“…and suddenly I’m flat on my back. I think ‘Holy shit! I was just hit by a car.’” Tod recounted. “Then I see a van cruise by and slow down. It pulls away, and I think, ‘Damn, a hit-and-run!’”

But the van was just getting out of the traffic. The driver and his four mates jumped out, collected Tod’s bicycle, offered to call the police and ambulance. Tod, hyped up on adrenaline, insisted he was fine and refused medical help but did accept a ride home in the van, conversing in Japanese about their work.

Luckily, he is pretty much alright. His left shoulder collided with the van, throwing him from the bike onto his back. There’s a dent in the vehicle and an ugly swollen bruise on his shoulder and arm. He’s got some scrapes and abrasions but he was wearing his helmet, so his head’s fine. After a night’s sleep, he’s feeling achy and tired but otherwise seems normal.

He and the driver exchanged contact details, and half an hour after he got home, the Ootsubo-san called to check up on him and reiterated he’d bear any medical costs and repairs to the bike. (So much more civil than “my insurance company will call your insurance company and we’ll settle out of court,” don’t you think?)

Tod’s biggest pain is me asking him to describe his pains. I know he won’t go to the hospital if he can avoid it, so I feel like I have to monitor his swellings, aches, concussion and possible sites of infection. He says this accident is less painful than the time he wiped out on his bike in suburban Chicago and he survived that, so I’m trying not to fuss too much.

Anyway, happy holiday weekend.