dad
written by my sister about me:
caravan in toronto comes at a time when the tourist season is at it's peak and everyone is looking for a fun summer activity. during caravan delegations from around the world get together to celebrate their cultures and nationalities with food, song and dance.
after a long day of caravan hopping, my family walked back to the car which was illegally parked outside a major shopping mall and to boot, the battery had died. the car wouldn't start and we were stranded outside the mall in the polluted heat for what felt like hours. my sister who was four at the time was resting on my mother's lap and i was pacing with my dad. i was ready to put my head down too when suddenly my mother cried "iman has swallowed a penny!". it was true, my sister found a penny on the ground, put it in her mouth and took it back. my father, frantic after hearing the news grabbed my little sister and commenced what he referred to as 'first aid' with reckless abandon.
first my father put his arms around her tiny waist and started to thrust. and as he did, her legs shot up in the air with every pull. everyone around, including the people dining on the near-by patio watched in horror as my father's technique produced no penny. he continued to thrust in all directions and just as his version of the heimlich maneuver started to resemble an erratic three-point turn, a young lady stepped off the patio and approached my dad. in a kind voice she said "hello, my name is nancy and i'm a nurse. i've got to tell you that if that little girl is breathing, it means she's not choking. you don't need to do that (referring to my father's first aid)."
my father, still not satisfied with nurse's advice, stood in the middle of the road waving his arms in the style of an airport traffic conductor and hailed a police cruiser. he opened the back door of the car, threw my mother and sister in, and announced to the police in the front "my daughter has swallowed a penny, take them to the hospital." and slammed the door shut.
my sister wasn't choking and there was no real emergency. the doctors at the hospital told my mom that the penny would simply "come out the other way" and to keep an eye on her stool until it came out. i bet my dad still has his lucky penny.
true story.
caravan in toronto comes at a time when the tourist season is at it's peak and everyone is looking for a fun summer activity. during caravan delegations from around the world get together to celebrate their cultures and nationalities with food, song and dance.
after a long day of caravan hopping, my family walked back to the car which was illegally parked outside a major shopping mall and to boot, the battery had died. the car wouldn't start and we were stranded outside the mall in the polluted heat for what felt like hours. my sister who was four at the time was resting on my mother's lap and i was pacing with my dad. i was ready to put my head down too when suddenly my mother cried "iman has swallowed a penny!". it was true, my sister found a penny on the ground, put it in her mouth and took it back. my father, frantic after hearing the news grabbed my little sister and commenced what he referred to as 'first aid' with reckless abandon.
first my father put his arms around her tiny waist and started to thrust. and as he did, her legs shot up in the air with every pull. everyone around, including the people dining on the near-by patio watched in horror as my father's technique produced no penny. he continued to thrust in all directions and just as his version of the heimlich maneuver started to resemble an erratic three-point turn, a young lady stepped off the patio and approached my dad. in a kind voice she said "hello, my name is nancy and i'm a nurse. i've got to tell you that if that little girl is breathing, it means she's not choking. you don't need to do that (referring to my father's first aid)."
my father, still not satisfied with nurse's advice, stood in the middle of the road waving his arms in the style of an airport traffic conductor and hailed a police cruiser. he opened the back door of the car, threw my mother and sister in, and announced to the police in the front "my daughter has swallowed a penny, take them to the hospital." and slammed the door shut.
my sister wasn't choking and there was no real emergency. the doctors at the hospital told my mom that the penny would simply "come out the other way" and to keep an eye on her stool until it came out. i bet my dad still has his lucky penny.
true story.