There was no facility of the surgical department in that hospital I have taken the child. So he had his wound cleaned and got a painkilling injection. There I looked at his wound, and turned out having doubts why it was already so dried. Below the ankle of right leg, there was about 5-cm wound with the skin coming off toward the instep, and it was not bleeding. From there we drove to a special hospital to see a surgeon, and had his wound stitched up. It was my first time to go to a hospital in Laos, but it was so unsanitary that I was totally astonished. They were not equipped with medical instruments. There was neither a reception nor a waiting room. Though an X-ray was supposed to be taken before the surgery, just because they could not find their technician, it was postponed until after the surgery. By that time, my husband has arrived with his Laotian secretary, and we found out that my insurance would cover the doctor's fee. I was relieved to see the result of the X-ray showing that everything was all right with his bone, but he still had to stay in the hospital for two weeks. What surprised me there was to see the mother of this 11-year-old boy eating his dinner in big mouthfuls. On the following day, when I was in the car my husband was driving to go shopping, an idea suddenly stroke me. My car is a four-wheeled with large tires. The boy's wound below the ankle was not bigger than 5cm, and there was not even a scratch besides that one. Suppose if the tire has scooped out his skin in the ankle, how come his toe fingers came out uninjured? In addition, he had the wound in his right leg, but considering the direction in which my car was going, he should have been hit right from the front. If I ran him over, how did his leg got hit? Énow the doubts are arising. I put my leg in a variety of ways to imagine how such accident could happen, but I just could not make out.

On the next day, I went to the insurance company to make a report of the accident. A clerk looked to be wondering how his bone came out unhurt. Then he told me that he would inquire of the doctor who performed the surgery about it to get more information. Then, the result he got by inquiring was "Accident." It probably was a natural result because if it was not an accident caused by me, the boy would have to bear the doctor's fee. Both he and his parents were gaunt, and looked very poor. I can understand if a doctor would want to take pity on them, particularly because they are both Laotians. It seems impossible to investigate into the truth. Yet, according to the insurance company, this kind of accident, which appears to be caused purposely against a foreigner, is quite common recently. Hearing that, I thought "That kind of thing can happen in LaosÉ?" and had feelings of astonishment and sadness growing in my mind. But now, I am hoping that he will recover quickly, and that, importantly, they will not ask me for more in future. I guess you are wondering how they could tell that I was a foreigner though I am an Asian, aren't you? Well, in Laos, the color of license plate is different for foreigners, Laotians, government officials, and military-related people respectively.

Translated by Maiko Noda