5 Minutes

Sometimes all it takes is 5 minutes to snap us back into reality.

Sometimes 5 minutes is all we need to be reminded that sometimes it is a little more than luck that gets us through the day.

Sometimes 5 minutes ends one life and spares another with no reason at all.

The car zipped around the curve in the dark, radio turned up, playing "Cry For Me" by Solomon Burke. As it rounded the bend, there was the sign of an accident - a car, flipped over with no sign of the driver hanging upside-down. Another car was on scene and racing towards the road, frantically waving. The accident must have just occurred.

The Nissan Sentra screached on its brakes and pulled over immediately to assist. A man, sheet white with fear, ran towards the car. "I already called the police. But, but the driver - the driver is gone. They got thrown from the vehicle. I saw the whole thing. They swerved to miss a deer in the road instead of taking the hit head on..."

'Where is the driver!?' I said to the man, who was obviously in shock.

"Over there..."

I turned to go over to see if I could be of any help. He grabbed me by the arm.

"No, no! Don't go over there. They didn't make it. No signs of life. I already checked..."

The man excused himself to get sick.

I did not wish to see the gore, but was concerned that maybe, just maybe, this person was in fact still alive, but clinging on by a thread. I went over and saw for myself something that I am sure a person will never forget.

The young woman's body was a twisted mess and her head pointed in a direction that indicated that clearly, her neck was broken. There was indeed no signs of life.

I went back over by the man, shook up and upset. "That poor woman. I found some of her stuff over there in the field. The cops are on their way, I hear them. I am going to give this to them" he said.

I asked if he needed any further help. "No. No. Thank you for pulling over. I just couldn't..." and he began to cry. "I've never seen something like that before." I hugged him and he did the same. The cops arrived on the scene along with an ambulance. The man gave his statement, I had nothing to add.

"5 minutes" the man said looking at me. That is all it took. You were 5 minutes exactly behind her. I saw the clock on my radio right when it happened."

This sent chills up and down my spine. Had I left from my location  without giving good-bye hugs, I very well would have been this woman.

In 5 minutes, my life could have ended. In those 5 minutes I became more thankful than ever before for hugs and for being just 5 minutes later on the road than I had wanted.