It’s (Not) A Zero | Eskapee

8 Mar 2018

WORDS & PHOTOS x Tommy Mulvoy

Although my wife had every reason to be frustrated with me after I broke my shoulder in two places on a recent mountain bike ride, she didn’t show any initial signs of annoyance. When I told her that I needed to see a doctor, Vicky laughed and quickly found our friend, who speaks German, so he could call the local clinic. She then arranged for transportation and joked about the baseball sized lump sticking out of my upper back.

Within an hour, I was diagnosed with a broken shoulder blade and told to get a CT scan as soon as possible. We decided to delay the scan until we returned back to Basel the next day and enjoyed a night out with our friends where my wife had no qualms making me drink my pain away and laughing at my inability to zip my pants after I went to the bathroom.

At the time Vicky was five months pregnant and was told that she shouldn’t lift anything heavy or exert herself too much, so as she spent the next morning getting me dressed, lifting my bike into the car, and carrying my bags, I figured it wasn’t long before I got a lecture. However, on the drive home, Vicky was still joking about my sad state and getting excited about all of the anti- inflammatory foods she could cook over the next few weeks.