An expensive mistake

She was still awake although it was past midnight. Our daughter had fallen asleep leaning against her. The food was still on the table.  We always eat dinner together and then go to bed but that night I could not reach home at my usual time because I had an accident.

My head hurt and my face was covered with blood when I woke up, I don’t remember how long I have been lying on the side of the road on a pool of my own blood. I woke up and went near my bicycle. My bicycle was broken and I had to walk home. I should have gone to the hospital but something inside me told me to head home instead. 

I don’t remember for how long I walked but it felt like ages before I could see my house. Relieved, I knocked but there was no answer. After knocking continuously without answer, I decided to take a peak through the window.

I went back to the door and knocked again, I don’t know why she is not opening the door despite being awake. I got angry and was about to walk away when I heard her approaching the door. Thank God, I said to myself and became ready to go inside. She opened the door, looked straight through me and said, “Where are you? Please come home, you make me worry so much.” I smiled at her and said, “I am home baby.”

She did not respond to me but walked straight out and looked at the moon. I though she had gone crazy. I went inside and sat near our daughter, I felt bad for making them wait for me without eating. I could hear her tiny tummy growling. I wanted to wake her up and make her eat but I must first go and wash, my hands still had some bloodstains from my head.

I went to the bathroom and looked at the mirror. I kept staring for sometime and started crying. Why me? I am the only bread earner in my family and my wife is uneducated. Ours was a love marriage and it was love that kept us alive through difficult times. There were times we had to sleep empty stomach but holding each other and consoling that the next day would be better was what kept us going.

I tried looking for a job everyday and came home disappointed by my wife always gave me hope and never made me give up. I finally got a job, which did not pay well but enough for the two of us. A year had passed. One day I was home after work and my wife was waiting for me. She had a glow on her face and looked prettier. What is it baby? I asked. She just smiled and said we are pregnant.  It was the happiest day of my life.

The baby brought a lot of good luck. The next day I got a pay raise at work.   

Our daughter just started school this year and everything was perfect. We were living a happy life.

I tried to recollect what had actually happened and now I remember. I was coming home from work on my bicycle when a speeding vehicle hit me. The first thing that came to my mind was my family. I moaned in pain but the driver did not stop to see what he had done, instead he speeded.

The road was empty and no one at my rescue. I was in pain for five minutes before I became unconscious.

Note: There are a lot of hit and run cases, this is dedicated to those people who lost lives because the person who hit them did not have the courage to stay back and take them to the hospital. We are human and we make mistakes but we must try rectifying our mistakes and not running away from it.