Life is indeed fragile if you are in your 80’s. It was 2.30am. I had to answer the call of nature. Ama was fast asleep and so too was Ani in her room. Fortunately for me Subash who works in Shenyang & Ramesh in Australia had the foresight to convert the washroom into a handicapped friendly one. It had three steel bars and a sturdy sink. The toilet bowl was firmly planted on the floor. After I had used the urinal I spotted a fly had strayed into the washroom. The washroom is always clean as our maid Ani ensures it is washed and mopped daily. We do not have a fly swotter in the washroom for these reasons. I walked into Subash’s room to pick up an envelop to strike at the fly. I found some unopened envelopes, picked two of them and walked back to the bathroom to strike at the fly. I struck the fly and it fell into the bowl. I flushed it down happy I had removed a menace. I bent down to see if the menace had indeed met its fate. I was not holding onto any of the safety bars confident that I will not fall. Then it happened. My legs wobbled and I could not stand. I fell to the floor but was not hurt. I tried getting up and realized it was no mean feat. Ama was in the adjoining room. She was fast asleep and I knew she would be of no help at that unearthly hour. I tried getting up but I just could not. I moved forward on my bum and was able to grab the side of the sturdy sink and attempted to pull myself up. It was not easy as my legs were weak and I could not get up. It took me a few efforts before I managed to pull myself up. I had been struggling in the washroom close to half an hour, before I could get back to sleep. Thanks Subash and Ramesh for your foresight in creating a handicapped friendly washroom. I can't imagine what prompted the two of you to do the washroom when I was healthy. Then I thought it was a waste of efforts but today I observe you both had good foresight and had decided a handicapped washroom is a necessity. It is now indeed a blessing.
After my Higher School Certificate examination, I was appointed as a labour officer. This job paid well enough that I could finally afford a car for work. It involved a fair amount of travelling, the allowances for which could well cover my petrol bills. This first car was a second hand Volkswagen 1200, reg. AF 1085 in white. However I had just learnt driving and was not confident in taking out the car for my duties. So for the first few weeks, a friend of mine agreed to be a co-driver while I learnt to drive in my neighbourhood. Once I gained confidence, I told my friend that I was confident and he need not assist me while I drove around. The first day of independent driving, I reversed into a child’s tricycle. Fortunately the child had abandoned the bike in my driveway and went away to look for other pursuits that drew her attention. There was a dent to the rear of my vehicle that would require some money to have it fixed back into its original shape. ...
Comments
Post a Comment