Blind Turn

The roads were deserted. A slight fog hung over the end of the road as he drove cautiously towards it. He lifted his feet from the accelerator and gripped the steering wheel tightly in case he had to swerve around the corner. The fog slowly closed in and impaired his vision. His car’s headlights struggled to pave way through the white blanket that enveloped. He did not like this feeling of being blinded, yet it was the impending truth of his life. A cold shiver ran down his spine at the thought. No, he was not going to lose these precious few days cursing his luck. Pressing the accelerator pedal in an instant he lunged the car into the white darkness, wishing the night to never end, he drove on.

Driving was his passion. It was in his blood. He had seen the fire in his father’s eyes every time he spun a car that came to his garage for testing after the repairs.  Being the son of a car mechanic he feared he too would never get a chance to drive one of his own. And this fear drove him to study. Envisioning his dream of flying through the streets leaving the world far behind, he crossed all hurdles until that dream became reality. Now at the age of 35, he was living the dream.

Long drives at the dead of the night always helped him clear his mind. But tonight, the driving only muddled his thoughts more. The words of his doctor rang over and over his head again. He had a rare eye disease that would cause irreparable damage to his eyes within a few months. No cure existed for this ailment as of now. Those who heard the news were sympathetic but mostly assumed he would somehow manage, for he was a brave and strong man.  He did meet their expectations and continued living normally, following every instruction his doctor gave. But today something cracked. Today, he could feel the dead end looming over him. Today, he started losing his vision.

It happened very fast. For a second he was confused what was happening to him. Then the truth dawned in and he panicked. That flash of dark made him realize what he was about to lose.
Only if there was a means to drive when blind, he wouldn’t need a chance to complain. But it seemed the thrill of driving was never in his fate till the end.

He drove all night, but his heart was not content. He drove on as the first ray of dawn shone on the windshield setting his face aglow. He had made up his mind. Leaving everything behind he sped on. The car could no longer be seen…vanishing into the distant horizon.