I was walking down the street one day and I got hit by a bus. I know you’re thinking, how are you talking to me right now? Well, I’ll get there. Stay on track.
Now, yesterday I was walking down the street and I got hit by a bus. It wasn’t supposed to be an eventful day, I was just running a few errands. I was also running to Starbucks, but I consider this a necessity not an errand. After that I was going back to my apartment, but something strange happened, and no, I’m not talking about the bus. The strange thing was how wonderful the morning was. Everything went pretty smoothly, and it would have been a wonderful morning, if I hadn’t been, ya know, hit by a bus.
I left at 11 and for some strange reason I went a different way. I stepped out onto the street and I thought, hey, let’s change things up, so instead of going right, I went left. I went down sixth instead of up. There wasn’t really anything different about this route, I mean, I was still in the same city, but something about this felt different. As I walked I began noticing everything around me in a different way than I normally do. For the first time since I had moved into this apartment I was paying attention to what was going on around me. It felt as though I was seeing the city for the first time. I was using all five of my senses to take in the activity surrounding me.
There was a man selling newspapers on the corner, he was a stout man with gray hair and a beard. He looked slightly like Santa Claus. His face was bright and warm. On the opposite side of the street there was a group of girls giggling as they walked behind a boy who appeared to be close in age to them. I smiled to myself as I thought of my younger years. Oh, young people and the way they get the attention of the opposite sex. I passed the record store I go to when I am in desperate need of new old vinyl. As I passed I saw there was a little girl, no older than ten sifting through the endless rows of music. It made me smile that a young girl had interest in records. I have always preferred vinyl to other forms of music. I’m glad that idea didn’t die with my generation and the rise of digital downloads.
The air around me was warm and everyone I passed seemed happy. The air smelled of spring and fresh flowers. Which is bizarre because normally during this time of year the streets smell the way they always do; like sewage. Everything felt as though it was good. I stopped at all the places I needed to. Every stop met me without much hassle, which was a nice change. Normally, I feel stressed to the max whenever I attempt to go about my routine, but not today! I was even able to complete these tasks in a timely manner! With this extra time, I decided I was going to stop at my favorite bagel shop. I was in a great mood, I had gotten the proper amount of sleep, and I was about to eat a bagel from the best bagel shop I have ever been to. The shop was on the opposite side of the street and out of the way of my daily routine, so being able to go was a huge treat. I must not have been paying close enough attention, because as I was crossing the street the light quickly changed from red to green and suddenly everything went to shit.
The bus had turned the corner and the driver didn’t see me. I didn’t see anything, but suddenly the bus slammed into my side. My body took flight and I was shot across the street where I crashed onto the pavement. I felt as though my insides had exploded; as though every piece of me was trying to go as far away as they could. My head had smashed into my shoulder and then the pavement. I couldn’t move anything. I couldn’t even feel anything. Then suddenly, pain. Actually, pain is a gross understatement. My entire body was pulsing; like that feeling you get when you wake up with a horrific hangover. I felt as though I was being drained of blood. My brain was screaming at me; GET UP! RUN AWAY! FIX THIS! My body wouldn’t respond. I couldn’t move any part of me. I don’t know if I was paralyzed with fear or if I was just paralyzed. In the middle of all this thinking, it went black. The rest came in small bursts. I remember hearing the witnesses on the street screaming for the medics. Then nothing. I felt my body being lifted onto the stretcher. I heard medical terms being thrown around like confetti. I felt a needle enter my arm. I felt pressure in random places. I still couldn’t move. I suddenly heard, “WE’RE LOSING HER.”
Whenever I watched movies where a person was dying, I remember everyone would tell the person to fight. Hold onto life! Don’t give up! I didn’t know what to grab onto. I had no idea how to fight. All I could feel was pain. Pain like I had never felt in my entire life. Everyone around me was screaming. I don’t know what they were saying. It was so far away. As time progressed, everything felt as though it was so far away. I was trying to get back, but it was too