During the Aidilfitri break, I was back to Melaka during the week. Thursday morning, I sent my car to the service centre at Cheng for a regular check-up. After that, I went to nearby Bintang supermarket to buy ingredients for pizza, as I had promised Johanan to bake one for dinner with his family. When I did not get everything I desired, I also drove to Tesco hypermarket to fulfill my shopping list.
To go to Agape care centre from the city campus, I usually turned to Ong Kim Wee road. This time from Tesco, I used another road to reach the centre. I had taken the opposite direction once. Since it was the day time, I decided to try the unfamiliar road again.
When I judged that there was a left turning to take, I started to put the signal and slowed down. I was about to turn into the junction when I realized it was not the one I drove past the previous time. So I cancelled the signal light and went on. Suddenly, I heard a "bang!!!" like the sound of broken glasses. The driver of the car which was stopping at the junction had knocked the left side of my car.
I was stunned. Was it my fault or the driver's? I had no idea. I was the one who confused him/her in the first place but when I changed my mind to go straight, I remembered I did not see the car moving forward. My car stereo was still playing a worship song. I only had one thought at that time, "I don't wish to argue with the driver. I'll bear whatever damage to my car. Now I only want to reach my destination as soon as possible."
Without stepping down from my car nor even looking at the other driver, I continued my journey. The person did not horn at me. Either he/she panicked or was having peace of mind like me.
I would be lying if I said that I was not worried about my car. After I had made another turning, I stopped at the road side to have a look at my vehicle. A plastic bar on the front passenger's side had fallen off and there were some slight curves on the two left doors.
I was relieved on the spot because I had imagined worse. I thanked God, continued driving, recognized more landmarks and finally arrived at the centre in less than three minutes. SH invited me to join them for lunch and noticed that I was sweating all over the face. When I recounted my car accident, she comforted me. She had been a victim of snatch theft several months ago and lost her belongings including her one-month salary and spectacles. Compared to her case, what happened to me was minor. Important was that we were safe and sound.
The whole afternoon, I was able to spend time with the children and chat with another volunteer MF in a calm spirit. In the evening, my pizza turned out quite successful despite extra water I had added in the flour to make the dough.
I only checked my car doors the next morning. Both front and back left doors could be still opened without any problem. Since I bought this car, I had been considering it a means of transport rather than something to boast about. I could still drive it, give others a lift and fetch things anytime. Many people in this world could not even afford a car.
I am waiting for a day to send it to the workshop for repair. I thank my colleagues and church friends for their advice. When I am old, I have one more story to tell.
In case the driver is reading this entry, I would like to apologize for any inconvenience I caused to you. May God bless you.
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