Flashback

During the "teaching of writing" class today, our teacher recounted that he had an accident on his bike when he was in his teens and this brings to mind the accidents i encountered when i was in primary school...the weird thing was that most of these accidents happened about 1 or 2 weeks before my birthday...real unlucky then...

It all started when i was in Primary 2, I will normally board the school bus once school's dismissed and not leave the bus to play with my friends, but 1 day, my classmate, Wanli asked me to come down and I did...when i returned to where my schoolbus was parked initially, realised that the uncle has left the school compound with my bag in the bus but not me...hence i decided to walk home, cos it's just a 15min walk and I know the way...Wanli even offered to ask her school bus uncle to give me a lift back, but i bravely said, it's ok i know my way back...unfortunately, at that age, i did not have the concept of cars capable of making u-turns at an uncontrolled junction...I was knocked down by a light blue van but luckily because it was trying to u-turn, the speed was quite slow, i only suffered some light injuries...the driver did stop the van and helped carry me to the pavements, a maid who can recognise me fussed over me before my anxious school bus uncle found me and sent me home. I did not cry until I called my mum who was at my maternal grandfather's wake, cos there was no one at home except my indifferent paternal grandfather. Upon hearing my mum's voice asking me what's wrong, I guess "self-pity" overwhelmed me and later in the evening, my dad brought me to make a police report. It was heard that the driver was caught but we did not take any legal actions against him cos I was also at fault for crossing the road recklessly...

In Primary 3, I contracted chicken pox from a classmate...so i did not really enjoy my 10th birthday...

Another dramatic accident happened when i was in Primary 4: playing catching was the "in" thing during recess so 1 fateful morning, most of our classmates were out there in the school field playing catching around 1 of the goal posts under the hot sun...i was standing near to the goalpost and another friend, Dunlin was standing at the other side of the goalpost...he started leaning on the rusty goalpost and before we knew it the goalpost started tilting forward towards me...I stood there, rooted to the spot, eyes transfixed on the falling goalpost, my mind a complete blank...until at almost the very last moment, I fell back in shock and the heavy goalpost landed on my left ankle...I was trapped and 2 other classmates were also hurt by the accident but my case was the most serious...the principal, Mr Fang was notified and another female teacher hurried to the scene. I remembered that cos my ankle was injured quite badly, it started swelling up and I could not walk. Hence, my principal carried me to his car and sent both me and another classmate, Yongqing (if i remember his name correctly) to Toa Payoh Hospital with the female teacher who was nagging all the way..."Why are all of u so mischievous? Recess time go to the field to play...see what happened now?...only know how to give us trouble..." As we were approaching the hospital, we passed by a disabled home and due to my young age, my imagination started running wild...I was thinking to myself..."Oh no...what if I end up a cripple and have to live in the disabled home for the rest of my life now???"

While waiting for our turn to get the doctor's consultation, both of us were seated in the wheelchair and the Singapore workout on TV was the only thing that can help keep my mind off the dreary image of living in the disabled home for the rest of my life. Can still recall how that song sounds...*_* The doctor made me do an X-ray and I can still remember how cold the screen was compared to my throbbing ankle...which swelled pretty much into a "tii kar". Was really glad when the principal sent us back to school for our parents to come fetch us home. While I was waiting for my dad to arrive, I remembered that the kind and endearing principal even gave me a packet of chocolate milk to fill my stomach cos it was getting quite late. (May seem nothing much to others but it left quite a deep impression in my young mind that Mr Fang did not reprimand us for our mischief but showed true concern for his students)

I was pretty lucky that I fell back in shock and had a hair-line crack in my ankle bone cos if i did not fall back, the heavy goalpost would have landed straight on my head...and i might not be able to live to this age and type what happened then...somehow, felt that some divine being was there to help me at that precise moment...maybe it was my guardian angel saving me in the nick of time or it could be my maternal grandfather who was protecting me from suffering greater harm. Remembered that my dad had to piggyback me like i was 5 up the 3 storeys to our home when we returned and I had to hop around for about 2 weeks before i can start to walk slowly again...

I remembered vividly that by the time I was back in school (rested abt 1 week at home), ironically hopscotch was the "in" game during recess and Liduan who's very straightforward, approached me and asked: "Hey Geraldine, now you must be really good at hopscotch right?" She was pretty mean, so I ignored her and limped away...

Luckily, when I was in Primary 5, my luck started to change for the better...finally, my lucky stars are shining bright once again in the sky. =)