Elixir of Life

Chapter 7: The Sales

John Sale

May 6th, 2017

Halb

John Sale had the SUV in park beside the Al-Nejem gas station, which was on a corner of a downtown street of light traffic. He checked the time on his phone: 8:04 p.m. John put it back in his pocket and opened the gas tank to begin pumping gas. His wife Claire sat in the passenger's seat scrolling along her phone. The married couple were in their late-30s.

John read the gas price display. 2.25 riyals per gallon, which equaled about $0.60 per gallon back in the States. It took about $20 to fill the SUV tank completely.

After filling the car, he began driving when he stopped in front of a stop light at a four-way intersection. The lights kept red. Then turned green, John lifted his foot off the breaks, and pressed on the gas to pass through the intersection. And in his periphery, bright lights expanded furiously—and crashed into Claire's side of the SUV.

The radio had cut off from the loud clash of metal, instantly followed by flying shards of glass and debris. Airbags exploded around John and Claire—snapping their heads to the side and then back against their headrests.

John opened his eyes, gritting his teeth in pain, and saw the windshield was vertical above the street. The car had flipped on its side. He turned to check on Claire, the side of her door was smashed in. Her seatbelt being the only reason she had not fallen on top of him.

He tried shaking her. "Claire!"

Blood was spilling from the right side of her head and dripping a steady stream over his neck and chest. Staining his white shirt. She wasn't moving. Dread struck him. No, please no.

John unbuckled his seatbelt and his hands fell atop broken glass through the driver's window which pressed against the asphalt. He slowly balanced himself in between the vertical steering wheel and driver's seat, raising his bloodied and glass-stabbed hands to violently shake his wife.

"CLAIRE!"

He climbed out through Claire's broken window, slowly pulling his legs out, and then reached his hands down to get her.

John looked around the halted street as people stood beside stopped cars, headlights were blinding him, and he felt a stream of blood along the side of his face. "Help, please! Help!"

Through the yellow-white headlights, ambulance lights appeared, and paramedics ran toward him.

One of them called out, "We'll help you down, sir!"

"My wife, she's still in there! Please, get her."

A paramedic helped John down and brought him a few yards away. He shined a flashlight along his head and checked his hands. John's eyes never left Claire's side of the car. He stood still, watching as the paramedics brought a gurney over and slowly placed Claire on it.

"I have to go with her, please. She's my wife."

The paramedic called out, "He's the husband!"

John followed the paramedics as they loaded Claire behind an ambulance. He took a seat beside the back doors as they were shut closed. The sirens rang and the emergency vehicle sped forward.

A smear of blood stained the right side of the white, thin gurney bed. Paramedics put an oxygen mask over her. One paramedic knelt in front of John and attended to a cut on his head. He kept his head turned and never let his eyes off Claire.

"Sir, my name is Ali, what is your name?"

"John."

"John, what is your wife's name?"