The Day that Changed My Life
Li Keqiao
Cold rain fell down my collar, mixing with the sweat on my forehead. I opened my hand, and a few white painkillers were almost wet in my palm. I looked down at my old spike shoes. The pins were worn down, just like how I felt. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my left knee. It was a familiar feeling, and it made me gasp. That pain was like a key, opening up my memories.
My mind went back to two months ago. I was standing behind a white line on the track, breathing hard. My heart was beating fast. I only needed three steps to jump far and break my own record. I took the first step, and the track felt strong under my foot. On the second step, wind rushed past my ears. Then the third step. I pushed with all my strength, but “Pop!” A cracking sound came from my knee, like a dry branch breaking. I didn’t jump. Instead, the world spun around me, and I fell to the ground. My mouth was filled with dirt, and all I heard was my heart pounding and my coach shouting.
With great discomfort and loneliness, I was brought to the hospital. It smelled of bleach. I was left alone with the humming machine in the MRI room.
The doctor pointed at my MRI scan with his pen.
“Your knee ligament is badly torn here,” he said calmly. “It’s almost broken. You should have surgery.”
“Can I not have surgery? I have my sports test in two months,” my voice sounded strange.
He looked at me, “You can choose a simpler treatment,” he said slowly. “But that will only allow you to walk normally. No running, no jumping, no sprinting for at least two years.”
The room felt stuffy and quiet. It was hard for me to breathe.
The cold rain brought me back to now. The painkillers in my hand were simply a joke: they could stop the pain for a while, but they couldn’t fix me. I looked at the 100-meter track, wet with rain. It looked long and far away, a place I could never reach. I opened my palm and let the pills fall into a puddle. Then I turned around and walked slowly away from the track, limping with each step.
The rain kept falling, but I knew it was time to stop.
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