As Easy As ABC

Chapter 8: The One With The Ride To The Bar

It was lunch time at Minshan School. We were all feeling pretty beat, including the kids.

I sit down with some of the kids as I'm eating my chicken and rice and some of the kids are trying to tell me a story.

I swear I try to understand but I still don't speak Chinese. So I wait for the kid to stop telling his story and see his reaction.

At last, he waits for me expectantly and tried to hold in his laughter so I start laughing and making facial expressions as if I don't believe what he just told me. He ends up being pretty satisfied with my reaction, and so am I.

I finish my food, supervise the kids clean the cafeteria, and head to the teachers' lounge. As I'm sitting there checking some stuff in my computer, I can hear all the kids screaming, running, playing, laughing.

Suddenly a girl comes in looking pretty scared and I stop what I'm doing to look at her, and I notice several other teachers do the same. That's when I see the girl coming behind her. And now I'm the one feeling a little scared.

Without missing a beat I stand up quickly making my way to her. The girl was pale, and in shock. Her big toe on her left foot was bleeding through her sandals. As I look down, I see her toe nail has come off and she is bleeding a lot.

I pick her up and sit her down on one of the chairs. The rest of the teachers, foreigners and Chinese, gather around us, really closely. I ask what had happened to the other girl, and she starts talking in Chinese, so Aaron is listening and grabbing his phone making a call.

The rest of the teachers have very similar reactions. They are overeating, acting grossed out, panicking, and the injured girl is looking at all of them. I can see she is starting to panic herself, mimicking the teachers' emotions.

"Get out." I say towards the teachers.

They still are staring making the little girl freak out a little more.

"Get out! You are scaring her! If you can't handle it get out" I say more sternly this time.

They all start heading out except for Aaron that is still on a call, and the girl's friend.

I kneel besides her grabbing some tap water. I start pouring the water on her toe, being really careful to not touch her toe to not hurt her or infect it. I don't know what I'm doing. But what I do know, is that I have to remain calm, and in control for this girl.

"You're okay, everything is fine" I keep saying like a mantra. I rub her back in a soothing manner.

She sits still, not making a sound.

"Love, do you want some water? Umm, shue?"

Very slowly she shakes her head.

"Some bread?"

Back in my country we eat bread when we are scared or in shock as we believe it helps. I don't know. I'm lost here.

Again, she shakes her head slowly.

"You'll be alright" I keep saying to her and making the soothing movements.

Aaron is back and starts saying something to her in Chinese.

"Her parents are on the way, and I already called the doctor. They won't take long"

I nod my head.

"What happened?"

"Apparently they were playing and running and she crashed with a wooden door frame, foot first"