Decision Making Jacob Gerstel Third Place Sudden Fiction

THIRD PLACE SUDDEN FICTION

Decision Making

JACOB GERSTEL

The problem:

You only notice the car when it’s too late. If you hadn’t drunk so much, your reaction time might have been better and the accident could’ve been avoided, but it does no good to dwell on the past. You’re trying to remember what exactly caused you to relapse after two years when the sound of broken glass and crippling metal drowns everything out.

The airbag deploys, and you’re uninjured. Shaking off the alcohol-induced dizziness, you slowly get out of your SUV to see what you just hit. You’re standing on a dark one-lane road that’s usually empty, but the car you T-boned came from a dirt crossroad. The sedan’s been dislodged into a nearby ditch on the side of the road with a crumpled passenger-side door. You see the man you hit: middle-aged with a receding hairline, his head resting on the steering wheel, bleeding, unmoving.

You have a problem.

Answer 1: Call the cops

The admirable thing to do—the right thing to do. If the man’s airbag deployed properly, he would’ve been fne, but as it stands he’s knocked unconscious. Unconscious, but alive. Tell the police that you were at a party, that you’d been drinking, and that you had an accident. Forget the fact that this would be your third

You can almost hear your father laughing at the thought. If he were in your position, he’d do anything and everything except call the police. Shit, if he were still around he’d probably beat your ass for even considering such an option.

Answer 2: Drive off

Snap yourself out of your drunken stupor, get in your SUV, drive off, and pretend the whole thing didn’t happen. Your car’s bumper has a noticeable dent, but it drives just as well. All things considered, neither car looks too badly damaged. The sedan’s passenger-side door is mangled beyond repair, but that’s the extent of it. You can even still hear the steady thrum of its engine.

With luck, the unconscious man will wake up groggy and a little confused, but will drive away with no lasting harm. If God is especially good to you, the man will have no memory of who hit him. Just hope that he didn’t catch a glimpse of your license plate, car model, or the shithead alcoholic driving.

If anyone asks why your car looks different, explain that you hit a tree. Everyone at the party saw you drinking and would believe it, and your friends wouldn’t care too much to inquire any further. Your mother, on the other hand . . .

Answer 3: Call the cops, then drive off

At frst glance, it seems the best of both worlds. The man would get help and you could get away in time. Your conscience would be clear, and you’d get off scot-free. But, of course, the idea has its faults: the cops will wonder where you went. What if they see you drive away? What if the man wakes up and tells the cops who hit him? Then you’d be arrested for causing the accident and feeing the scene. Adding that to the three-strikes-and-you’re-out law seems less than ideal.

You hear your father telling you that the most important thing is to not get arrested—do anything but get arrested. You try

to drown him out in your head, but that just gives you a throbbing headache and keeps you from thinking straight. You need a drink.

Answer 4: Call someone for advice

You cast out this idea almost immediately. Who would you call? Your friends who didn’t try to stop you from taking that frst drink? Maybe your mother. She would spend most of the conversation in hysterics, telling you how much your alcoholism is a disappointment to the whole family, and then how it’s her fault you turned out this way. She wouldn’t be completely wrong with either claim, but there’s nothing she could do to help you out. She can’t just post your bail and pretend like nothing’s happened this time. The third DUI felony is serious—the third time means jail. You wonder whether your mother would be fuming or crying when the judge hands down your sentence.

The thought would be funny if it didn’t completely scare the shit out of you.

Answer 5: Drop him off at the hospital

The nearest hospital is at least thirty miles away, but you could take the man there, drop him off at the front entrance, and drive away. You’ve been there enough times to know the layout by heart. You’d have to leave his car sticking out of the ditch, but no one ever comes around here at this time of night anyway, unless they happen to be working late at the nearby park.

They’ll ask the man questions for sure: What happened? How’d he get to the hospital? And if he remembers anything, you’d be in the same situation. At that point, you might as well just call the cops and let them know about everything.

This whole situation is getting more and more complicated the more you think about it, and your head hurts enough as it is. You need to make a decision.

Tired and drunk, you walk towards the back of your SUV, open the trunk, and pull out your tire iron. The metal feels cool in your palm. You slam the trunk shut and move towards the sedan. The man’s car appears to be drivable, and the park’s lake is only a few miles south of here. The important thing is to not get arrested for another DUI. The only real problem is the man. He won’t go quietly.

Your father would be proud of your decision.