Vinny.. blind visions

They say your entire life flashes before your eyes before dying. Vinny never understood why. Is God such a sadist that he first designs a man’s death and then goes on to tease him while he takes his last breath. But what about people who are shot right between the eyes? Considering that their very brains are reduced to pulp, it’s safe to assume that they are spared the absolutely unbearable agony of being shown exactly what all is being taken away. “Lucky them!!” Vinny thinks and strains his eyes to keep himself alive. He can clearly smell the pungent odor of burnt rubber. “I am pushing my luck now.. I just wish it weren’t so much fun. Maybe if my headlights worked.. God!! It’s been a month now.. It would’ve hardly taken 10 minutes to get it repaired.. But why am I blaming myself for that.. The horn’s been out for a year now.. Now that’s something I can blame myself for without reservations…..”

He can still see the two red lights in the distance, fading away slowly. “Damn you both like no one has ever been damned before!!” He looks at his speedometer..110.. he hears his engine.. sounds like a frog.. too eager for mating.. a continuous croaking.. He smiles at the thought. “Sorry dude!!” he apologizes to his bike. Vinny loved to talk and he couldn’t stand being alone. Ever since he had finished college, he had developed the habit of talking to non-living objects around him. It was the first time in his life that he was unable to find at least one pair of (alive) human ears all round the clock. He had been spoilt rotten in this one aspect; courtesy his family and friends. Now he was like a kid ready with his bat and ball but no one ready to play. There was a time someone or the other was always ready to play.

As a result, he was now chasing two guys he hardly knew and disliked more than he liked them. He liked them as they were there and disliked them as they were really not there anymore. They had sped away on their sparkling new 180cc and 200cc bikes, caring very little for his hornless and lightless 5 year old bike. He has come too far now. Only if he knew the way.

One last attempt.. a last pull at the accelerator.. maybe he’ll spot them over the bend .. the uphill is slowing him down.. but he’ll catch up downhill.. only if he sees them.. his head is reeling and his eyes hurting.. SHIT!! He sees something.. a shadow with blinking tail lights.. VAN.. almost stagnant beside the divider.. slowly pulling to left side.. 10 meters away.. right ahead of him.. he closes his eyes.. sqeezes them hard.. tightens his fist and with them, the rest of his body.. his knees drawn together now clutching the body of the bike.. he puts his weight to his right knee.. too scared to open his eyes.. ZOOM!! THUD!! THUD!!

Two loud sounds.. silencer hitting the divider and left rear view mirror breaking as it hits the van.. he opens his eyes.. but he is blind now.. slowly his vision returns to him.. he feels light.. and then suddenly very heavy. As if life has returned to him. He slows down. The first image in his mind is that of his mom.. crying for him.. and then of his dad fighting his tears with his right hand around his mom.. his brother bent with his hand over his face and his wife hugging him partially from the side.. and then Priyanka.. sleeping beside her husband.. her eyes wide open filled with tears.. and finally that of his closest friends with expressions of shock and disbelief.
“Ah!!” he thinks, “That’s the origin of this supposition!! It’s not the pre-death as they say, but the near death experience which actually makes your life flash before you. Thank god!! It’s wonderful to see the worst and knowing it hasn’t occurred, like waking up from a nightmare. It’s one of the best feelings.. Life is good.. Life is wonderful.. It’s beautiful.. Don’t kill me god!! Not before I have sucked the marrow out of it like Mr. Frost”

With that he slowly takes a U-Turn and decides to enjoy a gentle and free ride to India Gate before retuning home. “The breeze is good.. So glad I have been procrastinating my tryst with the barber all month.. Off with the helmet for now.. We’ll have a great ride, won’t we?”

Over the pothole his bike wobbles as if nodding in agreement.