Time stretches
Sunday, 10.24 pm
Thinks: Rachel, Andrew and Penny, Michael.
I didn't mean to sit and write but can't drag myself off to bed yet. Its as impossible to sit and read just one blog as it is to go into the supermarket and come out with just a loaf of bread!
Have you noticed how time does funny things sometimes? Of course you have, we all do. Since last Friday morning, the day before yesterday that is, it feels as though weeks have passed.
Fridays are my days off, so after dropping Small at school I went to do my fortnightly grocery shop and for once, didn't have my cellphone on me. Halfway down the second aisle, hubby appeared looking grim; he'd come to tell me that my boss's daughter had just been involved in a car accident and that it was pretty nasty - she'd been T-boned by a school bus. A co-worker of his had been second on the scene and had phoned in to let the office know, and Brent thought I should know - small towns do have their advantages. I left him with my eftpos card and the shopping trolley and took off for home to change my shirt then zoomed into work....
The police had just been in to notify Mr & Mrs Boss of the accident and whisk them away, and the girls were somewhat in shock. It was good to be all together, we just carried on as best we could with the shakes and tears not far away, but keeping things as normal as possible as far as the customers were concerned - of course, the rest of the world was blissfully unaware of going on, it was like being in two worlds at the same time. Weird.
It was nasty, very very nasty. How that child wasn't killed at the scene is nothing short of miraculous. The police got her mum and dad there just before the resuce helicopter arrived, so mum was able to fly with her to hospital while the police sped dad off by car - he said they practically drove along the centre line all the way and may have set a new land speed record from Marton to Palmerston North. At the same time the cops arranged to pick sister up from UCOL in Wanganui and brother from college here and take them over too.
And the damage? What's not damaged would probably be a shorter list. She has bleeding in the brain, a crushed pelvis, internal bleeding, split liver, spleen (since removed), damaged or bruised most of her other organs including kidneys and lungs, will need reconstructive surgery on one ear - she's such a slight little thing, there's really nothing of her. Seventeen, nice kid, attractive, just begun a her dream career with a polytech hairdressing course - everything going her way. Now this. At least today the reports indicate that she will survive, but until now that hasn't been certain. She's still critical, but stable (how those words trip off the tongue but the cliche will never be so anonymously bland again).
She has been in an induced coma the whole time, and they flew her down to Wellington yesterday. If its this traumatic for us how are her family managing? You do because you do, it will be later they will collapse. And all we can do is keep the ship sailing along for them, which is just a given, needs no discussion about extra days or rosters ...
Ah, Rach, I wish I was religious so I could pray for you and yours. Do you think that constant thought and sending love counts?
Love. Went to a wedding yesterday - one of the husband's (note placement of the apostrophe indicating I am monogamous) cousins. I can honestly say it was one of the nicest weddings I've been to - the bride looked lovely, as did the bridesmaids (so often one or other will look a bit "off" or the dresses won't quite be right or the flowers don't quite work or......); the minister was an older female Anglican priest - I always thought Anglicans were vicars but she definitely referred to herself as a priest, and she has a husband - and was very entertaining in a genteel English way; page boy endearingly shy except when fishing his DUMMY out of his tiny tuxedo pocket (!),groomsmen normal; the only jarring note was the pealing of the bells which was a recording. Very loud, but a recording none the less!
Being an inlaw/outlaw has its advantages in that one can get away with a few things - after we all came out of the church and were at the milling around stage, my hubbys extended family decided to go across the road to the pub. I was actually horrified because I thought that was rude, but I could hardly stay on the footpath by myself so along I tagged. Well, we'd just got the first round in when somebody came in and asked that they all went back again for a family photo (yes, I will admit I felt smug). But wait! They wouldn't go!! Now I was mortified so I got bossy and actually manhandled an uncle and aunt who were brother and sister of the groom's deceased father, out of the door and on their way! All families are different, and I was feeling the difference very strongly. Add to this the MIL constantly going on about where was Pip - Pip hadn't actually been invited and naturally enough was hesitant to crash the scene but MIL thought she ought to have come along to see the cousins, then come along to the after dance at the reception (you can't do that) and mother of the groom had actually invited her verbally the day before - what a backhander, especially as Pip has had more to do with them than a lot of the other cousins, even playing in their indoor netball team for the last 2 years. Then MIL started going on about the price of the drinks and we'd better go to the reception where they'd be free. Cringe.
Oh, it's too late to go on, I'll carry on tomorrow.
Cheers,
Jaybee
