We are taught daily. We are advised daily. We learn from each other’s mistakes daily. We read about this daily. In news bulletin, this makes headlines almost every day. Still, same events keep on happening. Are we deaf? Are we that ignorant to avoid the avoidable events?

Sfiso and Aphiwe, his girlfriend, were invited to a party. They were both teenagers; live, vibrant, active and enthusiastic. They paced up and down their flat looking for outfits to wear to party that they knew was going to be massive. Everyone wanted to look good. They finally decided to wear matching swag. Black and white ‘petrol or milk’ overlapping t-shirts, ‘petrol or milk’ flat caps, black torn jeans with Nike sneakers. Teenagers today! Always competing.

Off they raced with their mini-cooper to their destination for that night. They arrived in a split second. They pulled off to a parking lot where tons of cars were already parked. They quickly got out of the car. Sfiso fumbled when he tried to lock the car; he was rushing. He was greatly impatient. He finally locked it successfully. His mind was alredy inside the building.

She, on the other hand, was applying her eleventh hour make up. She spread lip-stick on her tender lips. She pouted and posed for a picture, which he captured perfectly. Typical of girls, taking a picture every chance they. They scooted inside the building. Noise filled their ears, but they adapted soon.

Twinkling lights were displayed in mid-air. All kind of shapes. They were shiny and rotated at a snail’s pace. The master of spin seemed to know what he was doing. Everyone in the building was swaying this way and that with their hand having a cup filled with the liquid of their choice. They danced until their feet ached. They sang like their lives depended on it. They drank more than too much alcohol. No one was going to tell them to take it easy. Newfound freedom seemed to make them irresponsible.

They both mingled around after turning it up. She disappeared from his sight. She went outside. She fished something in her pocket. It was white powder. Drugs. She inhaled it like an addict. She didn’t end there, she puffed cancer sticks uncountable times. Right then, she was the happiest person walking on Earth. She grew confident, over-confident to be exact. She went super wild. She was the centre of attention on the dance floor. She pulled some exotic moves that were going to send her straight to the finals in So You Think You Can Dance after her first audition.

The party ended around 03:45 a.m. when everyone had had enough. She still thought the night was young. She wasn’t wasted at all, and neither was he. They were such party animals, perfect for each other. They went straight to the car, drunk as pigs. He stimulated the engine and drove off. They sped up. Road rules were totally violated. Out of the blue, she cringed and hit the car roof with her head. In that instant, she accidentally clutched his genitals. He squirmed. It was painful. The steering was unattended. The truck surprised them, and hit their vehicle. Lights out!

He battled to open his eyes. He conquered. He was surrounded by white walls. Beside him stood a man in a white coat, which his mind registered as a doctor.

“What am I doing here?” he asked, looking at his bandaged, slender body. No one replied. They assumed he wasn’t mentally stable to take the news. What news?

Last memories darted in his skull like a wave that the ocean just can’t control. He pinched his head hard.

“Nurse, water please,” the doctor commanded firmly. The nurse fled out of the room and never looked back.

“Where is she?” he asked astonished about her whereabouts, since she wasn’t next to him. He was still tipsy. The alcohol scent filled the room whenever he spoke. He looked at the doctor who seemed to be preparing himself to deliver the tragedy. The doctor adjusted his collar. His eyes were peeled. He anticipated the response but shrugged it off. The nurse came into the room with a glass of water and handed it to him. He took a gulp, whilst quivering.

“Son,” the doctor started. “Your girlfriend had a major concussion. Her brain was bleeding severely. The worst is that she had brain tumour. I am genuinely sorry for being the one to tell you this. She didn’t make it,” the doctor finished and coughed slightly.

Everything froze. It was like he’d been ran over by a train or even got hit by a brick on his head. The world stopped rotating. The clock stopped ticking. All objects vanished. His mind took him into a white room with no one else in it. The mirror grew up and surrounded him. It cracked and voices started laughing at him uncontrollably. He shut his ears. Reality struck. The doctor and the nurse looked at him mercifully. They were sympathising with the young man.

News finally got a place in his heart. His girlfriend was gone, for good. He will never see her. He will never talk to her. Her voice will no longer buzz in his ears. Her reflection went to where no traveller returns, only pictures and memories were left. He became sober like a judge. Tears escaped his eyes as his body became taut. He buried his face on the palms of his hands. His ecstasy read negative. Groans shot out of his lips. His eyes were instantly crimson red.

BOO! What was left in his stomach flew out of his mouth like a waterfall. Gross! He collapsed on the bed right there and then. People in the room understood the situation of the young man.

Drugs and alcohol initiated all this. Young people think they know better. Substance abuse campaigns are always there to warn them. They never listened, and so the price was paid. Remember, no rule breaker is left unpunished.

Tell us: What else could be done to minimise drunk driving?