In which Nahida falls into a door

On By TFFIn uncategorized

Back at my mother’s house for the holidays, I took to dancing ballet in my bedroom. I did not reveal to my mother that this is why I slipped, dear readers, though I am disclosing it to you. This is not because I am embarrassed for dancing ballet—for I assure you that I am quite graceful and light on my feet—but rather horrified at having been conquered by the laws of physics, unusually enforced since I had slipped and “fallen” (propelled?) into a doorknob; upon which occasion, as I had been sweeping through the air, my right eye came crashing down onto the closed door.

I staggered backward and, leaning over from the doorknob punching me in the stomach, held my hand over my aching eye. My mother had heard the noise and come through the door, and demanded at once to know what had happened and whether I was all right. Gradually I began feeling light-headed, which I was not happy about, because that is sort of pathetic.

I needed to lie down, and plopped facedown on my bed with my mother still asking what had happened, and at that point I gathered myself enough to rise and inspectively remove my hand from my eye.

Seeing my face, my mother screamed. “Nahida, you’re bleeding!”

I looked down at my hand, and there was blood. The door had cut me right above the eye. I blinked. Blood moved off my eyelashes. Still dizzy, I grudgingly fell back on the bed as my mother ran out of the room to retrieve Neosporin bandages and cotton balls.

“I’m dizzy,” I objected as she attempted to stop the bleeding.

“Then stay lying down,” she pushed me back. “What if this happened at the university and not at home? I wouldn’t have been able to take care of you! This is swelling, it will bruise. What if your glasses had shattered and the glass blinded you? What were you doing!”

“I slipped,” was all I said. I could not inform my mother that I had been dancing, or else endure a lecture (I kid you not) on the dangers of grown women leaping through the air.

At the age of 20, I would not surrender my leaping rights. (Or ever, really.)

Feeling happy, I grinned.

“How can you slip on carpet?” my mother asked incredulously as I giggled. At this point the older of my two little brothers walked into the room and, upon sighting the blood dripping from my eyebrow and off my hand, swerved to the left and winced.

“How would I place a bandage here?” she asked him. “Her eyebrow is here. Your eyebrows are beautiful, I hope this doesn’t scar,” she said mournfully.

No, I protested, my eyebrow!

This must have been a punishment for my vanity. Dear God, I thought lying in bed. I appreciate very much that You have given me amazing eyebrows that I’ve never had to pluck or shape. I would be thankful if You did not take them away just yet. Also, if You could make me not faint, I would retain some dignity.

My brother lightly swung the door and attempted in confusion to reenact what he imagined was the fall. “How do you fall vertically?” he asked.

“I think a jinn pushed her,” my mother said solemnly. “Nahida, I keep telling you to tie up your hair, letting it loose attracts jinn!”

In short, I am fine, though anticipating a black eye, and possibly a bruised cheekbone. Anyhow, this is the most exciting thing that will happen to me all break, so I am only amused.

15 thoughts on “In which Nahida falls into a door”

  1. Khadeeja

    ” loose hair attracts jinn”. I have been told a variant of that too. Always wonder if it’s loose hair of a certain length. What exactly is so attractive ?!

    Anyway. Glad to hear you are okay. Hope the eye heals perfectly inshallah. Although a scar in one’s eyebrow has always smacked of an adventurous life to me (possible bias alert given the fact that I sported one for the large part of my existence :p)

    Like

    Reply
      1. Khadeeja

        Erm, I wish :p I slipped down a flight of stairs and hit the rim of a tyre when I was five. I needed stitches. Totally not badass but I would like to believe people imagine the scar as badass (you cant see it anymore though because I thread my eyebrows).

        Like

        Reply

  2. Oh Ouch! Hope it heals nicely for you, and doesn’t hurt too much.

    I always find those kinds of accidents embarassing because of the tone of concern people give you when you tell them “I walked into a door” or “I fell on a doorknob” (especially if one has a significant other, who then gets the stinkeye) like they don’t actually believe you.

    Like

    Reply

  3. First of all, so sorry to hear that you hurt yourself! How terribly painful. Insha’Allah it doesn’t scar — though I too sport an awesome scar on my eyebrows (which I dutifully have to pluck… lucky!). Enjoy the smothering from mama because you’re going to get tonnes while you’re home for the holiday. You’ll miss it when you’re 30.

    Secondly,… hahahHAHAAHAHhahah.

    Thirdly, I also hear that whistling attract Jinn. So best not do that either.

    And finally, every time I read your posts I make dua’a that Eryn grows up to be just like you. Not only are you a fierce feminist muslimah — but you’re not afraid to dance like a fool alone in your bedroom.

    And that’s just awesome.

    Like

    Reply
  4. Flint

    I have a scar on one of my eyebrows from where I walked into a door frame in high school. Hard enough it bled and required stitches. o.O

    If you do scar we’ll form a club. :D You, me, Khadeeja, and all your other scarred eyebrow readers.

    Like

    Reply
  6. almostclever

    1. I am so glad you are ok.
    2. My god you shine through your words.

    I want a book from you, 400 pages at least – fiction or non. I am not picky, although I am demanding :)
    I would be one of the first in line at Barnes N Nobles, so there’s that also.

    Like

    Reply

  7. Oh my! Hope you are alright now. Poor you :( You must have given your mother a scare. My son burst his lip today and I was shaking life a leaf. Take care, darling, and tie up your hair ;)

    Like

    Reply

  8. Oy, sorry I’m so late on this, but I hope you’re doing ok. It was great, though, that you were able to treat the situation with the solemnity it deserved and giggle about it.

    And I’m second in line for the book.

    What is it with so many people sporting eyebrow scars? When I was a small toddler, I threw a temper tantrum and banged my head against a piece of art that had seashells with sharp edges. My earliest memory is of the emergency room doc stitching my eyebrow area. Sadly, the scar faded by the time I was 30, so I’ve nothing to point to and say “I got it while rock climbing”, “I was hit by shrapnel”, or any other ridiculous heroic-sounding untruths.

    (I can’t comment on hair and jinn, seeing as I’m totally ignorant about jinn…)

    Like

    Reply
  9. Selina

    I had a similar accident when I was 10 and acquired a scar over my left eyebrow of plastic surgery proportions. It may have left a gap in my eyebrow but I still have my eye which was the good thing that came out of it :P if it was an inch lower I would have lost it. I’ll take my 3/4 eyebrow over that anyday. I hope you’re alright and you must always carry on leaping :P

    Like

    Reply

  10. I guess I can only be third in line for the book then, but I’ll definitely be there!

    Hope you’re much better now, I’m sure your mum has been fussing around you.

    I have a small scar, more like a dent, in the left side of my forehead, I fell onto the corner of our washing machine when I was 3 :P

    Like

    Reply

Discuss.