Sec:Regret

The sound of wailing filled the entire void deck.  Sorrowful faces in somber dressing were all mourning for the loss of their loved ones, Mr Tan, a family man in his late thirties, and his son, a toddler who was only two.   Behind the altars were two Oak-coloured coffins, one adult size and a miniature one.  Tears were flowing everywhere.   Pitter, patter.  Even the rain seemed to be crying for the victims.

A lonely figure lingered nearby.  It was Joshua.  He had come to seek forgiveness.  If it wasn’t his carelessness, they would not have died.  Joshua could not help but recall the dreadful incident.

Joshua was on the busy road, cruising at a speed of seventy kilometers per hour.  Suddenly, at the corner of his eyes, something caught his attention.   A brilliant yellow Ferrari of the latest model sped past him at lightning speed.  Suspecting that the driver was tipsy, Joshua activated his police siren and was in hot pursuit. 

Vroom!  The driver of the sport car stepped on the gas pedal and accelerated.  It whizzed in and out of driving lanes and passed some red traffic lights, refusing to stop.  Then, it turned into a zebra-crossing and zoomed on.  Joshua followed suit but he did not notice a pedestrian crossing the road with his son in a pram.   Stop! The warning bells within his consciousness screamed!  By the time he saw them, it was too late.  Bang!

The man flew to his windscreen and shattered it into smithereens.  The pram went under the car wheel and squashed the poor child.  Joshua got off the car and speed-dialed the ambulance.  It was futile – both died instantly. 

A twinge of regret stabbed Joshua hard as he recalled the incident.  Standing at the void deck, not daring to move, he was soaked in the heavy downpour from head to toe.  Finally, after mustering the tiny bit of courage that was in him, he stepped before the coffins, kneeling at the altar.

Two dark shadows loomed over him.  It was Mrs Tan, the widow, and a three-year-old girl, holding a Barbie doll in her arms.  Her panda eyes were framed by a tear-streaked, pallid face.

“Why are you here? You murderer!” she yelled and burst out crying.

“It was an accident.  I have come to seek forgiveness,” came the soft reply.

“What good is forgiveness if you have already killed my husband and my son?” she cried.

“Mummy, when will daddy wake up from his sleep?” the toddler asked, tugging her mother’s pants.  Mrs Tan could not control  herself and started tearing again.

Two burly men came forward and bellowed, “Get lost!  You don’t belong here!”  With a heavy heart, Joshua left.

The next day, there was a letter on Joshua’s superior table.  It was a letter of resignation.  Joshua decided to quit his job as a traffic policeman.  He also sold his car that same day.  Haunted by intense regret and remorse, he vowed never to drive again.