a person dies and is confronted by the person they have become

I might have taken a few liberties with this idea as well...

Writing prompt #2 a person dies and is confronted by the person they have become

I always heard that your entire life flashes before you right before you die.  Imagine my surprise when I found that the life that “could have been” flashed before me after I passed away.

I “crossed over” at 24. I had been hit by a car when I was on a sidewalk in Venice Beach. The driver lost control of the vehicle because he had a seizure and killed 4 of us.  It was a tragic accident.

It was like a scene out of “A Christmas Carol”, where Ebenezer Scrooge was viewing his “Christmas yet to come” alternate life. I was like a ghost witnessing what my future could have been, but without a host to show me around. Not that I needed one. I recognized myself right away.

At first I was back at the scene of my death. But instead of being run down, a man had grabbed me and pulled me to safety. Unfortunately the other three were struck, as the tragedy could not have been avoided.

I remember him pulling me out of the way in the nick of time.  We locked eyes as what had happened started to set in my mind. I was almost killed!

Soon after, the scenario started to morph around me, taking me to another snapshot of my life.  My savior and I were rock climbing in a remote part of the world. No one else was around us. When we got to the top, he got down on one knee.

The scenario transformed again. The man who had saved me was at the end of the aisle. My father was walking me towards him with a quartet playing a beautiful song. I was grinning ear to ear, looking at all the faces of my family and friends, smiling, taking pictures, and videoing our moment. I felt such joy and happiness.

Another scene: I’m in a boardroom, commanding a meeting. I could tell I was important the way everyone was tentatively listening to me and nodding in agreement.

Scene after scene came and went, but the one that lingered was one of me lying on a bed, my head wrapped in a scarf. My hair was all gone; my body was weak from chemo that treated my breast cancer. I was surrounded by my husband and three adults that appeared to be our children.  They were smiling through tears, talking about the good times we had. The battle was officially over. I refused additional treatment and was ready. My family was sad to see me go, but relieved that I would suffer no more.

At this point tears were streaming down my face. I was so joyful. Dr. Seuss’s quote swam in my mind, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” My “could have been” life was so full and rich with love and success. Even though it would never happen, seeing the possibility elated me.

The scenario morphed again; this time I was young again, maybe 36 or 37. I had just gotten my bearings. I was sitting in a crowd in a large theater  I was surrounded by hundreds of beautiful people, all dressed to the nines: men in tuxedos, women in vibrant ball gowns. My feet were throbbing in 4” heels that were a burgundy that matched my gown.  My husband was next to me when I heard, “And the Oscar for best actress goes to… for her portrayal of…” I saw myself get up and go on stage to accept the award.

I was so confused until I realized most of those previous scenes I had witnessed; they were from me becoming a successful actress. The only truth was that I was indeed married to the man who had saved me. He was an up-and-coming actor when we first met and together we had built our careers in various roles. We were like a real life Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, filming several movies together. The marriage was real, though the proposal was a scene in one of our movies. The last two scenes were also different roles in movies I had starred in.

My husband and I got home from the awards ceremony and after parties. It was nearly dawn and he had helped me get out of my dress. After the dress was off, he embraced me and gave me a Hollywood kiss, "I'm SO proud of you!"

We were very happy and blessed with the success we had attained.

I was in the shadow, watching myself remove my makeup and brush out my hair. Unexpectedly, my alternate self acknowledged me for the first time. She stopped what she was doing, looked directly into my eyes, and said,”this is what life could have been…”

I nodded and smiled to myself as I headed towards the light.