Toss of a Coin

 It happened one summer night. Ramesh and I were quarrelling at a petrol pump. We had gone to fill petrol. It was the night we had finished our exams and we were in a happy mood. We were on Jonathan’s motorcycle and Ramesh and I were fighting over who would sit in the middle and who would sit at the back.

 We were arguing till Jonathan said, “come on, let’s solve the problem. Let’s toss a coin.”

“Heads,” I said unhesitatingly.

 We watched as the coin spun in the air and landed on the grease-stained ground. We peered into the shadows and then Ramesh leapt up and punched the sky with his fist.

“The mark of a champion” he said, and I didn’t want to argue anymore. Jonathan started the motorcycle and then I got on and Ramesh sat at the back.

It was twelve-thirty at night and we were on the outskirts of the city. We were beginning on a long ride on the highway and felt jittery. Firstly, because Jonathan had no license and secondly, it was a little frightening to be travelling so far away from home.

We were going very fast and there was a thrill in it. We gripped the side of the seats as Jonathan went faster and faster. The roar of the engine filled our ears and we had to narrow our eyes because the breeze was so strong. We were all tense and excited. Jonathan increased the speed and we whizzed by. This was dangerous speeding but we didn’t care. Suddenly a car came from a side street. We had barely time to notice the headlights before it crashed into us and we were all flung up into the air.

When I next opened my eyes, I was in a hospital room and the sunlight was streaming in through the window. I could see my mother standing beside me, her face full of worry as she held my hand. She smiled suddenly when she saw that my eyes were open. A doctor was standing close by.

“How are you feeling?” the doctor asked.

“Stiff,” I replied, “Have I broken anything?”

“Yes, you have fractured your right leg and your right hand,” he said and smiled. “But don’t worry, everything will be all right.”

My head was buzzing and I felt tired. But I managed to whisper, “How are Jonathan and Ramesh?”       

“They are all recovering”, he said “Don’t worry.” And gratefully, I drifted off to sleep.

The days passed and I started feeling better and stronger. It was great to be back home, with my parents, my books, my table, my chair and my bed.

After returning home my recovery was very fast. My eyes cleared up. I had a good appetite and my humour and wit came back. Sometimes I asked about Ramesh and Jonathan and my mother would say, “They are recovering but they are still in the hospital.”

It was only months later when my bandages were removed and when I was able to walk properly, that my mother and father told me the terrible news.

“We pondered over it.” My father said, “and we decided it was best for you not to be told anything while you were recovering. But we can’t hide the truth anymore. Ramesh and Jonathan are dead.”

Suddenly my head whirled and I remembered the toss of a coin. In the background, I could hear my father’s voice.

“It was sheer bad luck for Ramesh that he was sitting at the back. The car hit the back of the bike and he was instantaneously crushed. Both Jonathan and you were flung off the bike. Jonathan hit a lamp post with great force and suffered severe concussion. He died in the hospital. You were hurt badly because you fell with great force to the ground.”

But I couldn’t hear anything anymore. Again I could the buzzing in my ears and I saw the toss of the coin as it spun through the night air and landed on the ground and then, Ramesh’s exultant cry of triumph. I had been saved from death by a whisker….. if Ramesh had not protested, it would have been me who would have died and not Ramesh.

I was given a fresh lease of life. I was given the chance to live again and that frightened me. One man’s death was another man’s salvation.