“That person certainly has been in that bathroom for a long time. I don’t know how much longer I can wait!” “Are you sure there’s someone in there?” “Well, the sign above the handle said ‘OCCUPIED’ when I went over there a few minutes ago. And I haven’t seen anyone come out since then. I have a clear view to the door.” Finally I could wait no longer. I left my husband in the restaurant booth and resolutely headed to the restroom door. After tentatively knocking, I slowly turn

“Who put sugar in my salt shaker? Was it you, Christine?” Every morning and evening my father brushed his teeth with salt. The sugar replacement was a harmless prank. He pretended to be a bit “put out” by my April Fools trick, but he joined in our laughter. We pulled the same jokes on him year after year with my mother even helping out by sewing the legs of his boxer shorts together. We weren’t trying to make our dad feel like a fool. We didn’t yell “Sucker!” to him like mean

“Stop your giggling and settle down in there. Don’t make me have to come in there!” I’m sure my mom or my cousin’s mom said that numerous times to us. We didn’t see each other that often, and when we did, it was hard for the day to end. We pretended to be asleep when the door opened for a quick check, but the whispers under the covers continued once it clicked shut. We settle down, settle scores, settle in for a long winter. When we’re young, the relatives keep asking, “When

“No! This is unacceptable!” In his disgust my father tossed the porcelain crown onto the dental cart. It was a front tooth replacement, whose shade would be obvious to anyone looking at this woman’s smile. “This is the third time they’ve messed up! Okay. I’ll send the exact shade sample, not just the reference number, and see if they can finally get it right.” Some may have criticized my father for being a perfectionist. But when it came to his patients, he never cut corners.

“You have to wait. In just one minute I’ll show you the picture.” My dad had brought home his new purchase, a Polaroid camera, his latest quest for the best in photo technology. He had cameras for taking slides, prints, and stereo 3D images. He even had a special close-up camera for unusual dental images… you know, those less-than-delightful pictures of crooked or decayed smiles. But this was a whole new game! No need to wait for the photo lab to develop the images. We just h