Reminiscence

June 1997

The night's stillness is my steady companion,

As I lay awake to pen this whimsical thought,

For an occasion so special I shall never forget.

That sincere smile etched in my wretched mind,

Not a trace of veneer in this transit place,

A 'Sunny' California where I felt desolate.

A connection was easy from the first time we spoke,

With him around I could bring my guard down,

Along with my idiotic thoughts and childish sounds.

Friends cheered us on for an expected union,

An adolescent rush yet reined in my emotions,

With a heart at stake I proceeded with caution.

The college years whizzed by like the wind,

Our special bond had evolved and matured,

Is the next logical step in store for sure?

Alas, maturity and a string of sticky issues,

Came to the fore when the L-word prevailed,

Could a thing so good take the wind out of our sails?

When it is yours, it will come back to you,

A wise adage that manifested in the end,

Obstacles aside, we gave us a second chance.

Beautiful wedding and five years on,

How inspiring it is to grow old with you,

To learn from mistakes and ask forgiveness too.

Have a Happy Birthday to my soulmate,

My other half and my partner in crime ;) ,

Here's to more celebrations in our lifetime.

May 2010

Accident Happens

That's what my sister said when I told her about the incident. Ironically, that's what also Sadia said a few minutes into the accident. My heart swelled by her feeble attempt at convincing both of us. I wish I was allayed by that assertion, but I still felt contrite. A string of 'Should-Have's entered my then frazzled mind.

That's why it is called an accident. Because it was not premeditated, nor was it an freakish act of natural disaster. Nonetheless, unlike the latter, it still has an element of control which I could have adroitly applied.

Before I heap more ambiguity into the story, I'd better cut to the chase and say it - an iron fell onto Sadia's head.

The accident took place last Tuesday, June 1st mid-morning after I had finished bathing the two kids. Done with dressing them up, I was about to spritz Sadia's long hair with a detangler spray when Saeif approached the iron's electrical cord and began tugging at it. I said "No, don't do it Saeif", and quickly positioned the iron further in towards the wall on the ironing board so it wouldn't wobble any longer after Saeif's first attempt.

My mind was preoccupied with something else when I went back to tackling the hair of Sadia who was sitting on the floor in the bedroom. There I was combing her hair nicely, and when I was about to quietly congratulate myself on a job well done, whoosh came down the ironing board with a flying iron. In split second, Saeif lay down on the floor with the board on top of him. Frantically, I made sure whether the board was heavy (no, it was somewhat lightweight) and he was safe (yes, he was).

In that same instant, Sadia, whose tears streamed down her cheeks, told me she was 'ouchie' (hurt). When I saw blood spewing out from the top of her head, I panicked and cried. I immediately took her bath towel lying nearby from their earlier bath together and put pressure on the bloody spot. As the towel turned crimson red with each application, I began to feel frightened for Sadia.

I hastily called Minan and in a barely comprehensible voice, told him what just happened. Amid our cries together - Saeif was the loudest as he was in shock of the situation and wailed uncontrollably.

He wanted me to hold him and soothe his fear, but I had to attend to Sadia's injury with a towel in one hand and Sadia in the other. Poor Saeif was thrashing on the carpet while I watched helplessly. At one point I tried holding him in one free hand, but he pushed it aside and continued sobbing inconsolably. Sadia thankfully had calmed down after I distracted her with a series of questions. Still, she was afraid ("Ma, I'm afraid") of her injury and the sight of blood that came in contact with my lips must have shook her further ("Ma, what's that on your lips?").

Minan arrived home 10-15 minutes later and knocked wildly on the door as he had forgotten to bring his keys home. Thank God his office is near to our home. Carrying an inconsolable baby and holding firmly onto the hand of an injured and scared toddler, I opened the door.

Daddy's little girl, Sadia began crying again when her dad was at the doorway. Minan took Sadia in his arms while I handled Saeif who was still in his crying fits. I proceeded to the bedroom to calm him down and nurse him. Exhausted and coupled with the fact that it was his nap time, Saeif fell easily into deep sleep.

Sadia had also calmed down with her dad in the living room. Upon Minan's examination of the wound, he said the gash was rather deep and still oozing a bit. That moment, I'm thankful that my husband was an active PBSM member in secondary school. I'd not be able to ascertain the extent of the injury on my own.

After preparing Saeif's 'bottled' lunch in a jiffy and settling a niggling problem with a cable tv provider over the phone (several bothersome phone exchanges with them were in effect), we left the apartment and took a taxi to the panel clinic. It was about 20-25 minutes' drive there and Sadia was singing a song she usually make up in the taxi to kill the time. In other words, she is being her normal self again. The driver even turned the volume of his Indian radio station to drown Sadia's voice. Or perhaps giving her an alternative to the same ditty she sang in the car.

At the clinic, the doctor examined Sadia's injury and gave my husband an earful for not being careful around the house. I didn't go with them as I was feeding Saeif his lunch at the spacious waiting area. Moreover, we wanted to avoid another crying scene should Sadia's gash need to be stitched up. And the presence of a curious Saeif might deter Sadia from cooperating and complying.

The doctor also informed Minan that the cut was not a blunt and swollen one which might otherwise indicate an internal bleeding. Thank God! However, she cautioned if there were any signs of lightheadedness or vomiting thereafter, we are to bring her back immediately.

After the nurse cleaned the wound area and patched it with three slivers of plasters, we got the green light to go home.

Alhamdulillah, she is doing well and playing like before. She is, however, still wary of her brother coming near the ironing board. Nowadays the iron goes straight to a 'safe shelf' after Minan finishes using it.

I am very much thankful to Him that Sadia is fine. On hindsight, it could be worse. Little Saeif could be the one getting hurt. Or the impact of the hit could be more forceful. God forbid.

Divine intervention is the most powerful thing one can always rely and pray on.

Yes, accident does happen. We just have to be extra vigilant and less distracted next time.