I was driving down the road today and my mind flashed back to an accident that I drove by last week. It was then that I saw countless police cars sitting in the median, along with all the dumbass rubbernecks slowing down to get a peek. As I inched closer, I myself, transformed into one of those said rubbernecks because lying in the middle of Hwy 280 was a man, motionless, with a motorcycle fifty foot away. What struck me as odd is that the firetruck had just arrived on scene but the police officers were huddled up a good twenty to thirty feet away from the man. The man was alone. Was he alive? Was he dead? I looked closer to see if I could see breathing but couldn't tell. There was no blood pooled around the man. He just layed there, motionless, and in a pose that a ragdoll might resemble like some snotty nose kid dropped on the playground and left while playing. There he was, laying face up. His helmet tilted forward over his eyes and brow like he was just trying to take a nap and block the light from his eyelids.
Upon further said rubbernecking, I discovered two old ladies standing beside their car, a police officer talking to them. My very first thought was those bitches don't need to be driving. A knee jerk reaction but damn, after a certain age, shouldn't we all be tested occasionally? They had obviously pulled out in front of the coming motorcycle. What were those last few seconds like for that guy? He knew he was fucked. I didn't see any tire marks to indicate he had hammered down on the brakes. The shear terror of those few seconds right before impact and flying through the air...damn. Will it haunt the old ladies for the rest of their remaining lives? Will they feel remorse or with all the confusion will they know what actually happened and know the man's fate?
Speaking of fate, why do we identify everything that happens to us with a four letter word named fate? Fate is defined by: that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny. WTF, is that?! Predetermined, destiny? So his "fate" was that he was going to get up in the morning and possibly die by running into the side of a car driven by two old ladies that never saw his motorcycle coming? It was destiny that he die this way? Destiny? I don't know about you but when it comes to me the only destiny that I want associated with my death would A. die while trying to accomplish the impossible, B. die while in my sleep at a ripe old age, or for the adolescent in me C. die while engaged in wild relations with a woman/women. Destiny is not to die riding a Honda, mind you, down Hwy 280 and go for a short flight.
Was he still alive? Did he die on impact? Was he religious and had time to ask for forgiveness? Did he curse the sky? If alive but maybe in shock so that pain isn't a factor, what runs through your head at a moment like that? Did he open his eyes just to see the inside of his helmet? Thats gotta be a shitty view, the inside of a sweaty helmet. At least if I was gonna die, I'd like to spy out a few shapes in the clouds before I kicked it. Oh, over there....it's a rabbit....it's a shark...it's a........Speaking of fate, if there is truly a God, and I struggle with this one from time to time, is the saying "everything happens for a reason" his saying? You think maybe he's pissed because somebody assigned him the copyright to a statement that maybe Adam was saying in the Garden of Eden to make Eve feel better about eating that damn apple? If there is a God and we're given free will then doesn't the phrase "shit happens" apply to our untimely demise since we're free to run around doing anything that gets our rocks off? I can't see a scroll with my name and exact time of death written for the future to reveal. That doesn't make sense. "God has a plan" I think might be a cop out for people who need an explanation. God doesn't plan on little children to get cancer, to suffer, to die at the hands of abuse. There is no plan for unjust homicide, rape, and mutilation. Are we not taught that our God is the God of mercy? What was the plan for the man laying like a ragdoll, alone, in the middle of the street? I know religion is paved with good intentions. At times though I see it as a crutch to explain life's all too often miseries. Is God a casual observer? I sure hope not but I would like to one day know the reasoning behind some of this all.
I've seen the bumperstickers on peoples cars, "Loud Pipes Save Lives." I wonder in this case if loud pipes would've made a difference being that it was two old ladies in the car? I wonder about the man's fate and if today he is dead or alive? Guess I'll never know. I said a silent prayer for him anyway. The first question might be pointless though, afterall, he was riding a Honda.
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