By Dorothy (Corey) Nichol-Hack – Oliver, B.C.
I will remember my 13th birthday forever. It was the year mom bought me a pair of secondhand figure skates. The three neighbour boys, my brother, and I were skating on our pond behind the barn.
I was showing off my new skates and as I skated down to the end of the pond I had to make a quick turn. As I did, my right skate with its ‘jigsaw’ blades caught my left skate and I fell. I heard my ankle crack.
I called for my brother to take my skate off because I could feel the swelling immediately. He untied the skate, then ran and got dad. Dad came, picked me up, and took me back to the house. On the way into the house, I hit my broken ankle on the door casing. The pain was excruciating!
After he laid me down on the couch, mom asked him to drive to town and get the doctor. Dr. Epp came in his own car and asked if we had some splints. Dad fashioned some from an apple box. Once the splints were applied, Dr. Epp took me into the city where he put a proper cast on my leg.
The next day was my 13th birthday party.
Everyone enjoyed some cake
Mom had invited all my girlfriends to come after school to our place. We didn’t have a phone, so we couldn’t cancel due to my broken ankle. What a party!
The guests arrived and I was in the living room on the couch. My friends were entertained by my mom, dad, and brother. They had everyone laughing and having a wonderful time.
When it came time for birthday cake, mom went to retrieve it. She’d put the cake on a low shelf in the back porch, out of sight of party guests. When she went out to get it, our dog spotted it first. What a treat for him!
Mom was undaunted. It was a few days before Christmas and she already had her Christmas cakes baked. She took one as a substitute and all were delighted!
