SOUP OF THE DAY

Contributed by Terry Barger

My father is a paramedic and would be asked to teach some of the basic First Aid classes for some of the new recruits. More often then not he volunteered and along with his knowledge of medicine, came my knowledge of how to play the victim. We were a team.
Once when I was seventeen, I was to play a victim on drugs. My job was to be disagreeable, and hard to control. As the first set of trainees approached, I screamed, kicked and out right pitched a fit. In doing so I accidently got a traininee in the shin. Soon they calmed me down and had me lay on the floor for them to check vitals and see if I hurt myself. I grudgingly agreed and laid. They checked my vitals without incident. Suddenly Dad tells them to leave the room. Both trainees object, stating one needed to stay with the patient. Dad informed them this was not a trick question, and that they were needed in the other room "to calm the mother down."
Reluctantly they left.
Once out of sight I turned to my bag and took out an opened can of vegetable soup, the chunky kind. I took a heaping spoonful and put it in my mouth, careful not to swallow. I gave dad the ok and lay back down, not moving or breathing.
Dad calls them back into the room and they came quickly. They find me unconscious and get to work.
Trainee One goes to start CPR. Just as his face is over mine, I let some soup dribble out the side of my mouth. He sat back confused. And then I "threw-up." Then, with a look on his face I wish I could capture, he proceeded to get back with the program.
Trainee Two freaked, not sure what happened and looked at dad. It was hard to stay in character through the whole ordeal and just as hard for dad to maintain composure when I did.
The same reaction came from all pairs of trainees going through dad's class that day.

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