Wow, what a day.

Amanda & I have a saying that goes back to the Summer Mission in 2001. Actually, it's a saying for the 5 of us, but since we are 2 of the 5, it still counts. The saying: "Never a dull moment."

Well, Saturday, September 8, 2007, was not dull at all.

Saturday was move-in day for Amanda. Her mom, dad, pastor, sister and two nieces, Mikayla (6) and Ally (2) came down from Monroe to help. (The former 3 this morning with a trailer in tow, the latter last night with boxes.) Since Mikayla & Ally are both a bit young to do anything but unload a box, or drag an empty box outside (respectively, of course), they were sold on the idea of swimming in the pool at Flowergate.

I've not mentioned this pool before, simply because I am not a pool person. I don't have a pool pass.

Well, the morning was filled with furniture moving, up two flights of stairs no less, and box unloading. Lunch was sandwiches at 2 PM, along with sparkling white grape juice to celebrate the occasion. Then, it was time to get ready for the pool. Neither of the girls can really swim, so since there would have to be an adult (Aunt Amanda) supporting them in the pool anyway, cramping was a non-issue.

Big sister Mikayla got her bathing suit on, and Ally had to follow suit.

Big sister Mikayla went outside, in anticipation, and Ally had to go too.

- This is where I go outside myself: the stairs leading up to/down from Amanda's apartment aren't exactly level, and they're too short to reach the handrail. This is also where it gets interesting. -

Big sister Mikayla paces up and down the stairs, and I stop her, inferring that Ally's going to want to do it, too.

I use the logic to convince them to slow down and be patient: they didn't have towels with them, and you can't go swimming without a towel. Besides, Amanda was still putting on her bathing suit.

It's at this point that Mikayla decides to go back inside, and was not quick with the door. Myself, sitting cross-legged about 4 feet away, couldn't tell that Ally's fingers had gotten in the door jamb.

The unthinkable happened.

Mikayla closed the door, not in a slamming fashion, but enough to crush Ally's fingertips. It took about a half-second of blood-curdling scream for me to realize what had just happened, and I jumped for the doorknob.

What the next 4 minutes involved can only be described as organized panic. Ally's right pinky finger was bleeding profusely, and the tip had nearly been severed.

Aunt Amanda rode with Marcie & Ally in the ambulance to Children's Hospital in New Orleans, by the river. I drove myself, Amanda's & Marcie's parents, and Mikayla in my car. (I took the interstate, didn't speed, and beat the ambulance by 10 minutes.)

Out goes the swimming pool.

Out goes the real-time merciless berating of my friend Earl, who swore that Michigan would redeem itself against Oregon and VaTech would upend LSU.

Out goes the second Walmart trip.

Out goes the trip to get an iPod on clearance.

Out goes the trip to get my new glasses.

Since I was the only one driving, we ended up with only one vehicle at the hospital. Amanda & I went back to the apartment to pick up her Tracker and some clothes for Ally & Mikayla. We spent 20 minutes trying to find her keys, which had been covered by a pillow in the haste to leave the apartment 2 hours earlier.

All told, 8 hours after the incident, Ally was discharged at 11 PM. She has stitches in her right pinky, and it's unknown if enough of the nail bed remains, that she would still have 10 fingernails after this ordeal. X-rays confirm that the finger is broken as well, and she'll have to see an orthopedist next week in Monroe, to make sure the bone set correctly.

Fortunately for her, she's only 2 years old and will likely not remember this.

Never a dull moment.

One point of interest: when asked who she wanted to ride home with, she said "Uncle Byron," or so I was told. I don't know if she was lucid (well, as lucid as a 2-year-old could be), but I'd definitely say that qualifies as putting words in my mouth.

Anyway, I've spent so long on this entry just to wait up to see the second showing of Bleach. In any case, I need sleep.

-KIE