Thursday, October 21, 2010

Rainbow Bright


It happened so fast.

One second I was upright on my bicycle, cruising down the bike lane on a gray Friday in Montmartre, happy and sated from a delicious meal at Chettinadu. The next, I was face down in the street, spitting blood and checking for missing teeth and broken bones, while strangers disentangled me from my bike and stuffed tissues and bottled water into my bleeding hands.

It's one of those cyclist's hazards that I have a habit of falling victim to every few years. Sometimes, it's the other guy's fault; a car cuts you off or a pedestrian steps off the curb without looking. But sometimes, it's no one's fault but your own. That was the case in this situation. A guy on a Velib bike had just passed me, but he didn't get close enough to propel me over the handlebars and mouth-first into the ground. I managed that all on my own.

There's nothing quite as excruciating as the pain of having people stare at you for all the wrong reasons. I got quite a few double-takes while out and about with flesh-colored bandages holding my face in place. And never, ever, have I had more people stop to ask me for directions, or inquire about the dog I was walking, or smile at me expecting the same in return (which I could not offer) as I have this week. Je ne comprends pas!

It's been nearly a week since my wipeout, and wounds are healing, and the bandage on my face has finally come off. Looking forward to laughing again, whistling again, and saying words that begin with "B" again.

p.s. That's not a wine stain on my lips for once! That's the bruising that comes with knocking your mouth into the pavement :0(

9 comments:

  1. The things some people do to get killer pain killers! Seriously, I was so sorry to hear about the accident and the results are excruciating to see. How awful! Know that you're in my and Karin's thoughts(she read this over my shoulder) and we hope you'll let us know if there's anything we do to give you a hand!

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  2. Damn, Aurelia. I'm in pain just looking at the pictures. I'm sorry. I hope you heal to 100% very soon.

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  3. Paul had dibs on the 'puter when he saw this post. ;-)

    I wanted to come by today for myself to tell you I really hurt just reading this! This was SO not deserved by someone as nice as you are, and I'm really sorry this happened. :( I'm also sorry I was not paying attention to FB to read about it sooner.

    Happy and quick healing, Aurelia. Paul is right: if you need something, even just someone to commiserate with over a cup of coffee, please let us know. Orrr, I will make you some yummy tea and can figure out how to make my grain-free almond bars egg-free, too! (Actually, I've done it. I'd be happy to have you over to share some. Message me if you'd like to and have the time!)

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  4. Oh my word Aurelia ..soooo painful. You are very lucky to get away with more harm to your face.. Hope it all gets better soon. Take care xox

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  5. Well by this time you must be just about back to normal, but I am sorry for your accident, how jarring! You know, some people pay a lot of money for a skin peel though.

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  6. Ay, Aurelia! It hurts me just to think about. I'm sorry :( Robert and I were both cursing in Spanish just now looking at this entry- I hope that amuses you just a little. Wishing you well and sending hugs...

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  7. Paul, Feather, Karen, Anne, Beth and Sarah, Thank you so much for your nice notes/comments! If there's one thing I really don't like, it's sounding like a whiner, but I couldn't suppress it this time. Thank you for allowing me to indulge in a bit of self-pity! Please be safe, all of you, and don't forget to wear your helmets. (And gloves. and face mask. and teeth protector. and invisible injury shield.)

    p.s. Karin, I don't have an oven and have been overwhelmed with the urge to bake. I'm down for a egg/flour/everything-free baking sesh one of these days :0)

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  8. Oh my dear... this does look bad! I'm glad you are already doing better! Can't wait to see you this Saturday!!!

    Oh and, if possible, I'd like to join in some baking seshs, dear Aurelia and Karin!

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  9. Hey Susa and Aurelia -- okay, then, a baking session. I seriously do some gluten-y, dairy-full baking for Paul and his kids, so if you want to make flour-based anything here in the oven, too, we can. Just sayin'.

    Sunday afternoons might be good for the two of you, huh! Well, let's get something going. Aurelia, email me & Susa with a proposed date, and we'll do it!

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