Blink: A Short Story

Blink

Most of our days come and go in a blur, uneventful and of negligible importance. In the midst of the blur every now and then life hits you with moments that unleash a cascade of emotion that will be permanently embedded in your mind forever. That kind of memory that makes sleep an impossible task when that memory comes crashing back into your mind at 3 in the morning. That kind of memory that awakened you from your slumber and made you able to see the world far more clearly. That kind of memory that took consumed the person you were and transformed you into someone alien to whom you once were. If my life were to be summarized into a timeline of events, the first to make it on this timeline of my life would be the time I realized that death surrounds us and can come in the blink

of an eye.

Six years ago, when I was a rambunctious child who knew nothing about anything, I had been stuck in Brazil with my family for over a month and I was getting impatient, constantly bugging my parents to leave so I could go spend what was left of my summer with my friends. Don’t get me wrong, the shenanigans me and the dozens of cousins I met that summer were the highlight of my childhood, but seeing all your friends on facebook having fun without you hits you hard at that age. I was oceans away missing out on all the inside jokes, summer nights, and pranks. Days passed, most of which I spent on the hammock outside overlooking the little town in the middle of no where of Brazil I had come to know and love. It was a Friday. The day was dewy and the streets were coated with puddles. The faint sound of the Brazil game hung in the air, barely audible to me anymore since I had become so accustomed to soccer blaring on the tv screen all

day everyday. Goaaaaaaaaaaaaaal. I barely noticed, my mind was racing with excitement as I skittered around my grandmas small home, today was finally the day. The day i’d make long voyage back to America. One look at Melissa and my heart sunk. Stomach Virus. Just my luck, two more hours and I was out of there but my little sister had to go get and all icky and sicky. I dramatically rolled my eyes and plopped myself onto the sofa, muttering unpleasant words under my breath. I know I know, in that moment I was not exactly big sis of the year. We rushed her to the hospital where we had to linger around until all the patients in front of us were examined. Finally, a doctor examined Melissa and concluded that she had a severe stomach virus and must remain at the hospital for a few days where she can easily be treated. At this point I felt bad about my prior selfishness, and a wave of compassion for my sister flooded me. I remember her excessively throwing up and complaining about the acidic and bitter taste in her mouth. I did my best to comfort her. After a physically and mentally exhausting day I went home with my family minus Melissa and collapsed onto the sofa. The news blared on the screen with breaking of news of a plane that had crashed that day. Suddenly the room went silent and we all stopped what we were doing to pay attention. Shock. The single word that can describe how I felt in that moment. The plane that crashed was the same flight I was scheduled to be on just a few hours earlier. My grandma burst into as spiel of you should be grateful to be alive and God has saved you, along with many tears to accompany her speech of gratitude.