Short Story: No Cars For Me!

Short Story: No Cars For Me!

I had told Caris many times to slow down. We had been drinking since we left for the party. It was now 3.00 am and we were driving back home. She had insisted on driving, though it was my car. Okay, it was a car she had bought for me. The last time I stopped her from driving it we hit a bad patch. Three days of no sex, no conversation and finally the inevitable visit to our Parish priest, who just happened to be her maternal uncle and never took sides in our arguments; because he was permanently on her side.

Three hundred meters from the sharp turn on to our street, I again told her to slow down. The needle was hovering over ninety. She made a funny sound with her closed lips and slammed on the gas. I braced myself as the needle climbed. It hit one ten just as we reached the corner and Caris screamed, “Oh, shit!”

In that instant I looked at her with a lot of hate in my heart, my body and my soul; pure, white-hot hate. Then I noticed that she had not fastened her seatbelt and my heart climbed into my mouth, choking off the scream I felt.

As if in slow motion, I watched Caris spin the wheel and the car, a Hybrid SUV drunk on expensive gas and high on regular service, went into a skid. If it had been me driving, I would have turned the wheel the other way to stop the spin. But much as she was a genius with investment accounts, she did not drive worth a damn.

There was an oncoming Winnebago that stopped in time but by then we were flying. I remember a tree somewhere, looking large and mean, though I had sheltered under it a hundred times as I walked the dogs on Sundays. That tree right then did not look friendly at all. Then everything went black.

When I woke up, Caris was looking at me with sad, swollen eyes and I felt puzzled. I tried to speak but couldn’t, so I reached out my hand to reassure her but failed to move. Then she pressed a bell and seven figures in white uniforms swamped the room. That’s when I realized I was in hospital.

Suddenly lights were shining into my eyes. What freaked me out was that I couldn’t feel or hear anything!

After a while, Caris came back with one guy who seemed to be trying to hang himself with a stethoscope. The guy had a large mirror and he proceeded to point it at me. I saw something lying in that mirror, and it was only the eyes that I recognised!

I had no legs, no hands and only half an arm! Caris burst into tears and almost strangled me in a fierce hug. I tried to talk her out of her misery but couldn’t. I couldn’t tell her things would be all right, or hug her or even tell her I still loved her despite everything.

So, no more cars for me; lest I lose the little body I have left in another accident. I go everywhere by wheelchair and if the distance is too long, I don’t embark on the journey. I only hope Caris can love me for the rest of my life because if she doesn`t, who will take care of me? I feel she does not deserve to be burdened by me, but then I wouldn’t want some strange nurse cleaning up after me!