visual trigger
The last thing Jim remembers is turning right to avoid an elderly lady, supported by a cane, crossing the road. He closes his eyes and braces for the impact as he loses control of the car and crashes head first into a supermarket…
“Yes dear, I will remember the six cans of coke. I’ll be back in ten, so I’ll see you then.” Simon reassures his wife over the phone then hangs up. Tonight is going to be one big night for Simon and Terri. It’s there first anniversary together. As Simon heads down to the drinks section located near the glass doors, he sees a shadow on the floor growing bigger and bigger by each passing second. He looks up and to his utmost horror, he sees a car heading straight towards him. Simon hurriedly scurries away and hides behind the refrigerator filled with soft drinks. Not long after, he hears the deafening crash.
Jim opens his eyes slowly and cringes in pain. He notices shards of glass and crushed cans of coke littered all over the dashboard. He turns to the left and sees his driving instructor lying against the car door unconscious. Jim immediately goes into doctor mode. He checks his condition first before attending to his instructor. He thanks his lucky stars that miraculously neither one of them is in critical condition. Jim’s foot is broken and he has several cuts on his face and arms. His instructor on the other hand, other than being unconscious has bruises on his face. Jim brushes off the glass on his jeans, then opens the car door and slowly hobbles out to the other side of the car.
After recovering from shock, Simon steps out from behind the refrigerator and heads towards the disfigured car. He whips out his cell phone and calls for an ambulance. As he sees a man getting out of the car and limping to the other side, he rushes to the man’s aid.
“Oh my god! Jim! Are you alright?” asks Simon after realizing that the victim of the car accident is actually his best friend.
“Yeah. I’m fine. Help me carry him out will you?” Jim replies, voice wavering.
Simon opens the car door and the two men carry the instructor out. A few minutes later, the ambulance arrives and escorts the two injured men and Simon to the hospital. During the ride, Jim breaks the silence.
“Were you in the supermarket?”
“Yes, I was.”
“I could have killed you. I’m sorry.” Jim answers back softly and apologetically, avoiding any form of eye contact with his friend.
“Yeah. You could have, but the thing is you didn’t so don’t hold it against yourself.” Simon comforts Jim and gives him a pat on his back before silence resumes.
At the hospital, Jim finds out that he doesn’t need to stay over night for an observation, however the same cannot be said for his instructor. Simon accompanies Jim till he gets his cuts and his foot bandaged up and then leaves with a simple reminder that it isn’t his fault.
Just after Simon leaves, Jim gets a call from the police and discovers that the result of the accident is actually due to faulty brakes. Finally, Jim is able to heave a sigh of relief, but he resigns to his fate that he will never go behind the wheel of any vehicle ever again. He calls Simon before heading to the hospital ward to tell his instructor, who is now conscious, the news.
On the other side of the city, Simon recounts the story to his wife. Her face goes from horror stricken to relief. They say a silent prayer and carry on what is now an anniversary they will never forget.
misterryan said
You’re people are so morally good. My first thought after the accident would be that I could score lots of free stuff from the supermarket and no one would notice.
Maybe I deserve to have a Greek tragedy befall me.