VIII: One Lucky Bastard

One inch. Just one inch more. And I would not be here typing this. Today at lunch, I decided to get my butt over to the gym on top of the pharmacy.  Arriving, the only people there were the two trainers, both very friendly. After introductions, I moved on to the free weights to do some curls. Then, I decided to try the bench press. Each side was loaded with 30kg, so I started removing the two weights from the left side. 

            BAM. The bar came flying up and slammed across my head, falling to the floor with a clang as I realized what had happened. Removing the weights from one side made it completely unbalanced. There was no hook, no stop to the bar. I clasped my hand to my face, thinking it was a small scratch…and pulled away with a hand of blood. Shit. I immediately turned to the mirror, and saw the blood streaming down my face. My image in the mirror shocked me, and I just stood and stared for a second, horrified. I turned again to the trainers and yelled for help.

            They came running up, very worried, and got me a cloth. I asked for a bandage and Joe went running off. Looking at the wound in the mirror, I confirmed that it had completely missed my left eye (THANK GOD), which relieved me so much that I didn’t even care I was bleeding profusely.

            I used the cloth to block the bleeding, and when it stopped, applied the bandage. The two trainers were extremely worried, originally thinking the bar had slashed my eye. One whispered, “Are you going to sue us?” I tried to stay in good humor and explained what had happened. Later, I realized that the main reason the bar had come flying was because it only weighed roughly 10 pounds, whereas I’m used to the 45lb bars of the US. So therefore, it couldn't be unbalanced AT ALL. Assuring them that I would not be going to the hospital, I left the gym.

            And the more I thought about it, the more it frightened me. The cut was less than an inch away from my eye. If I had stood a tiny bit, just a tiny bit more to the left, the bar would have gone completely through my eye and brow, and ruined my vision forever.  I felt so lucky, yet terrified at the same time. Luck. It all came down to luck. Or perhaps it meant God was watching over me. Was this a sign? Thoughts rushed through my head and I knew nothing for certain, except that I wanted to head back to the sea. 

            I tossed my backpack on the grass, and looked out over the ocean. After a few minutes, a boy asked me “Where are you from?” I was obliged to converse. Turned out, he’s attending college right now, and comes here to the seawalk in the afternoons. He told me about the fisherman who come here to fish, the yellow crabs grabbing their way out of the sand, and the huge crabs that lay in the water in between the lands. It was a strange feeling. I felt older, entertaining  a younger kid. Something about how he wouldn’t stop talking was annoying. But endearing. 

I told Roho I looked forward to seeing him on future days.