The Winning Race

Agony

"Oh, what a day it has been!" Asha exclaimed. It seems like there was a memo sent to everyone - "Need Asha Day" - everyone needed her for something. She barely had time to even enjoy her lunch break. She was glad it was over and could finally catch her breath while waiting for an Uber home. 

"The book!" she exclaimed. She had totally forgotten about it in the hustle and bustle of her day. "It's a good thing Milly left early today. I get to ride solo and dig into the book", she mumbled. Milly is her colleague who lives along her route home.

She allowed her mind to linger on the thoughts of Junior a while longer.
He is genuinely interesting; there is something about him I cannot quite place a finger on. He isn't just an Uber driver, and I firmly believe there is a lot I could learn from him. He just has that aura of intelligence and smartness around him. And yes, he is fine, too. I can imagine the kind of friendship we would build together; she giggled at her thoughts.

Her Uber finally arrived, and she quickly checked the details and hopped in - it was getting late fast. She didn't want her mum calling her all the way, so she immediately shared the trip with her. She could bet with her life her mum would stare at it every second until she was home! If she isn't engrossed in another cantata with her father, that is. How she loved them!
She took the book from her bag and started to read.

"Madam?" the driver called out to her, but she didn't hear him because she was lost in the book. "Madam, we don reach o". "Ei madam!" he shouted, which jolted Asha back to her reality. "We don reach", he repeated, a bit irritated.
She looked out the window and asked him to drive to the mustard-painted house; she couldn't understand why the map always ended in front of her second neighbour's house. He got there and stopped. He showed her the bill, she paid and walked towards her house. She couldn't wait to be in her room peacefully so she could enjoy the book.

"Good evening, Mum. Good evening, Dad", she greeted her parents as she walked in. Daddy was massaging Mummy's scalp while they watched one of those old Cantatas - no one could keep up with their titles. It seemed they watched something new every week! They barely responded, which was her cue to sneak up to her room before they noticed her presence.

Indeed, she could not put down the book, so she cut off her sleeping time to complete it. She had so many questions, which made her want to message Junior, but she constrained herself and waited for morning. She lay in bed, mulling over the book and the valiant author, Vince, till sleep caught up with her.

Vince Siso Snr lost his parents and siblings to an accident by their neighbour. It was around 6 pm on a Thursday. They were on their usual stroll to the bus stop to meet Vince after school. He was preparing to write his entrance exams for Secondary School, so he stayed longer for extra classes; his siblings returned about 3 hours earlier. The neighbour drove into them as they strolled down the streets - he was returning from the bar, drunk as usual.

Vince got to the bus stop and was surprised his family wasn't there. This is highly unusual, he thought to himself as he began the 10-minute walk home alone. About 3 minutes into his walk, he heard shouts for help; he froze for a second. He felt a sharp pierce in his chest, the same one he felt two years ago when Firo, his brother, hurt himself severely in school; he knew instantly there was something wrong with his family. He ran as fast as his feet could take him. He saw a crowd about five houses from their house and blood splattered on the road. He pushed his way through the crowd to where the people lay. And he saw them. His family. Blood. Bones. Tears. He screamed. And he saw their neighbour's car, with blood on the front. He screamed even louder and attacked Mr Fye, the neighbour. A taxi arrived. Another taxi arrived. One of the neighbours, Mr Edo, had gone to get them. They gently carried them into the cars. Vince sat in one with his siblings, while the neighbour sat in the other with Vince's parents.

Mr Edo stayed with Vince through the night as the doctors tried to save his family. Vince just cried, wondering if his family would survive. He finally dozed off after 2 hours. Mr Edo was relieved because he feared Vince would cry himself sick.
After about 4 hours of seeing them, the lead doctor walked to Mr Edo with a solemn look. The mother and Didi, his sister, were dead. The father and Firo were still fighting for their lives. Their chances were slim. Vince was still asleep. The lead doctor came again an hour later - the father was gone. Vince woke up as the doctor turned to leave. He asked the doctor how his family were doing. He stared silently, shook his head, and Vince ran to the doctor. The doctor held him tight and allowed him to cry. He understood the magnitude of what Vince was going through. As Vince cried on the doctor, another doctor walked toward them. She tapped the lead doctor and shook her head in the negative. Firo was gone. He lost everyone in one night.

He was 13 years.

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This was a hard one to get through 🥺🥺