I have two blogs, and usually they will never match. But today they will…
If ever I complain in your presence, remind me of
today. Because today my baby Jonas is nothing
but pure miracle.
I thought Thursday was a bad day for us. Jonas and I spent three hours in the car,
four hours on a black tarmac waiting on customs at a storage place, and one
hour dealing with the aftermath of being in a small car accident. (It wasn’t too bad- to quote Jonas
immediately after being hit, “Oh! That
was a loud sound! Did you bring any
snacks?”) It was a long day, and to boot, we were told we had to do the same
thing over again the next day, as customs only finished about a third of their
inspection. (Story to come.)
We were walking on the side of the road (there are no
sidewalks here, despite thousands of pedestrians) with our housekeeper, who was
about to split up with us to carry our groceries home. I had Jonas on my shoulders, when I tripped
on the edge of the street into oncoming traffic. Had there been no cars, I would have regained
my balance on my knees. But instead I
fell at the exact moment I was hit by a car. I don’t remember many of the
details.
Jonas was on the pavement, immediately hysterical. I felt as
though someone had just cracked me in the head with their hardest baseball
swing. I remember scooping Jonas up and
scanning him. He had blood on him, but
it wasn’t his. I realized my arm was not working and put him into our
housekeeper’s arms. She had dropped the
groceries and was immediately bawling. I
was confused and sat down on the pavement.
I remember wondering if I was still alive. The driver was out of the car
speaking to me as I tried to put my shoulder back where it belonged. Someone called Kurt. I’m told it was me, though I can’t believe it
was. The driver picked up the big pieces
of her car that had come off, presumably from my head. She drove us around the corner to Kurt’s
school, where we met a frantic Kurt in front.
He ran inside the office to get a car for the hospital. I lost half of
my eyesight, still seeing stars as we got out of the car. The school nurse (Carol) and administrators took
it from there, photographing the car and scrambling with insurance papers while
we made our way inside for small triage before getting in a car for the
hospital. Carol stuck with us for the hours in the ER after that.
If you know Jonas, you know his terror at even the word doctor.
He spent much of the afternoon bawling. (Enough that when Kurt put him
to bed at night, he collapsed asleep mid-clothing change!) He seemed to be okay
at moments, but as soon as anyone asked for any details about the accident he
would cry all over again, clearly shaken, and very unhappy not to be on my lap.
Three people held a hysterical Jonas down for x-rays, after which Kurt took him
outside to calm him. After twenty minutes of wailing outside, a little boy who
had been watching with his family from their car, ran across the parking lot,
and handed Jonas a banana. Jonas has not cried since.
The kindness of strangers in Africa is a blog unto its
own.
So the outcome for me: one severe concussion, one swollen
bruised leg that gives out every few steps, one dislocated/relocated shoulder, plenty
of missing skin, a very sore body, and absolute gratitude for Carol and the
kindness of strangers.
The outcome for Jonas, who fell from shoulder height into
oncoming traffic: not one scratch. Jonas is pure miracle.
Thank you, God.
