A regular sort of accident

My wok sizzled with aroma of freshly pressed garlic as I added the pork mince. I tossed the wok around a little ensuring that it would be evenly browned. Although I didn't have the sauces I usually had, I was playing things by ear and making things up a little to create my ; little version of MaPo Tofu; tofu with mince pork in a spicy black bean paste. 


Steam wafted up from the wok as I tossed the pork around the wok with a flick of the wrist. White flowing ethereal forms were drawn up towards the rangehood that hummed away in the background. My attention was drawn away by a cracking noise coming from the stack of plates nearby. This dish would be ready very quickly so I decided it would be best to move and unstack them now. I hefted the short stack of plates up as a searing pain suddenly shot through my finger. Trying not to break the plates, I dropped them quickly on the bench revealing the cause of my agony. A stove hob had accidentally been turned on underneath the stack of plates and had heated them up to a searing temperature. My finger now had a deep imprint from the base of the plates right in the middle of the braised fleshed. I ran to the sink and immersed my finger in cold water to stop my finger from cooking any further while trying not to shout out any profanities. 


Grasping my finger with my left hand, I sank my finger to the bottom of the sink, digging my nails into my finger in an attempt to relieve the torment. Hopping up and down, for what seemed like eternity, didn't help either. Eventually, the pain subsided just a fraction enough for me to hobble as quickly as I could to my first aid kit to slather my finger in anti-septic and wrap it in a bandage. 

After several minutes, I took a deep breath and returned back to the kitchen. Dinner still had to be finished for the guests after all. On the bright side, the throbbing in my finger had temporarily distracted me from my pain downstairs. Despite many changes in my life, there are also still some things that don't change...