"Just let me die...," she sobbed.
"Sometimes things happen. Stop beating yourself up over it. You have to look forward. You have to let it go. It was a mishap -"
She pushed her food tray down and it went crashing. "Get out!!" she shouted at her friend. "Just get out!!! I don't want to hear anymore!!!" Even as she continued to shout at her friend who was already backing away, the nurses came swiftly to calm her down, resorting to giving her jab.
As she lay there, still, wasted, tired, in pain, her mind kept going back and forth, so many thoughts, so many regrets.
Was the mishap when she hung around hoping he would notice her. Sitting there in the corner, watching him play pool? Laughing on cue at his jokes? He was witty, funny and cute but still, she already knew he was the kind you'd never take home to mother.
Maybe the mishap was when he finally showed interest in her, she gladly let him string her along. He flirted with other girls too, but she waited patiently. Hoping and wishing. When he took her home one night, and then found out from her another friend that he had taken her home the night before, she let it slide. She hoped he would make up his mind and he would choose her. And she never questioned him when he finally did.
Could the mishap be for all those times they went drinking? Sloshed, walking out as the sun would rise. Laughing at those going to the church nearby. Perhaps, it was all those times they would get out way before the sun came up, driving through town, racing to get to their supper place. Cheering him, booing the others. Racing on the wrong side of the road so they could win. "Faster! Faster!! she had shouted, hanging half way out of the window.
The mishap must be that night when they were both drunk and just wanted to go home. She got in the driver's seat, took off her right boot because she couldn't drive with her shoes on. Surely the mishap was when he asked her to switch and even though he had way more than her, she said ok. Pulling over and sliding into the passenger seat as he came around. The mishap must be when she laughed and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek as he took the bend at 130 kmh to see a car at the traffic lights that had just turned green. The mishap must be the misjudgement of the speed of the car as they reached the car in a split second and she grabbed the stirring wheel as he too tried to avoid hitting the car that had just started moving.
They were both not wearing their seat belts. The car hit a tree and turtled 3 times before coming to a standstill. He died on the spot. She was paralysed waist down.
All images taken with my trusty iPhone 7 Plus, edited with my favourite apps Photofox & FontMania
Join us @steemitbloggers
Animation By @zord189