Standing Only

It was December 1951. I had just been discharged from hospital where I had undergone an arthrodesis of my right knee which rendered it unable to bend; locking it in a straight position. I was sitting on a tram on the lower deck where there was a long seat on either side; the passengers facing one another. It was leading up to Christmas and a lady boarded the tram laden with parcels up to eye-level. She did not see my leg stretched across the alleyway and before I could move she had tripped over my leg, her parcels scattering everywhere. I was mortified, however it taught me a lesson. If there wasn't a seat available at the far end of the tram I'd have to stand!