Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts

Saturday, 14 July 2007

The block that wasn't...

Three seconds to the final whistle, they were down by nine baskets and the opposing guys were preparing to add insult to injury by slam dunking! Perhaps it was only a two-on-two game, but he could not allow that to happen! It was bad enough that they were going to pay for the beers at the bar, but to also have to live through the taunts of a double-score defeat was simply not on.
His eyes on the ball, he summoned all his energy and run behind the attacking centre, poised to make the block. Almost in slow motion, they both lifted up in the air, the ball landed into the basket, and Epi on the guy's calf.
First to speak was Snap. He spoke loud, with his electric voice rushing through Epi's right leg! Upon hitting the ground, Crackle decided to have a word as well. His message was clear and made it's way to Epi's brain in a flash!
He collapsed on the floor in agony. His best friend V. rushed over to see what happened.
"Oh! It's nothing! I think I twisted my ankle! Nothing that a little cold water can not make good." Epi responded.
Couple of minutes later, they are driving back to the house, discussing what went wrong with the game and, perhaps most importantly, which watering hole to visit for the evening. No problem with the legs. No pain on either of them as Epi was pressing on the gas, or the clutch while shifting gears.
They got to the house within ten minutes. V. got out first while Epi was preparing to place the sun screen on the dashboard. He tried to get out of the car, but on touching the flood with either foot, he felt the electricity flow through his body. Those bastards, Snap and Crackle were still around. Good job Pop missed the party!
He was taken for X-rays, where it was confirmed that he had broken a bone in his left foot and one in his right leg. 100% success! As the radiologist jokingly exclaimed, almost falling of his crutches - he had met with Snap only the previous day on the football field.
Another half an hours drive to the nearest hospital, and Epi was flat on his stomach, with both legs up in the air, and plaster applied to them.
It definitely was not the kind of "plastering" they had in mind when they were making plans for the evening with his mate V!
All that was nothing compared to the phone calls the twenty seven year old guys would have to make to their folks, telling them what had happened. They would go ape with worry, and all kinds of questions would have to be answered.
Phone calls made, the complicated trip to the bathroom handled with success, they sat on the front balcony of V's summer house, staring at the sea, drinking and having a good laugh about life!
At least it meant that Epi was going to be two weeks late going back to work in Nigeria!