This is what I looked like on my first day. I looked worse on day two, with a bladder of blood under my eye as well. I still look like I was hit by a train, but not because of the accident. I always look that bad. I still have a black eye, after three weeks and a big red scar.

I find it amusing how people avoid looking at me. It’s impossible not to see the wound, but people I encounter, pretend not to be looking at it. Only children stare. One kid even commented on how he had had a similar wound on the back of his head. He’s about the only person in the last three weeks who’s admitted he sees it.