The Mellow Afternoon of June 2010
Angel Reign has turned a year old last month. She reached
that without any huge health trouble.
She can walk this time as well as climb back and forth in her blanket
hammock. That afternoon, we are both in
her room. Her dad is lying down on the sofa watching tv waiting for his call of
duty.
The overexcited one year old, who has just learned to walk
maybe a month ago, threw her pacifier on the floor. I need to go to the dining area to sterilize
it. I left her playing in her ‘duyan’ and as I glance I saw her
walking her way to the living room back and forth seems like practicing her
steps. I get the cap of the thermos and
put the pacifier inside, pour water enough to cover the tip of the orthodontic
pacifier. It is on the left corner of
our oblong-shaped wooden and glass dining table. The distance of the thermos cap is maybe half
of a ruler. I felt some urge to drink a
chocolate so I decided to leave it sterilizing for a while and I headed to the
right far end of the table where the choco jar is. Since Angel is not wearing
her beeping shoes, I did not notice she is near the table that is about two and
a half feet tall. I always make it sure that all the chairs are tucked-in
because she can climb it. I am about to pour the powder on my cup when I heard
Angel terribly crying! I saw her beside the chair, sitting on the floor and her
shirt is wet with boiled water –seeing the thermos cap and the pacifier
scattered…The chair is not moved at all.
I speculated that she might just step on the chair’s foot support
(wooden panel on each side so as to help it balance) that is why she was able
to reach the thermos cap and accidentally drenched herself…
That water in the thermos, as I recall was just boiled
twelve noon (12nn) and the incident happened 4pm, my diary says. It is not the thermos that fell but its cap
with the sterilizing pacifier, it is nearly a cupful! I was shocked! I remember shouting “Angel!!!” I just heard Raymer asking what is it…he then
saw the baby. To my panic, I just lifted her up and was not able to remove her
shirt at once to avoid more clinging – Ray told me to do so. Maybe for about
twenty minutes, I heard my baby crying and screaming. It is unbearable and hurting seeing her cannot
stand the pain that she almost bend her body while standing. Her skin below her right jaw, neck, right
shoulder and armpit was red but worse on
her chest nearly hitting her nipple. It
dripped on the stomach but there, it is not that bad. The wounds turned watery.