The Man Who Wished He Was Dead

We had a very tiresome planning last night - and that was all that I can remember after the car I was driving with two of my friends hit a cement barrier while trying to avoid a speeding truck. The airbag popped in front of me and everything went blank.

And now, I opened my eyes like I slept for a year. My hands felt heavy beneath the bandages and I couldn't move a muscle. As my sight regained, it dawned on me that I was in a hospital room, surrounded by medical equipment.

I felt my face was covered with gauzes and my feet was cemented. I tried to call the nurse, but my voice seemed to be lost somewhere.

"Don't try to move much, buddy." an elderly voice told me. I slowly moved my aching head to the source of the voice and found a wrinkled-face man with dark brown hair wearing a brown jacket.

He smiled at me as if he knew me. I haven't seen this man as far as I can recall, but he kinda seemed familiar.

"Who are you?", I asked hoarsely, with my voice finally returning.

"Can't remember your old friend Timmy?", the old man answered. "Must have hit you really hard in the head, eh?"

My heart skipped beating when I finally remembered the accident. I was with Timmy and Leela that night, after coordinating with a restaurant for my 26th birthday party next week!

"T-timmy?"

"Yes, bud. You've been asleep for such a long time. I mean a veeeeery long."

"What year is it? How long was I asleep?"

He stepped near me, hoping to calm me down. Oh no, no, no. I won't calm down. This was crazy.

"It's 2044... You were asleep for 32 years..."

32 years...? I've spent my life asleep for 32 years?

I froze in panic as thoughts poured in my spinning head like an open faucet. Everything I knew and had would be probably gone. My parents, my girlfriend, my car, my job...

All gone... Just because of that stupid truck driver who didn't keep his eyes on the road.

32 years...

Sigh...

I should have died. I shouldn't have survived only to be kept alive by machines. Why didn't my family just pull the plug?

Why?

Now that I'm awake, what the hell was I supposed to do with my life? Feed the pigeons in the park as I wait for my pension? Wait until they send me off to a nursing home?

Timmy tapped my back, as if he wanted to tell me that it will all be fine. But deep down, I knew, it will be really hard to digest.

"Did Leela survive?" I inquired, hoping that she did. If she died that night, I would feel even guiltier, blaming myself even more.

"Yes she did - but she died two years ago... Er, heart attack. She made me promise though..."

"Promise?"

"Yeah. That I should make sure that I will be here when you wake up..."

A tear fell from my eye as I imagined how they waited for me to wake up. Stupid body, this was all your fault.

I didn't notice that I was already sobbing hard. I felt really bad for the lost time and for the people I cared most who I will never ever going to see.

I was in the middle of reminiscing when the fire alarm set off. A nurse came inside my room and asked Timmy to help him immediately push my bed out of the room.

My heart thumped crazy. I just woke up and I'm going to die in a hospital fire? How lucky can I get!

As they pushed me out of the room, the lights went out and I heard people running. My bed stopped from moving as Timmy and the nurse were nowhere to be found.

Damn, how I wish I didn't wake up...

Then, there were loud bangs as the lights returned. My body trembled from fear of falling debris as paper confetti flew all over the place, as I saw Leela, the real Timmy and my parents holding a banner wishing me a happy 26th birthday.