My son ran ahead, the red dirt of the road under his Thomas the Train runners, the sun reflecting off his white-blonde hair. I smiled, blissfully unaware of the danger ahead.
We had found a dirt road, nearly deserted, and finally escaped the watching eyes of new neighbours. Flowering vines climbed a wall with a top rippling like the tail of a Chinese dragon and a man without a helmet, clothes splashed with whitewash, drove an electric scooter into the distance – I revelled in the novelty.
But something wasn’t right. “Stop,” I yelled and ran to my son. Just beyond his toes an open manhole dropped deep. I pulled him close. Scolding myself for not foreseeing peril, I immediately replaced my sense of adventure with a need to learn the hazards of our new home. And I soon saw them everywhere: electric scooters driving on the sidewalk, cars driving on the sidewalk, roads without streetlights, walkways and staircases paved with tile that, when wet, was slicker than a banana peel.
The taxis had no seatbelts but riding them wasn’t as frightening as standing on the narrow island between the scooter lane and the car lanes waiting for one. Vehicles whizzed by and as the minutes ticked by, my boys grew squirmy. With baby strapped to my chest I used one hand to flag a taxi, with the other, determined to protect my children, I tried to hold my boys still.
Now, years later, I am always on guard for yet another uncovered manhole. After a decade of this vigilance and the jumpiness it has led to, I read the story of a doctor, here in China, that amazed me. I’m not the only one she inspired – the video footage has had nearly four-million views.
While she was in the midst of an operation, a nearby construction site caught fire. It spread. Smoke billowed to the heavens and immediately outside the operating room window flames raged. Inside, the ceiling, reflecting the flames, was aglow. I’m sure she felt the heat, yet she continued to operate, graced with calm.
“Kuai, kuai, kuai.” Hospital staff urged her to hurry, to leave, but she withstood the fire to complete a blood transfusion, to save a life. ( “Hero Doctor Keeps Working as Fire Blazes Outside Hospital.” China Wire. Mar. 2017.)
I’m drawn to this woman who stood in the face of danger, risking her life to save another. And I, always on the lookout for peril, ask my jumpy self – could I do the same?
Uncovered man holes?? How do the scooters and cars handle them? Wow. Thanks for sharing a slice of life with me.
Some areas are pretty hazardous but the cities are much safer than they were at the time of this story. Still, with all of the traffic and all of the construction, I’m always on watch!