It’s a true story.
It may be a little fuzzy memory.
But it really did happen.
I saw it with my own eyes.
Some memories are etched onto your heart, but are they as strangely creepy as this one?
Even as I’m typing it all down now,I am transported back to that very moment of my secondary school years.
———
“We’re gonna be late! Hurry up, you’re so slow!” I say to her between pants.
“Who are you to call me ‘slow’? You’re the one running behind me!” she replies.
I catch up with her and poke her right side. She smiles at me,reminding me that poking does not have any effect on her at all. It’s funny seeing her run with the purple umbrella in her hand. The rain stopped a few hours ago but her umbrella is still pretty wet.
Both of us stop running once we arrive just opposite of the school.
“We just have to cross the road. Let’s just walk across,”I tell her.
“Isn’t that jay-walking?”she asks me,with a hint of a smile.
“Well yeah. Duh. Let’s go,or else we’ll be late.”
“You go first.”
I nod at her and scan the road. There are not much cars passing by that day compared to other days. I shrug my shoulders and walk across the road with ease.
I turn around and signal for her to cross. She nods at me and crosses. But halfway across the road,a blue taxi hit her and her umbrella falls beside her. My jaw metaphorically drops. My mind is flooded with infinite questions. Will she be alright? Does she have any major injuries? Is she going to DIE? Am I going to lose my best friend forever?
The taxi driver rushes out of his vehicle and squats beside her,worrying about whether she needs to be taken to the hospital or not. Onlookers chattered about this being a very tragic event. “Poor girl,”I heard a lady in her thirties standing close to me say to her friend.
But something extraordinary happens. Everything seems to slow down-she opens her eyes, reaches for her umbrella and gets back up on her feet. Automatically,I rush to her and offer my help but she chuckles. She looks up at me,smiles,and says,”I’m fine,I’m fine.” At the same time I notice the taxi driver has relief written all over his face. He walks back to his taxi and drives off. I roll my eyes at the driver’s ignorance.
I follow her walk towards the main gate of the school, which is quite near to the road. I stare at her in confusion while walking by her side. “You sure you okay? You’re not bleeding or anything,aren’t you? Don’t you feel dizzy or anything?” I bombard her with questions.
She laughs again. “I told you, I’m fine. No broken bones, no blood. Only my left knee here hurts, but it’s not so bad.” She looks at her umbrella and frowns. “I can’t say the same about my umbrella. I hope it doesn’t rain today.”
“YOU GOT HIT BY A TAXI AND YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT THE WEATHER?! I THOUGHT YOU DIED IN THAT ACCIDENT! I THOUGHT I LOST YOU!” I shout at her as she continues to fix her umbrella. We continue to walk into the school in silence and a few seconds later, she says,”Hey,I’m still here,am I? I thought I would have died as well. But here I am,breathing in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide.”
I shake my head and we both laugh. That accident sure didn’t affect her sense of humour.
I accompany her to the toilet and stare at my reflection in the mirror while she checks for any wounds she may have in a cubicle. I look at myself and think about what would happen if God really took her away. The possibilities are endless. She comes out of the cubicle minutes later and smiles at me, assuring me that she is unharmed. I return her smile and we walk to the classroom together.
“You know,”I whisper to her,”you should have chosen a nicer-looking car to hit you. That taxi was unglam.”
She playfully pushes me a little and we laugh again.
———
From then on,whenever I see that purple umbrella,I would recall the accident.
From then on,I only jay-walk when I’m really in a hurry. But I often use the traffic lights and zebra crossings.
From then on,I hug her everytime I go out with her, afraid that it might be the last time I would ever see my best friend’s smile again.
*________,if you get to read this,I want to let you know that I really treasure you and our friendship. I love the times we laughed when there’s no reason to,the days we had AMaths class together and made fun of Mr Ang,the deep dark secrets we shared,the moments we had comforting each other,the afternoons we spend talking about boys..and there’re lots more,aren’t there? ;P
I want to let you know that if I had to choose the memories I wanted to keep forever,I would definitely choose the memories that had you in it. That’s what makes them special. And you’re a special girl. Maybe that is why God didn’t take you away. I know that seems selfish of me. But without you,who am I going to run to if I have nowhere else to go? Who am I going to tell all my secrets to? Who is going to talk about cute boys with me? Who is going to tell me that everything’s going to be alright when I am down?
Most importantly,who is going to give me that 10,000-watt smile you always give me? No one can.
Thank you God for letting me keep my best friend. I will try my best not to give you reasons to take her away forever. *
