How I Almost Was Never Born

Conversation with my dad yesterday:

Me: I was watching this thing on tv about that sniper, Charles Whitman, in Austin in 1966. You remember the one…he shot a bunch of people from a tower there…

Dad: Yeah? I remember. I was there when that happened.

Me: You were there? You mean in Austin? Or actually there there…being shot at?

Dad: I was next to the cop that got shot. And I saw a guy on a bicycle get shot, too.

Me: You’re kidding! Were you scared?

Dad: Not really. I was home on leave from Vietnam. It just felt like a normal day. In fact, I was downtown to see if I could get an extension on my leave.

Me: Did you think you were going to get shot?

Dad: No. If a million Vietnamese couldn’t kill me after a year of trying, one idiot in a tower wasn’t going to have any luck either.

Me: Ok. Fair enough. That’s wild, Dad. Why have you never told me this before?

Dad: You never asked.

Me: Ok. Is there anything else that you haven’t told me yet?

Dad: Probably. Talk to you later. I gotta go beat my mechanic’s ass. He’s hiding from me.  I just wanted to call you before I was pissed.

Me: Ok. Thanks for that, Dad. Don’t get arrested…

Dad: I’ll try not to. Talk to you later. Love you.

Me: Love you, too, Dad. Bye.

I love my Dad.

— Bird