The Thing We Call First Love

Chapter 12 - The Accident

You know you are doomed; you know that it is the end when you get the flash of your life just before your eyes. You can call it death's appetizer. Why did I change my mind? Why did I want to give the stupid  chocolate to the person who forgot my birthday? Why did I ride my bicycle like an idiot?

This should not happen. Especially today. I didn't want to die on my birthday. I didn't want to die leaving my parents. I didn't want to die without confessing my love. I didn't want to die by getting run over by a van.

Yes, my stupid hastiness nearly cost my life that day. It was an intersection. It was a dangerous intersection like the one where you don't see the vehicle coming from the other side until you are hit by it. Normally I'm very careful particularly there.

But that day, I wasn't. As I was just making my bizarre turn, I heard the horn sound. I looked back only to see the van, I couldn't make out the accurate distance but it was very close. So close that it will definitely hit me even if the driver applied the brake.

Instinctively, I applied my brakes but I skid right in front of the van. I was stranded in the middle of the road. Luckily, I went the other way and not towards the van. The chocolate which I had in my hand fell across the street. It was the scariest incident in my life.

I had the flash of my life that I keep screwing up. For a split second, I even accepted death and closed my eyes. I didn't know what happened but when I opened my eyes again all I could see was a huge tyre right in front of me. Had it not stopped, I would have got my head crushed.

I survived. But, I couldn't move. I was in shock. The van driver came out and helped me out. He inquired me whether I was fine. He looked more scared than I was. Why wouldn't he? I apologised to him. I felt like an idiot.

He was a good man. He spent the next 10 odd minutes making sure I was fine. I had only some abrasions on my knees, right palm and right elbow. After making sure that I was fine, right when he was about to leave, I remembered about the chocolate. It was lying in the side of the road. I asked him to stop. I picked up the special chocolate and gave it to him telling him that it was my birthday.

He gave me a weird look but accepted the chocolate. I didn't know why I gave him the chocolate. Probably because he was a good man who still has some humanity left in him. Only after he left, I realised that I had to go meet Ramya empty handed or go again to my house and get the chocolate which I had bought for Rohan.

I decided the latter. With blood oozing down my elbows and knees, I went back home. Right when I was about to leave taking the chocolate, my mother saw my wounds. Game over. I only told her that I fell and told her that I wanted to go to school immediately. But she wouldn't let me.

After fighting with her for about 20 minutes, I took my bicycle against her will and headed to school. This time I rode carefully. I reached school. I looked for her. But she had left. It was an hour and a half since I told her to wait for me. I was disappointed. I returned home.

When I got home, I texted her 'WHY DIDN'T YOU WAIT?' That day we fought very badly. The quarrels that were escalating slowly reached its peak on that day. I told her some inappropriate things out of anger which I didn't mean and which I'll regret for the rest of my life.

It was 11.59 pm. I had one minute left of my birthday. It was a minute I'll remember for a lifetime. I took my phone and texted her  'IT'S OVER.' Why did I do it? Because I was an idiot.

With my birthday, everything just got over. She never wished me on that birthday. No reply came for that text either. But the next day morning, I regretted everything I did the previous day. I clearly knew that I couldn't live without her. I couldn't let her go.

So I texted her apologizing for the things I told her the previous day. In the fight, I even forgot to tell her about the accident. Realising it, I began hating myself.

The text I got back changed my life back again. I had screwed up again - this time even better than the last.