🕗 Fast forward
If you could fast forward over a particular year of your life so you didn't have to live it which would it be, and why?
It all started as a normal day, my parents decided to travel to my grandparents' house, I guess to try to find comfort somehow. After the events of November 15, life has changed a lot for us.
My sister was urgently admitted to the hospital, you only have to see her to realize her physical pain, but the emotional pain is much greater still.
I tried to find out what really happened in that fatal accident that took Ricardo's life.
Evil tongues say that he and Alejandra, my sister, were speeding. Maybe they were drunk after a party and that youth knows no limits.
But the truth is that both Ricardo and Alejandra had a shelter for stray animals. To which they dedicated almost all their days and in one of the trips to feed the dogs, the fatal accident occurred.
The police report showed that there was a breakdown in the vehicle, which prevented the driver from braking, causing the collision.
Weeks went by and both Alejandra and Ricardo's mother felt that life was meaningless without him. We expected the worst, we believed that one of them would end up committing suicide.
Now I'm here trying to move on, my emotions are running high, I just want to rest and forget about everything.
I think about what happened, my mind wanders about what would have happened if they hadn't traveled that day, it's at this point when things get really strange for me.
I'm on the couch, I've fallen asleep, I was supposed to call my parents to find out if they arrived safely at my grandparents' house. I looked at the clock on the wall and it read 6pm, I got up in a hurry, I couldn't believe that time would pass so fast.
While I was putting on my shoes, the phone began to ring insistently, I imagined it was my parents worried about my momentary disappearance.
I picked it up and noticed that the screen said "Ricardo calling". I was paralyzed for a few seconds, I did not understand what was happening, besides the date on my cell phone was altered and instead of saying December 10, 2015, it said December 10, 2016.
Unfortunately, as I was late in answering, they hung up, but I could not stay with the doubt and I dialed the last number that called me.
— Halo, who am I talking to? You just dialed my phone.
— What's wrong, woman? You don't know your brother-in-law.
— I'm not amused by what you're doing, I'll report you to the authorities for harassment. Respect other people's pain, you crazy fuck!
— I don't know what the hell you're talking about, but I've been here outside your house for hours. Alejandra and I were worried about you.
I hung up to listen and indeed someone on the other side of the door was ringing the bell. Nervously I headed towards the entrance, the short walk seemed like an eternity, where my steps were getting heavier and heavier.
When I opened the door, Ricardo was standing in front of me with an annoyed face. I froze, as a person who had passed away weeks ago was standing there next to me.
He hurried to put his hands on my forehead, as if trying to find out if I had a fever.
— What's the matter with you, are you on drugs or what?
— This is impossible, you died.
— Hey, you're really scaring me Juany.
— I just need to understand what's going on Ricardo. You're supposed to have had an accident in November and...
— I think you had a nightmare, I'm here and of course I'll be dead if I don't make it to the puppy adoption day on time. Because your sister is going to murder me and you too if we don't leave now.
Then he took me by the arm, to drag me to the exit door. Although I let go and told him that first I had to tell him everything that had happened.
He was puzzled after everything I told him, but he told me that it was just a strange dream.
Although I felt it was all real, but somehow that morning of December 10, 2015, something happened that moved time forward a year, changing even that disastrous event.
It was as if nothing of that cursed year ever existed.
I apologized to him for my behavior, that I should never have judged him in such a light way. That I got carried away by my brother's words, but that it was no excuse for what I did.
— Juany don't worry, I am not spiteful and it seems that this dream served a purpose.
— It wasn't a dream Ricardo, just life is somehow giving me another chance to redeem myself for my actions.
— All right, but now let's go, it's too late.
I took my phone, looked at the time for a few seconds and left with Ricardo, to create a different destiny than before.
This fictional story is partly true, unfortunately you can't fast forward the time let alone the events that unfold. In 2015 my sister and her partner had an accident on their way to drop off food at a stray animal shelter. She was injured and he died on the spot. After what happened, my sister moved on but did not want to live, often having suicidal thoughts. Only the dogs she cared for at the shelter with her boyfriend gave her the strength to continue. Ricardo's mother's health probably deteriorated little by little and a few months after the accident she also died. I judged him and my sister very badly, for words I should not have believed. I will always have that feeling of not having done the right thing, because I could not tell Ricardo that he would forgive me. In the end, I only tell a few things in this story, because the reality of everything I have lived through is much more painful.