The Red Car

Maggie’s cell phone rang. She picked it up and saw from the screen that it was her best friend Trina calling.

“Hey, where are you, Maggie dear?”

“I’m in a client’s meeting.”

“I have something to show you” Trina’s voice is clearly excited at the other end.

“A new boyfriend? I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“It’s better than a boyfriend. Let’s say, let’s meet up tonight at BTC. 7pm”

“Sure. See you then. This better be good” said a thrilled Maggie.

“And dinner is on me”. Then Maggie hung up.

Maggie hurriedly wrapped up her meeting with her audit client. She immediately packed her bag and left. It was still 5 pm and she thought it was best that she just go straight to BTC, shop and wait for Trina there. She walked past the gate and to the main road

ML Quezon Street in Maguikay, Mandaue was unusually not busy at this Friday afternoon. Very few tricycles passed the road. She had not seen a vacant taxi pass by in her five minutes of waiting. She became agitated and sweat began to roll on her forehead. She wiped them with her hankie.

There across the street, an old woman was waiting for a tricycle ride. She must probably be heading towards the city market as evidenced by the basket she carried. A tricycle passed by but only the backseat was vacant. The old woman refused. No other passengers gave up their seats. “Don’t let an old woman ride take the back seat”. She grumbled and just snubbed everyone.

The driver just smiled and then went his way. Maggie just shook her head. “Poor woman” she thought.

Another 2 minutes later, a Holiday taxi passed by but it had a passenger in it. She wondered why it slowed down near her. Then she saw a fast moving red car that swerved a little to its right, opposite the taxi. It hit the old woman, throwing her three meters away. Her head hit the cement pavement and blood flowed all over her face. But the driver of the red car did not stop, as if nothing happened.

Maggie eyes immediately focused on the car’s plate but she only saw the first letter and the last number: X and 3. The Holiday taxi driver quickly got down from his cab and ran towards the old woman. Maggie could not bear look at the bloodied lady. She closed her eyes for a couple of seconds, and turned pale.

“Call ERUF” the taxi driver shouted at her. She just stood there motionless. She doesn’t have ERUF’s number either. The taxi passenger got down and volunteered to call ERUF.

An empty cab passed by just as her senses returned to her. She immediately boarded. “BTC” she ordered the driver.

“Is the victim still alive?” the driver asked.

She just kept silent but took a quick glance at where the motionless victim was. A small crowd began to gather.

“Who bumped her? That taxi?”

“No” was her brief reply.

“Or was it that red car traveling opposite our direction? Its driver seemed not to be bothered at all. ”

Maggie just closed her eyes, trying to forget what she had just witnessed. She shivered at the sight of blood. The driver stopped talking too when he noticed that she was not interested in the conversation. He increased the volume of his stereo.

At BTC, Maggie stepped down from the taxi still nervous. She walked aimlessly at the malls and at the grocery store. It was 6:30 when she decided that she must stop walking. She ordered and paid for a hot cappuccino at Bo’s coffee and sat down at one of the outside tables facing the parking lot. She still had not gotten over the event that transpired in the afternoon. She could still picture the old woman’s bloodied face.

Her head began to ache. “I should call Trina and tell that I couldn’t meet her.” she thought. But before she picked up the phone, it rang. It’s Trina.

“Hey, Trina! Where are you? I’m not really feeling well today. I thought I’ll just go straight home and we’ll just meet tomorrow night.” She said with a voice still trembling and unsettled.

“I’m a stoplight away from BTC, Maggie. Are you in BTC?”

Maggie couldn’t seem to understand what Trina was saying. The stereo in her car was booming loud. “I’m here at Bo’s. I can’t hear you well.”

“Ok” Trina lowered the stereo’s volume. “Just wait for me. I’ll be there in a minute. Just one more turn. I’ll drive you home, baby.” Then she hung up.

Maggie gulped the last of her coffee. She felt nauseated and her temperature rising. Then a shining red car stopped in front of her. She glanced at its side bumper. There was a dent and a few dark spots. It’s probably blood. “This must be that bastard who hit the old woman and ran away” she thought.

The side window opened. “Hop in Maggie. This is my new car, the one I wanted to show you. I’ve been driving around the whole day.”

The words were not audible to Maggie anymore, but the face she saw belonged to Trina. There’s the booming stereo sound again. She was speechless as she resurveyed the car and viewed its front plate number: XCH 253. Then she felt her knees trembling, and her hands numbing. The world seemed to swirl around her. She felt her forehead then fainted in front of the red car.