Your Concern Is Touching, Really

I used to pick up my mom from her work with my motorbike. One day, after a long day at my work, my motorbike slipped on some sand on the otherwise clean and dry asphalt. It was on a bend and I was going fifty to sixty km per hour, so I fell on my left side and slid for fifty meters.

Other road users came to my aid fast and made sure I was safe on the side of the road. I had long, deep scratches on my helmet, I ruined the left arm of my jacket, I had a gash on my left knee, and I couldn’t lean my weight on my left leg. My motorbike could still be turned on, but the left footrest was completely broken off and the gear was stuck in third. My motorbike went into neutral when I press the brake, so I could still ride it.

Being in Indonesia, there was no roadside service to help, so I needed to still try to ride the bike home myself. I knew that it wouldn’t be easy alone, and it would be impossible with a passenger. I definitely wouldn’t be able to pick my mom up. So, I called her.

Me: “Hey, Mom. I can’t pick you up today.”

Mom: “What? Why?”

Me: “I fell with my motorbike at [Street].”

Mom: “And you can’t still pick me up?”

Me: “The bike is stuck in third, and the left footstep is gone. No. I can’t ride with you. I don’t even know if I can ride all the way home.”

Mom: “How should I get home, then?”

Me: “I don’t know. You need to find a way. I’m going now. Bye.”

I just hung up without waiting for a response. When I’m in a traumatic situation, my brain disassociates and I go into an automatic survival mode. I don’t think, just do. So, I just rode the bike back as slow and as fast as the third gear allowed me. I stopped at a garage close-ish to home. The owner was surprised that I was able to ride back. He then gave me iodine for my wound, a glass of fresh tea, and a ride home since they couldn’t fix the bike right away.

I cried my heart out as soon as I hit my bed and the disappointment flooded in. My mom came home later than I did and saw me in bed. She didn’t ask how I was doing; she only asked where the motorbike was.

I accepted an offer for a second job not long after, so I couldn’t pick her up anymore. I didn’t need the extra money, but I did need the time away from family, unfortunately.