Phuong and I finally got our marriage license. The ceremony at the courthouse was as romantic as paying a traffic fine, and the woman who "officiated" over our paper signing ceremony in a 6 X 8 room with no fan or air conditioner asked how we met, if we were happy, blah, blah, blah. She was nice enough, though. After the ceremony, I went to work. We planned a family celebration the following Sunday, but Phuong got sick right before our party and we spent much of the night in a local emergency room. The next day Phuong and her mom went to Ho Chi Minh City to deal with the stomach virus and make sure the baby was OK. Monday was a 15-hour day of travel and waiting and hospitals for Phuong and her wonderful mom. Phuong is still queasy but the baby seems to be doing fine.
Not to be outdone, on Tuesday I crashed my bike returning from the supermarket and got pretty screwed up. The accident wasn't my fault, but who cares. A car went straight across my lane and cut me off, I swerved to avoid the car and then wiped out to avoid some chucklehead pushing a cart loaded with trash and stuff. The pusher was sort of hidden behind the car, and he was in the street going in the wrong direction. If I hit him, I'm sure he would have tried to fleece me for some money. I hit the ground hard. Thank god I had my helmet on because I felt the side of the helmet smack the concrete with a good deal of force. In addition to the usual road rash on my arm and knee, my back and ankle also slammed the concrete. The staff at Amy Massage (a legit massage place) was awesome. They got my bike off the road, put me in a chair, gave me a water and cleaned up my scrapes. A good Samaritan also stopped to assist. The Vietnamese are so cool sometimes, especially when you really need help.
I got X-rays of my back and ankle and took them to a local doctor. I went with Phuong and her dad, who's also very cool. Anyway, the guy took an X-ray of the wrong side of my back, so we went to another place for another set of X-rays. I was screaming like a little girl because the pain in my right shoulder blade was the worst pain I've ever experienced. And that's saying something because the White Monkey has led a life of pain. My ankle has a super tiny fracture that the doctor shrugged off, and the X-rays of my back were negative, if you can believe that. I can't, because the pain is still unbearable today. I swear I cracked a rib or two, but the doctor said no. I guess a lifetime of milkshakes has given me some strong bones. I can't really walk, though, and it's because of my back, not ankle. Time heals all wounds, I guess.
I can't teach at the moment, which is a real bummer. I was getting into a decent rhythm with most of my classes -- even the little kids. But I'm sure I'll return soon enough.
My injuries also ended my tennis, but that's fine because I wasn't fitting in.
And of course, I love Phuong with all my heart.
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