I feel good

(This is my contribution to the Writers Island Prompt # 14 - The Journey)

He jerked as the clock stuck 4:00 p.m.! Six months had passed but the journey from his ‘routine’ to this visit seemed longer than that, very long in fact. It was more like an event of someone else’s distant past. The lack of emotion and the numbness made him smile as he remembered that day.

That fateful day when nothing had seemed different. He had been uneasy, that’s all, but it seemed a case of ‘waking up at the wrong side of the bed’, than an ominous sign of something. But would it have changed anything? He thought not.

It was around 4:00 p.m. when he left work that day. Yes, it was way too early for his standards. But owing to a grumpy mood, he had decided to call it a day. No one seemed to mind. Very few noticed.

   

It was a beautiful evening, the sky was clear and the breeze was cool and refreshing! He decided to walk back. Life was good, and walking would help him clear his mind and get him back into his usual spirits. Plus, he had ample time today, no rushing home for dinner date, no missing out on TV shows! A half empty day really felt good, he smiled.

He looked up. The sun was on its way home, which made the entire horizon look dark pink. How she loved the colour! He should call her up, he thought. Then he remembered, he was supposed to be angry on her. Life is good, he thought! Bloody Good!! He was humming the James Brown number…. Life seemed to be having everything going for him… why have I been grumpy all day, he chided!

He was at the street corner, when it happened. He just waved at a neighbour and her child. They waved back. How he loved young kids, all innocent and pretty. Life would be a breeze if I was a kid. Maybe someday, I will have some, he thought! 

And then he turned, to go to her street. I shall enjoy this, he thought, thinking of how he would make her feel guilty for all their silly fights!... Evil Man, Evil!

And then, out of nowhere, he heard a loud music being played. He turned to see, the smile intact. But before he could comprehend, he was on the floor, unconscious! The loud music was still on…. The drooling mouths and the sloppy eyes at the wheel were still unfazed…. The smile on his face still remained…. But something else was lost….

And a lot was lost, and a lot had changed since then... he sighed. His journey had begun, with the loss of his legs. His life seemed much more, with a body part less. As ironic as it seemed, he had found everything, when he had lost something! Six months had passed and nothing was ever the same again. The pain, the will to live, the need to breathe, the ecstasy of being able to, was much more beautiful and of greater value than anything else he had ever known. He truly felt alive! He could not understand if he felt more alive in the past month, than he had felt in years. But there was one thing he did know, Life, as he knew that day, would never be the same again!

And, somewhere from the window, he heard that James Brown track again…..

[This is for everyone who has ever been a victim of drunk driving! Please guys, do not drink and drive... it's just not cool!]