The Strangest thing happened to me yesterday.<\/p>\n
A journey that usually takes me 30 minutes took 8 hours. And in case the amnesia returns, I am setting it down so I don\u2019t have to remember \u2013 if it\u2019s in black and white, I can always read it and remind myself about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you OK?\u201d asked the man whose face filled my view (and the thought that came to my mind was how uncomfortably close he was to my face). He looked worried.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you OK?\u201d he repeated a second time. That\u2019s when I realized I was lying on my back on the road. Well, I don\u2019t think I am OK, otherwise, why would I be lying on the road?<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so\u201d I responded.<\/p>\n
Not knowing what was wrong with me, I added \u201cWhat is wrong with me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am sorry sir. I just hit you with my car. I didn\u2019t see you in time. Can I help you up so I can take you to the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hit by a car? I hoped nothing new was broken. As the man helped me up from the ground, I noticed the crowd surrounding us for the first time. Someone suggested the driver should be accompanied, but no one got into the car with us. There was little blood from the visible bruises I could see and I did not feel any real pain.<\/p>\n
We were soon at a hospital on the Island. I was still kind of fuzzy and everything looked strange. But I was soon ushered into a nice room and asked to lie down on the bed which felt really comfortable. I was starting to drift off when the nurse returned with some notes in her hands, and asked me for my name to which I blurted out a response. She asked a few other questions but I could not for the life of me give answers to. She left after a few minutes. I wondered why I couldn\u2019t remember some of the things she asked for.<\/p>\n
She soon returned with the doctor who proceeded to examine me. After tapping here and there, rotating all the joints in my body while asking me if it hurts, listening to my chest and back, pressing on my belly and so on, he declared he didn\u2019t think anything serious was wrong with me, but that I was suffering from a slight concussion.<\/p>\n
Looking at the notes in his hands, he repeated my name as if asking me for confirmation. The name didn\u2019t sound right, and I almost immediately said \u201cThat\u2019s not my name\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, that\u2019s the name you gave when you were admitted. Are you sure it\u2019s not yours?\u201d<\/p>\n
While the name sounded vaguely familiar, and for some reason, I knew instinctively that it belonged to a woman \u2013 maybe an acquaintance? I was sure it wasn\u2019t mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, what is your name Sir?\u201d<\/p>\n
Which is when it hit me that I couldn\u2019t remember my own name!<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know where you live?\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t recall.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you remember your phone number?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you remember your parent\u2019s name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is your brother\u2019s name?\u201d<\/p>\n
And so the questions continued. I couldn\u2019t offer an answer to any of them. Which begs the question \u201cWho am i?\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked to see my phone and was told it was completely smashed during the accident (I think the car went over it before it stopped). No identification was found on me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere do you live?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it is on the Island\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you be more specific?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really should keep you overnight for observations \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
I could sense some hesitation in his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I want to go home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow are you going to find your house Sir?\u201d<\/p>\n
I hadn\u2019t exactly thought that through.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it is on the Island, I can drive him around. Maybe it will jog his memory\u201d Good idea from the gentleman that knocked me down, but he seemed a little too eager for my liking. But I had had enough of lying on my back so I agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, sir, if you are discharging yourself, you would need to sign a waiver form stating so.\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked for the form and signed it.<\/p>\n
I was led out the door. Apart from feeling a little light-headed, I felt relatively alright.<\/p>\n
The gentleman drove round the Island, and I was quickly getting exasperated with his nonstop \u201cAre you OK\u201d questions. Fortunately for me, we turned unto a street which looked familiar. Almost without thinking about it, I started giving him directions and soon we were at a house I was sure was where I lived.<\/p>\n
I rang the bell a couple of times. After about 10 minutes someone peeped through a gap in the gate and greeted me \u201cWelcome, Uncle Tunde\u201d<\/p>\n
And it all came rushing back to me. Now I remember my name, who I was, my address, my siblings, my place of work, my parents, etc. I nearly jumped for joy! And I also remembered whose name I had given at the hospital. Followed by the accident and why I was thinking about the person.<\/p>\n
I turned to the gentleman and smiling widely, I said \u201cIt is OK! I remember my name! I know who I am!\u201d<\/p>\n
Two pairs of eyes looked at me questioningly. And I could see they doubted if I was really OK.<\/p>\n
The gentleman looked a little confused, and as I discharged him, he thanked me profusely, dipped his hands inside his shirt pocket and offered me his debit card.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, what am I to do with your debit card without the pin?\u201d I said with a broad smile on my face. At least, I have my sense of humour back!<\/p>\n
He looked confused for a minute, looked at the card in his hand, and then quickly withdrew it and replaced it by his business card, \u201cSorry, I meant to give you my business card.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finally, I am home! It was 2AM in the morning and I didn\u2019t feel sleepy at all. Time to wind down with a movie on my laptop (and if you tried to contact me yesterday with no success, now you know where I was).<\/p>\n
But one last thing before that. I decided to go over what I had learnt from the experience:
\n– the saying about treating all drivers on the road as crazy? Whether you are in a vehicle or not, take it as gospel truth
\n– the fact that you are on the sidewalk does not mean some crazy driver may not decide that you are on the road, so keep your eyes on the road and your wits about you!
\n– if you are going to be thinking about someone, at least make sure it\u2019s either a family member, or someone of the same sex (well, adjust your thoughts accordingly so you don\u2019t get labeled a \u201cperv\u201d)
\n– if you are going to be thinking about someone else, make sure you have an ID card or some other identifiable detail on you
\n– in fact, as much as possible, don\u2019t think about anyone else while walking by the road side
\n– walking home along the road may not be the safest way to get some exercise
\n– and always accept the offer of staying at the hospital for observations \u2013 even if it doesn\u2019t save your life, at least you will sleep in comfort rather than the stifling heat when NEPA strikes at your house!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Strangest thing happened to me yesterday. A journey that usually takes me 30 minutes took 8 hours. And in case the amnesia returns, I am setting it down so I don\u2019t have to remember \u2013 if it\u2019s in black … Continue reading