Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Being a cripple in Hong Kong
As I walked through customs this local dude in the uniform checked out my bandages (one on each toe except for three, on tops of feet, around right knuckles, elbow, and upper arm), smiled and said "bad luck". I had also started holding my arm at a right angle as if I had broken it or something and eventually it started hurting to move it.
At about two in the morning I found a little hotel to stay at. i watched a little tv and crashed out. The next day I lay on the bed for the whole day watching tv and slowly changing the bandages. I didn't go out until I went to meet Mum. The lady came to tell me to check out, and I opened the door about five centimetres and handed her some money and apologised for being so rude, but I was a disgusting pussy stinking mess. She must have thought I was shooting up or something. Gauze was sticking to the wounds and I had to peel it off again. I have always said that no matter how hard I try, I can never walk as slowly as a Taiwanese xiaojie. Well, I peeled the gauze of my arm so slowly that I reckon I wouldn't make such a bad neurosurgeon if I really wanted to. I did like, a centimetre every half hour.
Then I went to meet Mum. We had dinner, then I went back to the little hotel. That night, the third night, just like the nurse warned, was when the real pain came. I don't know where it came from. It was the kind of pain where you can't stop panting and then you start to panic and you freak out and cry and wonder how it could be so painful. It went through my whole arm. I took a second panamax, waited half an hour, then took a third, then I finally crashed out. Mum was down the road but I had no way of contacting her or anything. That was shite.
The next day we had breakfast at McDonalds and I told Mum about last night's little hell session and then she said I should stay at her hotel. I'm like "hell yeah!" And dude, she paid for it too. She got a retirement package or something. She therefore got to have a good squiz at the damage and help me change the bandages etc... you know, mothers are good at that stuff. I'm glad too, coz I could not wrap my arm up on my own.
Jane Smith wins $50 for her submission of Being a Cripple in Hong Kong. Thanks, Jane! -Take 5 ed's. ¶ 17:34
As I walked through customs this local dude in the uniform checked out my bandages (one on each toe except for three, on tops of feet, around right knuckles, elbow, and upper arm), smiled and said "bad luck". I had also started holding my arm at a right angle as if I had broken it or something and eventually it started hurting to move it.
At about two in the morning I found a little hotel to stay at. i watched a little tv and crashed out. The next day I lay on the bed for the whole day watching tv and slowly changing the bandages. I didn't go out until I went to meet Mum. The lady came to tell me to check out, and I opened the door about five centimetres and handed her some money and apologised for being so rude, but I was a disgusting pussy stinking mess. She must have thought I was shooting up or something. Gauze was sticking to the wounds and I had to peel it off again. I have always said that no matter how hard I try, I can never walk as slowly as a Taiwanese xiaojie. Well, I peeled the gauze of my arm so slowly that I reckon I wouldn't make such a bad neurosurgeon if I really wanted to. I did like, a centimetre every half hour.
Then I went to meet Mum. We had dinner, then I went back to the little hotel. That night, the third night, just like the nurse warned, was when the real pain came. I don't know where it came from. It was the kind of pain where you can't stop panting and then you start to panic and you freak out and cry and wonder how it could be so painful. It went through my whole arm. I took a second panamax, waited half an hour, then took a third, then I finally crashed out. Mum was down the road but I had no way of contacting her or anything. That was shite.
The next day we had breakfast at McDonalds and I told Mum about last night's little hell session and then she said I should stay at her hotel. I'm like "hell yeah!" And dude, she paid for it too. She got a retirement package or something. She therefore got to have a good squiz at the damage and help me change the bandages etc... you know, mothers are good at that stuff. I'm glad too, coz I could not wrap my arm up on my own.
Jane Smith wins $50 for her submission of Being a Cripple in Hong Kong. Thanks, Jane! -Take 5 ed's. ¶ 17:34
