I woke early in the morning and could enjoy the sight of the freshly fallen snow. It covered everywhere - looking white and fluffy. It was a sight to behold. I was happy and silently hoped for more snow. It does not snow often here and when it does it melts quite fast.
blustery snowfall
As I stared out the window, one by one my family departed to work and school. Last to leave was my daughter, S. She bade me goodbye, then I poured myself a cup of tea. I heard the door close, whilst I settled in a comfortable chair in front of my computer. I sipped on the steamy rooibos tea and contemplated the work day which was about to start.
A few minutes later, my phone rang, it was S. I immediately thought it was odd that she was calling so soon after departure. I answered the phone and she said,
“Mommy, I fell off my bicycle.”
Her voice was muffled. She could hardly get the words out. She then burst into tears.
I asked her whether she was badly hurt. She said, “Not badly but can you please come and get me!”
I could hear voices in the background. People had come to her aid.
Immediately, I sent a message to delay my meeting at 9 am which was 9 minutes away. I was putting on my coat when the phone rang again. It was about 3 minutes after the first call.
“Mommy you do not need to come. I stood up and I am going to school.”
“Are you sure?” I inquired.
“Yes, I was just shocked. My knee is a bit hurt but I need to go. Please call school.”
Things were happening so fast. I called school. They understood. I was happy she decided to go to school but I was still a bit concerned about her. I trusted her judgement though.
S is 16 years old - she has been on a form of bicycle since the moment she could walk properly. This is the Dutch way. She has been cycling to school since age 5 1/2. It is the mode of daily transportation for millions of people here and certainly for students. She is an excellent and careful cyclist. I can never keep her pace. Normally she is at school very quickly as it is only 7 minutes away - for her.
The snow had made the roads a bit slippery. My daughter left home, looked around and saw that most roads and cycle paths were cleared of snow. She calculated that she needed to be careful and slow down at corners where snow had accumulated. Nevertheless, she had only cycled for a few minutes when she turned the third corner, slipped and fell on her knee.
"Oh no - not her knee! " was my silent lament.
Knee issues had caused her to stop synchronised swimming after 4 fun years, it hampered tennis playing and now it played up sometimes during dance lessons. I hoped for the best.
Upon returning home, she told me she was thinking about how not to slip in the turn and yet it still happened. The lady present asked,
“Are you ok? How is your leg?”
She had witness the incident as she waited for my daughter to make the corner before she would start cycling. Thereafter, she was comforting her.
Another person picked up her bicycle and checked it. Grimacing through the initial pain in the right knee and also a stinging icy “scrape" of the hand which broke her fall, she tried to stand up with the lady’s assistance. Failing the first time - that’s when I received the emotional call. However, she succeeded with standing thereafter as the shock of the fall wore off. Then there was the second call to and it was time to get back on her bike. It was also time for the others to go to work. 3 people left and wished her all the best. Telling her to be careful. The nice lady, who helped her to stand, remained with her to ensure she could really cycle to school.
S cycled slowly to school but realised she had a bit of trouble walking. Going upstairs was painful. During the break - she saw her black and blue knee and a small bruise. Luckily, 2 classes were cancelled and she was home by 2pm. I dressed her small wound but saw that she would be fine. S is a dancer, so having an injury is definitely annoying but it was not a serious accident.
During the night, the pain flared up. She had sharp pains in her knee. However, by the next morning she felt a bit better and went to school. The snow was almost all gone already. Later that evening, she went to her dance class; although she could not participate - she was present.
It was good that my daughter was not badly hurt. As a cyclist, she's already accustomed to falling. It happened sometimes. We wouldn't be foolhardy - we would go to the doctor if any issue persisted. However, we knew that continuing to cycle was best. However, rest is also needed for adequate and fast recovery.
The beautiful snow brought some excitement for the eyes but also for S. However, luckily any major injury was averted. It is now 6 days later and S is doing well and the incident is now almost a distant memory; melted like the fallen snow.
nice snowy image
All photos are my own - taken with my iPhone