Fainting Fathers

                To start off, you have to know my dad is not good with blood or injuries. Whenever there is a bloody nose or a rather gory show, special precautions have to be taken with my dad. He just gets a bit woozy in the head but is fine after minute to regain his senses. There have only been a few extreme times when my dad has been to woozy to even stand up, though now, my dad seems to have less and less trouble with blood affecting his composure. All I know is that my dad would make a terrible doctor.

                The day started out just fine. It was my birthday and I was turning twelve years old. It was a Saturday so the entire day was spent lying around and not doing much, except for my building excitement at the coming birthday dinner and presents. I am not much of a person that likes extravagant birthdays so this birthday was spent with me being a vegetable while my mom and siblings worked at their chores for the day. This day was going to be awesome.

                The same day as my birthday my dad had gone to have his mouth worked on. My dad was having a minor surgery to correct his hereditary gingivitis and he would be back later that day. My dad got back from the doctor he said since it wasn’t that great of a surgery he could eat a little bit later but only rather soft items. Since it was my birthday, I got to choose the dinner we would go to. I decided on the Spaghetti Factory, one of my favorite places. We were going to eat, have a good time, and come back to our house for presents resulting in one of my best birthdays. Little did I know that it wouldn’t be one of my best birthdays, but one of my most memorable.

                Plans were made and the time was set to go to my wonderful birthday dinner. We got ready and left for Trolley Square and the restaurant. When we got the Spaghetti Factory, the wait was quite long even though we had a reservation. So we waited and got in after an hour or so, and were seated in a booth, situated in such a way that we could see most the restaurant and they could see us.

                The dinner proceeded just fine; we got our food while my dad got his soup and began to eat. Sitting two people to the right of my dad, I saw what I thought was him reaching for something under the table. I thought he had dropped his utensil and was reaching for it. Then I saw his elbow dip into his soup and knew something was not right. My dad just sat there while everybody at our table was trying to register what was happening. My mom reached across the table and shook my dad saying, “John, John,” over and over trying to revive my dad to the world of consciousness. By this time most people in the restaurant were looking at our table just as dumbfounded as we were, watching my mom continually shake my father.

                One of the restaurant managers came rushing towards our table to help out and as soon as he appeared, my dad woke up and looked around groggily. He looked around our table at all the faces looking down at him then looked at his elbow drowning in his dinner. He slowly sat up, not saying a word, and the manager asked if he was ok. My dad replied with a nod of his head saying, “I’m ok, thank you.” It must have been really awkward and embarrassing for him waking from his unconsented slumber to see the entire restaurant staring at him. He explained how he had been thinking, just thinking, about the cut in his mouth from his surgery and saw his vision go white.

                We left a couple minutes after to get my dad some fresh air and out of the restaurant. He did not seem woozy anymore more like confused that he had fainted from just thinking about the cut inside of his mouth. I walked beside my dad, making sure that he did not faint again injure himself from falling. My dad remained conscious and we got into the car, this time my mom driving, and headed home. I don’t remember what I was thinking except for one thought, my father was going to receive more attention than me on my own birthday.