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Life can be so unfair. I thought to myself, remembering an unfortunate incident I experienced three years back.
It was so late that night, I could remember the eerie quietness of the dark closing in on us. Only the sound of our laughters, giggling and the loud music from the speaker filled the air as we drove along the empty road. We were having a girls' night out and a three-day vacation, just me and my best friend Andrea. I can remember the joy and happiness I felt as we drove, gisting and singing along with whatever music was playing on speaker. We had just graduated from high school, so we decided to celebrate a little. It was supposed to be one of the best nights of our lives.
We had so many things planned out for those few days we were going to be away from our families. We would first check into a hotel where we would spend the night, then later on in the morning we would go sightseeing, go to the amusement park, museum, tourist centers and many more. We were so excited that day. I think it was more due to the fact that our parent allowed us to go for this vacation, just the two of us. But then again, they knew how close we were.
Everybody knew how inseparable we could be. Our families were very good friends. Andrea and I being born in the same month was the meeting line for our friendship. Right from childhood we were the best of friends, we grew up practically like sisters. With their house a few blocks from ours, sometimes we would sleep over in each other's houses. So our families definitely knew how inseparable we were.
However, when you plan things, life seems to have other plans, it seems. We were still driving along the almost empty road heading to the hotel when a pick-up truck seemed to have lost its bearing, driving at a fast speed right at us. When we noticed the truck coming in on us, it was a bit too late. We tried averting our car to the other lane even though we were on the right lane while blaring our horns at him. It seemed like the driver was listening to some music, as he had a headset on him and also, due to the fact that the sound of our horns blaring did nothing to shake him off of the fantasy he was having.
When he finally realized he was about to crash into another vehicle, he quickly tried to stop his truck, putting his leg on the break. But it was a bit too late as the impact of the collision was already near. Before we could know what was happening, the truck had collided with our car and sent it straight towards a tree where we rammed into, losing our consciousness.
The next time I opened my eyes, we were in a hospital. Struggling with a sharp pain in my head, I made my way to the door intending to go look for Andrea. However, I was stopped outside by some nurses who insisted I go back inside as I was not in a perfect state to move around. I reluctantly went in when they assured me that my friend was also there too, undergoing treatment.
Apparently, the truck driver hadn't suffered much from the impact, and called an ambulance to help us out, which explains how we found ourselves in the hospital. When I was a little better, I called my family to tell them what happened because I knew they were worried, having not heard anything from us since last night. A little over three hours later they all came rushing in to see us.
But by then I was already feeling much better. The doctor checked up on me. Thankfully, you only sustained a mild injury to your head, he told me.
No wonder the sharp pain, I thought to myself. The nurses then came in with some drugs that would help with the headache.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with Andrea. She had suffered severe memory loss from the way she hit her head during the crash. According to the doctor, she had hit her head really hard, resulting to amnesia although temporary. We were all devastated by the news. My family and hers were all at the hospital, showing their support. Luckily, she remembered her name and recognized her family, but the past few years of her life was missing.
Three years have gone by since that incident. I've tried to help her remember some things the little way I can. I sometimes tell her stories of some of the things we have been through together that she can't remember, but it's still not enough. I can tell she is struggling. I see it in her eyes when I look at her sometimes. But you know the most beautiful thing about all this. Her love for music never seems to amaze me. Even before the accident, Andrea had always been an artistic person. She loved music so much, always playing the piano. And it turns out, even now that she has lost part of herself, she seems to recognize her artistic skills. She even once told me that whenever she begins to play the piano, it's like finding herself all over again.