Sae was scheduled for surgery on the same day. They had to support his wrist with two screws, and when the bone healed enough, there would be arduous rehabilitation waiting for him.
His mum arrived at the hospital almost at the same time that Sae and his head teacher did, scared to death and half out of her wits. Manager Hoh was a well-put-together woman, but nothing could prepare her for the phone call she got this morning. After seeing her son conscious and in one piece, she almost broke down in tears in the hospital hallway.
A hospital was inherently a place that did not strike a good feeling in one’s heart. Be it that sterile quality of air, the sounds of people in pain, or the tiles that never looked reassuring no matter what colour they tried to pair them with. The last time Manager Hoh was this scared was the day she gave birth to her son.
“As you can see, at a glance, the scene seemed more frightening than it actually was,” Sae’s head teacher was saying, “I talked to the witnesses who were kind enough to help Saering at the site of the accident. They told me your son was alert right away. He behaved very level-headedly.”
Manager Hoh and Sae’s head teacher were still in the midst of talking over what had happened, while Sae got rolled away in a wheelchair to get his second X-ray scan taken.
“You said it happened right outside of school,” said Manager Hoh. “Don’t they have safety measures in school zones? How could a hit-and-run happen just like that?”
“Technically, it wasn’t a hit-and-run. No actual vehicle hit your son.” Sae’s head teacher cleared his throat awkwardly. “Are you intending to involve the authorities in the issue?”
“I don’t know. I want to talk to my son beforehand.” Manager Hoh hugged her upper arms, her fingertips squeezing the sharp bones of her elbows. The action did not make her seem frail, on the contrary, it made her quite fierce.
Sae’s head teacher held out one of the beverages he had purchased and nodded forcefully, “I can’t even imagine how upsetting this all must be for you, but Saering is in good hands now. As it happened to a student of mine, I’m rather frightened by this turn of events as well. The school will try and look into what actually happened, but we’ll need Saering’s help too. I tried to talk to him on the way here, but…” Seeing the distracted look on the woman’s face, the head teacher paused. The phone in his pocket kept ringing on vibrate. The man had delayed answering the phone for a long time now as he wanted to talk about this matter uninterrupted.
“Hoh Saering’s guardian,” a medic called from the end of the hallway. “Please come inside.”
Manager Hoh took a deep breath and the worry written on her face turned to determination and reassurance. She could not let her son see her lose composure. She shot a glance at Sae’s head teacher who was inching away little by little, a hand resting on the trouser pocket in which his phone was.
“For me, it’s probably better to…” Sae’s head teacher pointed to the sliding doors leading outside. “I’ll talk to the principal and make a visit tomorrow,” he vowed solemnly.
“Thank you for taking care of Sae,” Manager Hoh said as parting, without any warmth tinting her voice. The sentence came out more perfunctory than anything. She put the previously acquired beverage on a nearby table, took her bag, and walked to the office adjoined to the scan room.
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It was the next day that Sae’s head teacher went for a home visit, humble and cautious. The young man was laden with a basket of fruit and the principal's mission to find out what exactly happened on the morning of the accident. By this time, Sae got discharged from the hospital and was steadily recovering at home. His mum stayed with him for the first few days, and swapped around her shifts so that she could remain at least half the days at home for the upcoming week.
Sae sat on the sofa while his mum offered warm tea to his head teacher in the kitchen. His mum puffed him with pillows from all sides. His injured arm rested in a half-open cast, tucked inside a sling over his chest. Sae used his mum’s phone to keep in touch with Emi.
A film droned on the TV's screen, one, which Sae did not pay attention to.
"Yes, he'll get the stitches out next week," Sae heard her mother say in the kitchen.
The phone beside his hand flashed with an incoming message.
mimi: He went there personally? Damn. What does he want?
Sae peeked in the direction of the kitchen, and typed:
––To bring into light what transpired. He's so wound up that I can basically see him buzzing. He thinks he's on a secret mission.
Emi sent a string of haha-s. Then, she wrote, In that case, I'm not going over today.
hhhsae: Someone would think you're afraid.
mimi: Someone would think I don't want to run into my literature and language teacher in your house.
Sae pondered for a while before sending the next line.
––Did he go to school?
He could have played it off, trailing over intricate patterns such as, Did anything happen at school? and so forth, finally arriving at the matter he was interested in. But Sae was not fond of those kinds of mental gymnastics. Besides, what did it matter when he already asked once in the morning?
mimi: Yes. I asked around. He didn't show up all day yesterday, and he was late this morning, but someone said they saw him sitting in on the afternoon classes.
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Sae stared at the sentences with scrunched-up eyebrows until another line appeared.
mimi: What I don't get is WHY you ask ME about this... Isn't there someone in your year who could easily provide this information?
Sae’s blinked, his brows gathering into a slight knot. He hesitated awhile, and decided to tease Emi:
––That's not the same as bossing you around.
The little girl could not take it sitting down:
––Very funny. Do you want me to take my bike, and roll over your other arm too, to make it symmetrical?
hhhsae: -_-
hhhsae: I could still call you, even without hands you know.
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Someone cleared their throat, and Sae looked up from the phone’s screen to see his head teacher idling a safe distance away. He locked the phone and put it down on the sofa.
"How are you doing?" Sae’s head teacher took a few steps inside, then sat on the edge of the sofa.
Sae’s leg was in a splint, bolstered up on the soft-cushioned stool. The harsh blue colour of the splint against the creamy cushion was a bit jarring to the eye. He stared at the man across from him, before saying, "Better."
His head teacher looked like he was half-conscious on a good day, and now... he looked ready to collapse. There were bags under his eyes, his gaze fleeting from one point to another, unable to rest. His hair and collar were dishevelled, and he kept a death grip on his bag strap. After a while, he said, "You look younger without your glasses." Sae’s head teacher showed a faint smile.
Commercials full of colour and idiotic slogans flashed on the TV screen. Sae simply stared at the man, his face blank.
What did the other expect from him, really?
The head teacher cleared his throat before telling him, "Your mother said you can return to school in about two weeks." He let go of the bag and clapped his palms together in a single resounding boom. "How wonderful!"
"That is what the doctor told me..." Sae saw his mum step near the kitchen table so she could monitor the situation from far away, and intervene, if needed. He lightly smiled at her and shook his head. His mum nodded and went back to do her thing.
"I understand of course," the teacher continued, "It's not easy, but you were really lucky. You could've been run over, or hit directly... It was a dangerous accident, and it even happened right outside of the school grounds."
Sae’s head teacher pulled something out of the bag set on the low table. "The principal was quite shaken about this issue." The usage of the phrase issue rubbed Sae in the wrong way, but he waited in silence for his teacher to elaborate.
"He's rather interested in your speedy recovery. That's why," Sae’s head teacher opened a book in his lap. "This book is H Junior High’s records of accidents."
Sae narrowed his eyes.
"We must keep records of any, and all major injuries or accidents happening in school regarding its students," the teacher explained, "We've already made an accident record – loosely, on the account of several witnesses. Your mother was also kind enough to read it over and help with some additional information. This incident didn't actually happen on school grounds,” he stopped and added, “Regardless, we still feel somewhat accountable as of the close proximity and as you are a student of our school. We feel it is only acceptable to make a record. Do you understand?"
"...Yes," stated Sae, his tone level. He really did. The school was afraid this might be the result of animosity between pupils, or bullying. Sae and his mother could press charges, pushing the responsibility onto the school. They only wanted to secure themselves by going by the book before something worse would happen.
His teacher put his phone between them on the table and started recording the conversation. "In that case, could you tell me in detail what exactly happened yesterday morning?"
Sae let out a small sigh as he glanced up at the ceiling. This truly was too bothersome. "I wanted to cross the street when a biker passed by. It happened too suddenly. I didn't see them beforehand, so reacted a bit late – slipped on the wet road, and fell." Sae's tone was matter-of-fact. He scratched his eyebrow with his right hand, seemingly bored.
Sae’s head teacher stopped taking notes and looked up. "One of our faculty members was at the scene. You may remember him."
"Never had a class with him."
There was a brief pause before Sae’s head teacher spoke again, "Anyways, he said you got pushed?" The man pinned Sae with a meaningful look. "Do you know what he might have meant by that?"
Sae knitted his brows for effect. "No, I do not."
There came another beat of silence. The teacher pursed his lips into a thin line. "I've already asked you on the way to the hospital, whether you know who pushed you. You said you don't..."
"I don't remember that." Sae interjected. Outwardly he didn’t show a spec of his nerves. No emotion displayed on his face, whatsoever. But inside, he could feel his pulse quickening. He wanted to stop this conversation right now.
However, unknowing of Sae's implied wish, or deliberately ignoring it, his teacher tried once again, "So you weren't pushed... or you simply don't know who––"
"I slipped and fell." Sae looked into the man's eyes. "No one pushed me."
Upon these words, the tension in the room promptly dissipated. Sae’s head teacher heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. He inexplicably felt lucky. This truly was the best outcome for everyone.
The man did not really care that much about Sae's thoughts. That was to be expected. This time, the pressure of higher-ups pressing down on his shoulders was heavier than his morals as a teacher. "Thank you. If you'd like to read over the record," he started but Sae cut him off with a shake of his head. He would not get to see it even if he wanted, and both of them knew that. The offer was, but a mere gesture. The accident records book made its way back into the teacher's leather bag without further ado.
"Is there anything else?" asked Sae. "I'm a bit tired."
"Oh. Yes, yes, of course. I will be going then." He put his phone away. "I hope you recover quickly. I'll send you the main materials or anything else that comes up. If there's time, I'll visit again."
Another empty promise.
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Sae’s mum, true to her impeccable sense, moved in to accompany the head teacher out. Once the man left, she walked into the living room and sat down next to her son. "Do you need anything?" she asked, concerned. Her hand absently swept over Sae's forehead and fringe. "Another painkiller?"
Sae shook his head and smiled, "I'll take a nap."
"Okay." His mum walked with him into his bedroom.
"What was in the record?" Sae asked while he peered at his mum.
"Nothing much, it’s the same as what your teacher told you." His mum hesitated before continuing. "Are you sure nothing else happened?"
Up to this point, Sae’s mum had not thought about the possibility of Sae getting picked on or left out in any part of his life. Now, the possibility showed itself a sliver, and she could not help but worry.
"Mum, it's true," Sae empathised. His gaze was very transparent, and his expression seemed pure. "We’ve already talked about this. It was an accident, nothing else."
His mum looked at him for a moment longer before smiling faintly. She nodded and said, "Rest well." She walked out of the room, closing the door once she left.
Sae lay down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Contrary to what he had said, his body and mind did feel the impact of the accident. That fall left a handful of bruises and scrapes over both his left and right sides. Those were the external marks.
In his head though, distress wrecked, messing up his thoughts. Up until yesterday, what he thought he knew was proved incorrect. Sae had to assess things anew, but there were big portions of this current problem-set still missing, indeterminate.
One of the dependent variables let loose, turning into an independent one.