Yesterday’s post reminded me of an earlier post about falling down some steps. This was originally posted on October 27, 2005.
The post about the work being done on the stairs reminded me of this story.
I don’t think I was yet 40 when this happened so it was probably about 1999. We were all at my ex-wife’s parents’. Their home is something over 100-years old and has a nice, big, sturdy staircase.
From the first floor the stairs go up a few steps to a fair-sized landing. They then turn left and continue up to the second floor for about ten steps.
I had just come out of the bathroom and had wet hands from having washed them. As I approached the steps to go down I put my hand out to the rail and somehow slipped. I got enough of my hand on the banister that as I started my head-first fall down the stairs I sort of spun around so that I was on my back. (The graphic is a pretty good representation.)
You know how when traumatic things happen they always seem to happen in slow motion? As I was going down the steps I noticed it was happening in real-time, so I knew I was going to be okay.
Another thing I noticed: Sometimes in Westerns when a guy is falling down the steps he’ll hit the first landing, make the 90-degree turn and fall down the second set of steps to the bottom. As I was sliding down the steps I never thought for a minute that I was going to continue down the lower set. I was pretty sure I was going to stop on the first landing. Certainly I’d go no further than the wall at the back of the landing.
I remember thinking, “Stay calm. This will be over in a second.”
And it was.
The fall sounded something like this: booom-bedy-boom-booom-bedy-boom-booom-bedy-boom-booom-bedy-boom. Followed by a high-pitched Aahhhhh!!!
The “aahhh!!!” was my ex screaming from the kitchen.
I made a very manly no-noise-at-all sound on my trip down the steps.
Whoa. I remember that post from 2005. And behold, my comment from 4 years and 4 months ago!
I fell down the stairs not too long ago. I had a huge scrape down my arm and needed a tetanus shot, which might have even hurt worse than the whole fall. Luckily nothing was broken (on myself or on the stairway). But I sure felt dumb trying to convince the acute care clinic people that I really did fall down the stairs and it wasn’t me covering for an abusive husband or something.
I’m glad you were fine!
I have never fallen down any stairs.
Great. Now I just jinxed myself. No – YOU jinxed me! Thanks a LOT, Delmer!!
This post made me remember another post of yours a couple years ago… You and the boys were at Disney World and was also taking a cruise.
You had bopped your head pretty hard going through the doorway of the Ship’s cabin, forgetting to duck that 6’5″-ish body of yours!
Ouch!
~ZZ
Phoenix: One of the first things I noticed was your comment. It reminded me that *I think* I found you through Michael Gorey’s site.
Tori: The worst thing about both falls I mention is the scraping off of skin. It hurts more than a person would think.
Sybil: Sorry about the jinx … as a computer guy I’m a big believer in them.
Donna: Oh man. The head bang. I remember it like it was yesterday.