, Kayla says. She's more mature than me, and I'm two years older than her.
It wasn't long before Alan and Rebecca began to save money to get a place of their own.
****
Saturday, Jan. 19 was one of those rare days Alan and Rebecca didn't spend together.
Rebecca had errands to run and shopping to do as she prepared to celebrate Brandi's 21st birthday. But Sunday would mark the couple's 11-month anniversary, so they agreed to meet that night for a romantic dinner.
Rebecca and Brandi spent Saturday night and the early morning hours of Sunday bar-hopping in downtown Portland. Not yet of legal drinking age, Rebecca used her older sister's identification to get inside.
That morning, shortly after the nightclubs closed, Rebecca and Brandi stood on a street corner waiting for their designated driver to arrive.
Instead in a tragic, ironic twist a drunken driver got there first.
It's still so hard to accept it, Alan says with tears in his eyes, a lump in his throat and a hole in his heart. I've just been staring at my phone, just waiting for a call or text from her. I just can't accept it.
Still existing is that sliver of hope. Maybe this isn't real. Maybe it's a dream. At any moment, he'll hear her sweet voice once again.
But deep down, with each passing day, reality sinks in.
What Alan is left with now are the memories, the pictures, the texts.
He looks at his phone, scrolling through his messages until he reaches the end.
Stomach in knots, he takes a deep breath and reads the last text she sent.
Rebecca wrote, I wish you were here baby.