Through a series of seemingly random events, we ended up at
Cracker Barrel in Sturbridge, MA and while waiting for our late lunch, Tony
saved a life.
I was sipping my iced tea and daydreaming when I heard a
commotion several feet behind me. Before I could even register what was
happening, Tony was standing beside a table and pulling a man to his feet. My
husband spun the man around, wrapped his arms around him and began performing
the Heimlich Maneuver. After three quick thrusts, the man was breathing again.
Tony returned to his seat. I started crying. Tony’s hands started shaking as
the adrenaline wore off.
A few minutes later, the man’s wife came to our table to
thank Tony. “I am so grateful you were here today,” she said. “In all the years
we have been married, my husband has never choked. Our children were scared. I
was scared.” She said her husband would come by to express his gratitude, “after
he calms down.”
After he finished his lunch, the man did stop by our table
to thank Tony and shake his hand. He still looked stunned and a little
embarrassed. He explained that he took one bite of his hamburger and realized
he couldn’t breathe. Tony brushed off the praise and we both wished him and his
family well, expressing gratitude for his health.
And then our food arrived, and we ate lunch. It was as if
nothing monumental had just occurred, even though a man could have died.
While the drama was unfolding, many of our fellow diners did
not even look up from their meals or cellphones to see what the commotion was
about. I realized after the event, tha
t what I heard was the wife and two young
children wailing and yelling “he is choking.” Because my back was to the room, and
before their pleas sunk in, I worried briefly that I should duck and take
cover. What does that say about us as a society?
I believe there are no accidents in life. Here are a series
of what seemed to be random events:
1.
We headed out to what sounded like a fun
restaurant for lunch: Not Ya Mama’s Vegan Café in Worcester, MA—about 45
minutes from our campground. Unfortunately, we greatly underestimated the size
of Worcester—it’s the second largest city in Massachusetts, with a population
nearing one million. That meant that parking was an issue and the spaces where we
could fit our “BAT—Big Ass Truck” were $25. Uh, no!
2.
So, we headed back to the RV Park. On the way back
to our Airstream, we remembered a Cracker Barrel less than 10 minutes from the
RV Park.
3.
Tony always insists on sitting so that he can
face a room (and any doors).
Those three seemingly random facts made it, so we were at exactly
the right place at the right time for that father.
I am grateful that we decided against a $25 parking spot. It
seems Tony saved more than money yesterday.
But Wait, There's More...
More than 10 months ago, we sold our house and 98% of our belongings to travel the United States pulling our Airstream. We have visited more than 20 states and have only just scratched the surface. We can't wait to see where the road takes us.
