Confession

Something happened a couple weeks ago that has shaken me terribly. I have been reluctant to talk about it because I didn't want people to worry, and the only reason I'm saying anything now is because I think there's something important to learn from it.

I almost killed a three-year-old girl.

I was driving home on a narrow stretch of road in Saigon, when a child I spotted on the side of the road (who I thought was going to stay on the side of the road) decided she wanted to be directly in front of me. I'll never forget the sound of that kid's head hitting the fender.

Within seconds a crowd of Vietnamese was around me. Her Dad was calm, but other people tried to talk to me, and I didn't understand. I was horrified. One kid looked at me like I just strangled his puppy. The look is branded on my mind.

Thankfully I didn't see any blood. The child was hysterical, though. I ending up riding the child and her father to the "hospital", a one room roadside shack. We had x-rays taken, and the father told me he wanted me to pay for the service. That was ok with me, because he was obviously poor. I noticed though, that he told me a figure higher than the actual bill. So he wanted something for punitive damage. Whatever.

Then, when all was ok, the child was quiet and in her mother's arms, the man basically extorted about $40 out of me. He said it was for medicine, even though I'd already paid for that. I didn't care though- I just wanted far away, and to be done with the whole nightmare. I would have paid much more.

Later though, I started to think about what happened, and correct me if you think I'm wrong. This man took advantage of a frightened foreigner and a frightened child to capitalize on the pain of his daughter and take money that wasn't coming to him. It was a pure accident, and he knew it- His hands were even shaking when I gave him the money.

I know poverty can sometimes make people do deplorable things -but shame on you, my friend.