Angels

I can't remember the exact day that it happened. It was four years ago; my final year in secondary school. I remember being preoccupied with preparing for the final year examination while training for the upcoming cheerleading competition. Every day was repetitive: go to school for classes, cheerleading practice when school's out, rush for tuition class as soon as cheer's over. Another thing I remember clearly - I was arguing with my family on that morning before it all happened. We were on the way to school as usual. 7 of us squeezing in a 5 seater saloon car; not very comfortable. I had a big family. We weren't very affluent and couldn't afford a 7 seater MPV. It was a blur of events but I remember angry voices trapped in that tiny enclosed area. I remember feeling miserable, probably due to the onslaught of  adversities that plagued my worrisome mind the past few days. I remember being taunted by the wind words that kept replaying in my mind. "If only these would all end, if only these would all end."

I left for school that morning feeling extremely unsettled. The 20 minutes journey to school was neither enough for my family to convince me that I should apologize, nor vice versa. I was considered a fairly diplomatic person, so I decided to bury my foul mood lest I offended anyone in school. School was as per normal, and so was cheer practice, albeit the occasional slightly emotional moments when tears would start welling up in my eyes and I had to hold them back. 

6.00p.m. I glanced sideways to my black Casio watch while rehearsing the last portion of our cheer routine. I was running late for tuition. As soon as we hit the last beat of the final routine, I picked up my belongings, changed into my pinafore (the typical uniform for an all-girls school) and ran for the bus stop. As usual, I didn't have time to shower and hang out with the other girls. I ran out of the hall, down the stairs, taking two steps at a time, and out of the main gate - an action that I've growned so used to that it became second nature. My quadriceps were aching with every step that I took, despite the Counterpain that I spammed before cheer practice. I ignored the burn in my thighs and doubled my pace, not wanting to miss any bit of tuition class.

I drew out my orange Nokia N8 and started typing:

Sorry Miss Jane, I might be slightly late today. Rushing down now.

I had reached the main road outside of my school gate. I looked to my peripherals for oncoming vehicles - none that was close enough to threaten my safety. My assessment for jaywalking had been fairly accurate for all my life. Not until that moment. It all happened in a split second. I ran across the road confidently while pressing the "send" button on my cell phone. About one-tenth of a second later, a large impact knocked me over and sent me flying. There was a sharp pain in my left elbow as I heard the shattering of glass just before I landed on the ground - head first. My vision was blurred. No, I wasn't having a concussion, my glasses flew off. 

I laid motionlessly on the pavement, attempting to garner whatever little energy that I had left to push myself up but to no avail. I caught a glimpse of the fairly big navy blue vehicle that had knocked me over - the back view of it becoming smaller and smaller as it inched away hesitantly before finally coming to a stop. A huge wave of relief swept over me. I thought the driver was going to leave me lying on the pavement all alone. It was about 6.12p.m. No one else would be leaving school by the main gate at that timing. I would've been left there to bleed and bleed to death - my pinafore was torned and soaked in blood. 

A scrawny-looking man in business suit stepped out of the driver's seat and stalked towards me. He seemed to be on his phone. Only when he was a few feet away that I heard him talking to, presumably, his wife. "I just got into an accident. Yeah yeah, I'm okay. Can you pick the kids up? I've gotta settle this. Hold on." He finally looked at me. "Do you need an ambulance?" He asked impatiently.

I nodded, despite my mind yelling, "YOU THINK?!" He resumed his conversation on the phone before finally calling for the ambulance. It was a long and excruciating 20 minutes before the ambulance arrived. With blood staining my pinafore all over, I thought that I was going to die. I was losing too much blood. My eyelids were heavy and I was exhausted; tempted to shut my eyes and rest my head right there on the pavement. My mind wandered to earlier that day, to the wind words that I had chanted, "if only these would all end". It was now going to all end. And I wished it wasn't. I thought of my parents and the sacrifices they made while raising me up, and how the last memory they would have of me was the argument we had in the morning. Tears started pouring out of my eyes as I pictured their broken faces when they hear of my accident. I pressed my lips together to stifle my sobs, not wanting the heartless driver to see how pathetic I was. So this was what it felt to have flashbacks of your life just before you die...

I waited and waited. The ambulance hadn't arrived, and neither did darkness and emptiness and death. In fact, I was getting better. I started regaining my energy and was able to wiggle myself up to a sitting position. Suddenly, I knew I was going to survive.

Despite how weary I was, I never held a blink for more than two seconds throughout the entire journey to the hospital. I didn't want to slip into slumber. By the time I arrived at the Accident & Emergency unit, I was too worn out that I couldn't concentrate on the situation at hand. I was roughly aware of being pushed around in a wheelchair, the anxious faces of my parents and relatives, going through multiple x-rays scans, being wrapped in layers and layers of bandage, and being questioned by the police officers. It was finally over, I thought to myself as I rested my eyes. I was finally safe with my family.

I awoke to the sound of my dad's fury. I was home. "Compensation?! That's ridiculous!" And he hung up the phone. "Sorry darling, did I wake you up?" The deep set wrinkles between his brows surfaced as he looked at me with great concern. I shook my head and pout my lips to left, giving him the indication to explain to me what was going on. He started off extremely annoyed, rambling on and on about how unreasonable the driver was. And indeed, he was absurd - he called for compensation because his had to send his car for repair! After a few moments, the angst on my dad's face eased away and was replaced by a look of amusement. 

"He said his car plate flew off, his bumper was dented and his windscreen shattered! And it wasn't just any normal car, it was a Toyota Wish! That doesn't even make sense! A huge car and a tiny you. You're perfectly fine - oh, the doc said there were no broken bones, just abrasions! Okay, where was I? Abrasions, abrasions.. Oh yeah you're perfectly fine and his huge car is wrecked!! You know Mel, it must have been the angels protecting you. The police managed to find an eye witness - you know, your school guard? Yeah, he said that the car was going at a really high speed, he thought you wouldn't survive."

And then his expression changed again - a mix of anxiety and anger. "What were you thinking?! Why didn't you look out for vehicles before crossing the road??? Do you know how worried I was?? I was in the midst of giving a sermon when mom came up to tell me the news. Imagine leaving the congregation there! Thank God they were extremely understanding."

I smirked, and I immediately felt guilty. "Edward Cullen. I'm Edward Cullen! I destroyed that vehicle, I'm invincible!" I thought to myself. "I've got to tell everyone!" And so I did. I texted my close friends, and announced it on Facebook and Twitter.

That night, I closed the door of my room to do my routine prayers and bible study. It suddenly dawned upon me that I had not given praise to God for being alive and well. I recalled what my dad said earlier in the day - angels. Angels protecting me. That sounded familiar, as though it was from a verse I memorized in Sunday school when I was little. I flipped open my bible and scanned through the book of Psalm before finally spotting the passage that I was looking for.

"11 For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 

12 On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone."

Psalm 91:11-12

It must have been a miracle! I was overjoyed as I finally had my first testimony to share. I shared it with my youth ministry, and I brought it to junior college to share it with the school during the evangelical concert. I wanted everyone to know about God's reality in my life. 

Over the years, trials and tribulations have discouraged me and even caused me to doubt His faithfulness. Yet, whenever I think about this small incident, it never fails to remind me of His great mercies. I can brave the fiercest storms because I have a battalion of angels behind me!