English

29.12.2006

CLOSE TO DEATH THE SECOND TIME 8

CLOSE TO DEATH THE SECOND TIME

                         Vlll

 

       At long last I was having my first summervacation while employed at Heimir ltd.  in the succession of working steadily for a year and a half, eventhough I didn't afford to take a wageless leave. 

 

 The vacation-money which I'd received in May was long since gone. 

 

 But for the lack of money I decided after a four day leave to return to work on Friday the 30. of June 1984.

 

  That day turned out to be very fateful and be of great importance for my future and my family's.   

 

       The company owned two fork-lifts;

 

 one diesel and a noisy one, primarily for outdoor use, but the other electric and quiet for use in the large reception-room, where the fish is received for the process. 

 

  Eventhough being very convenient in most ways the electric fork-lift had one vital fault, which was that it didn't wail when it backed, despite what the law decided. 

 

 For that reason the workers had to keep a weathered eye on the vehicle in the reception-room when it was on the move, to and fro.

 

        The best fish was put into the Baader-beheading and -flitchingmachine and soforth straight on the conveyor belt, where women  groomed it, packaged it and put into small colored boxes, which they disposed of on special pans, which the apparatus-boys slammed into the freezers.

 

  When the fish was frozen the boys put the boxes into larger marked paper-cases and desposed of them in the large freezing-room, where they waited for exporting day.

 

      The lesser fish was flatten out in a special machine and then put into big metaltubs, where the fish lay in salted water for a period.

 

      The worst material which usually was fish that had died in the nets, was hanged up for drying in special stockfish-hovels by the road to Grindavik-town.

 

     This Friday when I returned to work there wasn't much activity. 

 

 Therefore I was ordered to clean the floor in the reception-room with the thick and powerful waterhose. 

 

  Simultaneously the forklift-conductor on the elecric one was transporting the saltfish-tubs to and fro in the room. 

 

  Absent-minded standing on the middle of the floor I concentraded all my attention on floating some fishoffal into the drain, when suddenly I got a tremendous blow on my back-side.

 

       The blow was so enormous, that I dropped the raging hose from my hands and fell flat on the soaking wet unpainted cemented floor.

 

  Before I was able to stand up something gigantically heavy came crawling up my left leg. 

 

      Where I lay flat on my stomach it struck me instantly that this was it, I was going to die. 

 

 The fear of dying increased just as the pressure went upper the soring leg. 

 

      In an instant this enormous pressure which I didn't reckon what the hell was, had climbed up the whole leg.

 

  But it stopped, where else but on my huge left asschin. 

 

  Suddenly it crawled back down my leg.

 

      I jumped up to my feet. 

 

 Crazy with fear I stood rigid and shaking for a moment.

 

  In a short moment Petur the conductor came and put his hand under my arm.
 

      -Pardon me, he begged.  I could feel that something was the matter, when I backed with the saltfish-tub, he said when he took under my arm.

 

       There I stood stiff on the wet floor;

 

 looking down my legs and noticing to my dismay a ripped-up seam on my fairly new jeans that reached all the way up to my left hip. 

 

      But for my complacency I also saw that the black rubber-boots seemed to be quite alright. 

 

     I had managed to buy both in May with a big part of my vacation-salary.  

 

      I was dreadfully cold.

 

  I was trembling and shivering all over, besides that the pressure in my left leg had become unbearable to say the least.

 

       Come on, the seasoned forklift-controller ordered  and dragged me like I were a dumb dog out through the big door of the reception-room. 

 

 Let's go visit a doctor in the Hospital and ask him to take a look at you.

       I could both feel and hear the splashing in my left boot, which was replete with my blood which is in the very popular

 

                        O-. 

 

      The forklift-controller, a red headed, very fit man and of the same age as my brother opened speedingly the door on the passenger's side on his blue, Japanese car and put me down in the front-seat. 

 

 He himself took the other seat by the steering-wheel and on we went.

 

       When most of the shock had left me I suddenly became same old me, I started joking around, making a fool of myself. 

 

 Tried to deminish what had happened. 

 

 Petur on the other hand didn't join in the foolishness; determinated with a serious face he steered his car the shortest way towards the Keflavik's Hospital. 

 

      He supported me where I leant on him until we were inside the new building where The Health Care of the Sudurnes is located and informed that I'd been in an accident at work.

 

      The only thing I remember from my dealings with Kristjan the head-doctor when he aided my wounds, was something like:  

 

  I'm quite sure that what saved you from breaking your bones are these enormous thighs you have.