Peas, potatoes, and corn

My Dad was told over the summer that his wrist was broken. Not that he broke his wrist recently, no, but that he most likely broke his wrist back in the spring of 2008. Since it has never been set properly, he has just broken it over and over again.

On the Thanksgiving of that year my Dad's wrist was hurting. After dinner, cringing in pain, he decided he just had to rush to the emergency room. Now his wrist was broken, but his pride remained intact which meant that he wouldn't let my mother and I go with him.

Knowing that they would probably pump his blood full of vicodin, my mom and I followed behind him 20 minutes later.

When we arrived at the urgent care center we were directed into the back room where my Dad was waiting. He looked a hot mess. He had an IV in his arm, his wrist was all wrapped up, and his eyes were zoned out. Urgent care centers aren't exactly known for excellent healthcare, they are the school nurses of medical facilities. They usually give you a painkiller and a bandaid before sending you on your way to go to a real doctor. This urgent care center was no different and by the time we arrived my dad have already been supplied with some heavy pills.

Now seeing people high on pills is usually annoying, but when it's your very sober and down to earth father, it is can be an awesome spectacle.

Initially he was annoyed we had come. He rolled his eyes and let out an overly dramatic sigh. But his annoyance quickly subsided as he began to frolic down memory lane. He started to talk about holidays in the past, about his train sets, his old house and his little toy soldiers. Then Joseph George Dennison II Esq. delivered the most brilliant drug-induced monologue I have ever heard:

"I was always a true American Krissy, you don't even know. I was an American since I was a boy. I lived in the greatest town (At the time, old forge was the largest town in the nation), in the greatest state (N.Y.) in the greatest Country (USA) in the world. No, I'm telling you, I was always a good American. When I was little, your Nonny Rita always made us peas, potatoes, and corn for dinner and I used to make them battle. The potatoes were the Russians, because they were white, get it? White Russian? The corn was the Chinese because it was yellow and the peas were the Americans. I used to mix them all together in battle. People were scared of the Russians and the Chinese back then but I wasn't because I would eat all the corn and all of the potatoes. See, the trick is, you always have to leave some peas behind, because the peas always win Krissy, because America always wins. See Krisser, I have always been a patriot."

Thinking back on family dinner's past... I think he probably still does this