Death and Race Car

Derp, the GT Turbo Starlet race car went from 60 then gradually up to 100 then to 150 till it hit the 180 mark. With both feet on the pedal, one hand on the wheel and the other on the gear, Dale glanced at me sitting on the passenger seat. Right then and there, my heart went from normal to a heart beating itself out of my own body because of fear. Or was it adrenaline? Or excitement? I didn’t really know. Everything was mixing with everything else as the race car got faster. It was somewhere in Sasa in a two way empty street as Dale drove his beloved race car late 10 o’clock at night. At the first fifteen seconds I was feeling the heavy air against my hand out the window and my hair whacking every space within radius, smiling and excited. I felt free and infinite like those kids on The Perks of Being a Wallflower did cliché as it may be. As if nothing in the world would end, as if the street we were driving on was a never-ending street to Wonderland. Through the empty street, I then felt adrenaline as Dale zigzagged the car. It was like the car was out of control, throwing me from one side of the seat to the other. “So this is how racers feel”, I thought. Nevertheless, I felt good; really good. Even better than the first few seconds. Then just out of nowhere Dale, with all his arm strength turned the wheel all the way to the left defying the gravity of the car. He drifted Derp almost out of the corner of the street with me holding on for dear life. I could just picture my face; wide smile, hair everywhere, one hand holding tight on the seatbelt strap and the other outside the window fighting the mighty pressure of the air. And then it all just became a blur as everything came so fast and then just stopped at a split second. There was a minute of a haze of headlights, a series of extreme blasting of horns, tires screeching and curses from the other driver. The driver didn’t get out but instead just drove away fast like he was driving a getaway vehicle. “Putang ina! Gago! Muntik tayong mabangga!” shouted Dale as it all registered on me then that I almost died. I could have been dead just because of some small time craving for adrenaline rush. Just for some good feeling, I could have been dead. My heart was pumping extremely loud and fast, like an engine of a race car. Particularly, a race car that just cheated death. I sat there on panic mode but stagnant. My brain and heart were on panic mode but my body refuses to panic. Then I realize, yes, I almost died but I could have died feeling good with a smile on my face. That’s the nice part of it all, dying Dare Devil style.