Accidental recall

Over dinner , Vietnamese style, topic shift.
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Warren: The crepe, fried crispy, with mushrooms and minced prawns, it's a treat।
Bill: Broad daylight, you say?
Warren: Garlic in vinegar. Mmm. Sunny, dry conditions.
Bill: No traffic?
Warren: At two in the afternoon? Occasional farmer crossing the road on his tractor? Rural mail picked him up.
Bill: And he's just gone straight on at the turn? Speed?
Warren: No skid marks. Just went into the ditch. Looks like he just forgot to turn.
Bill: Forgot?
Warren: To turn.
Bill: Knowing him, and you know, this is just speculation mind you, something took hold of him.
Warren: Ha, like a one of them UFOs?
Bill: Not that. He was maybe thinking something else. He'd got a new theory and it distracted him. He goes absent then.
Warren: Know what you mean. Was a fellow went off Greenacres Line few years back. Dead straight road. Roared into a tree. A geneticist.
Bill: And he doesn't remember anything?
Warren: Says he was unconscious for an hour and woke up in the ambulance. Told me he doesn't recall anything since Thursday.
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Holiday road toll statistic

ABC: Hello. We got a call from Michael. What's up?

QRP: Kerry. She was killed.

ABC: No!

QRP: Car accident.

ABC: When?

QRP: Wednesday.

ABC: How did it happen?

QRP: Horse bolted onto the highway. She was in the passengers seat. Head injuries. Died at the scene.

ABC: Will you stay over?

QRP: Got to get over there. They're closing the casket tonight. Funeral tomorrow. Only 19. Why do these things happen?
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Expressing sympathy

Mind how you go. The footpath is uneven.

But don’t look down all the time. You can hit your head on overhanging branches.

And signs. Remember a few months ago you banged your head on a Stop sign.

It was only a stupid 1.7 meters above the ground. I measured it later. Dangerously low.

Watch the ground here. There are holes. Break a leg dead easy.

Ow!

What?

Something stabbed me in the head. This, ah, it’s a bougainvillea. Ahhh. The thorn is still inside my skull. This is it. Goodbye world.

I told you to look up. Hold on, I have some tweezers in my bag.

I pulled it out already. Now my brains are starting to pour out. Why can’t I walk and look up and look down at the same time.

Women can, men can’t.

Do you think it’ll turn septic?

They say six hours. Bougainvilleas are lethal. Look, if we don’t hurry the restaurant will be closed.

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