If there’s one memory I could remove from my mind forever, no second thoughts, it would be the day my niece died in that car accident. That single event left a scar on my heart that time hasn’t been able to heal. Even now, as I write this, I still feel a deep ache I can’t fully describe.
She had just received her admission into the university. The very first in her household to ever make it that far in education. That alone was a huge deal. Her joy was something else, you could hear it in her voice, see it in her eyes, even feel it in the way she moved. She was proud, excited, hopeful. I still remember her saying she couldn’t wait to get home and tell her mother. That was the last time we heard her voice.
She never made it home.The accident happened so fast, none of us could process it. One moment she was full of life, and the next moment, everything was gone. I didn’t believe it at first. I thought maybe it was a mistake, or maybe she was injured but still alive. But no, it was real. And final.
Her mother, I can’t even begin to explain the pain she felt. Seeing her cry broke something in me. It was like watching someone’s entire world fall apart in one night. The same child she had prayed for, struggled to raise, had grown into a bright young lady with a future ahead, just gone.
That day has refused to leave my head. It visits me in my quiet moments. It sneaks into my dreams. And sometimes, I just sit and wonder how different life would’ve been if she had reached home that day. What if she had delayed her trip for a few minutes? What if she had taken a different vehicle? All the “what ifs” in the world, but none of them change what happened.
I’m not asking to forget her. No. I would never want that. Her memory is still precious to me. But that specific moment, that day of the accident, I wish I could erase it completely. Not for selfish reasons, but to stop reliving the pain over and over. To stop seeing her lifeless body in my mind every time I think of her.
Some memories help us grow. Some teach us. But some just haunt us. And for me, this one is the kind I would give anything to forget.
If you’re reading this, please take this as a reminder, life is too fragile. Celebrate your loved ones often. Be kind. And never take a moment for granted.
It's a really painful thing when someone who is about to have a breakthrough died without achieving them, I pray she rests in peace.
