In movie-like fashion, the next few seconds went by (in my mind at least) in slow motion. I got thrown off my seat, hit my head on the other window and hit my forehead on the back of the driver's seat. Meanwhile, the car, after the initial impact, found its way to the pavement and hit a signpost.
Thankfully, there was no blood. I knew I would only have a few bruises and a medium-sized bump on my head. Memories of my first road accident back in the Philippines flooded my mind. I wasn't shaking the way I did back then but I was frantic. I started calling people up - Ella (who was probably sleeping on the bus). No answer. John*. He is still probably at work and can easily come to my rescue. No answer. The HR Manager. Got lucky. I was in near tears and could barely speak clearly. No chance of getting me immediately, even though the office was just 5 minutes away. Tough. She advised me to just get out of the cab and hail another one. As I stood waiting, I could see the taxi driver and what looked like an Emirati woman engaging in a verbal tussle. I took a photo of the car just in case. At some point, the taxi driver even managed to ask me for 10 dirhams. I refused saying I already got hurt.
I reached home, scared as hell. I just got into an accident, the world stood still but nobody even stopped to check if I was okay. I could not get hold of my friends and when I called my mom, there was no answer either (it was 11pm in Manila). I send a message to John again. And to Ella. And to Happy. Everyone got worried. I tried my best to convince them I was fine and to their credit, they kept checking on me, until it was relatively safe for me to lie down and get some much-needed rest. My Room 311/609 were quick to send messages on Facebook as well.
The next day, my mother was still clueless about what happened. I tried to sound casual about it, "Did you know that my taxi got hit yesterday? Check fb for the photo." And then I received an equivalent of a Howler via Yahoo Messenger. I was finally convinced to go to a medical center to have a routine check.
It was not until 2 days after the accident that I had the opportunity to have my skull and neck x-rayed. Lying down on that cold metal surface felt very strange, it almost felt like I was a corpse in the morgue. I felt lonely and homesick. Then I heard strains of Apl de Ap (of the Black Eyed Peas)'s "Bebot" in the background. I just had to smile - the room was dark and somber - in stark contrast to the upbeat song about hot Filipino women!
Luckily, the radiologist was also Filipino so we had a bit of a chat. He allowed me to look at the results. Finally, I could not help but ask if I could take photos of the x-rays. He chuckled and guessed that I was going to post it on Facebook! And so here they are, four shots of my skull and neck - how interesting! :)
I have yet to fully process what has happened but I hope that the negative vibes flew upon impact. I was starting yet another life, at 30 years and 10 months, and 100 days till Christmas! Great! This was the second accident, 10 years after the first one happened. I feel blessed and extremely lucky. I must be a real cat - 2 down, 7 more to go, lol! I try to make light of things - perhaps it is not my time yet cos I haven't seen stars (ehem!) yet! It was a rude wake up call, to say the least but I know it will just be the start of another series of exciting adventures (and I hope it comes in the form of either a new job, a new country or a new relationship). For now, I am just happy to be alive and to be makulit. :)
