A successful salesman was driving to a conference in his SUV. It was a fine day and he drove slowly to enjoy the short drive and also because he was early. He pulled into a Starbucks and bought a latte. He was tooling along a residential street. He glanced down to pick up his latte when out of nowhere a child on a bicycle flew into his path. There was a thump under his front wheel. He slammed to a stop. He knew the child had to be dead. He thought of CPR, but he could hear approaching sirens. A crowd had gathered. A silent, horrified woman stood holding the mangled bicycle. They took the kid to the hospital but he was dead on arrival. The man co-operated fully with the police. So fully they wanted to shut him up, but he went on and on.
``Sir! There were witnesses. It was not your fault.''
``The child is dead! I killed him!''
``Sir it was not your fault!''
If he hadn't been reaching for his latte - eighteen inches is all it would have taken to save the child. He could not discuss it with his wife. His lawyer said don't mention it. It would just complicate matters. Upset the family. The boy had a history of dangerous riding on his bike.
``No sidewalks on that street,'' the man said.
``Right,'' answered the lawyer.
He would never forget the stricken face of the boy's mother as she stood holding the wrecked bicycle. Some nights he woke up crying. His wife wondered if Prozac would help. The man refused it.
``You have to snap out of it.'' his doctor said.
``I know.''
But as the years passed his guilt still consumed him. He drove irrationally slow. He lost his job because he made no sales.
One evening his wife said ``We're going out to eat to-night. Don't say no.''
They went to McDonalds. It was crowded.
Suddenly the man recognized a face among the other customers. A laughing face. A woman's face. She sat with a man and two kids. Good humor surrounded them. The woman with the bicycle! The dead boy's mother!
He did not speak to her, but he did start thinking. It took a while but the man started to feel better. The memory was always with him, but life went on, and he resolved to do his best to enjoy it.