"STREET SMART" CONT'D

    Early in 1976 , It was confirmed that I was an American from the day I was born, and I didn't waste any time taking advantage of the fact. Most of my older siblings were born in the U.S. and I had always yearned to be near them.
    On may 24th,1976, I moved to Seattle, Wa. and Allan, having been born of me  as an american parent, came along with me. My other children choose to remain in Canada and live their lives in the vicinity of their mother in Cranbrook, B.C.
    Allan turned 17 that year, and although through with school, was enjoying just hanging out with the neighbor kids next door. I was remarried by this time and had settled in to being a Warehouseman / Truckdriver in the Teamster's Union, Local #174.
    Their mother had lost her husband in an industrial accident and after receiving a considerable settlement, decided to buy her sons an offroad motorcycle.
    At dinner that evening Allan was excited to tell me about it. I was flabbergasted, considering they had never been on one before, including Allan. In fact, I had never been on one before because, although I had many opportunities in the past, never cared to. My first reaction was to ask him not to ride it, at least not until he got some lessons on safety.
    He promised me he wouldn't. But he did!
    At noon the next day while having lunch at work, I received a call from the boys' mother. Allan had been injured while trying out the motorcycle and I needed to call the hospital immediately. I did and was told to come in and talk to the doctors tending to him.
    I was met by the hospital's lead surgeon and led into see him. I was shocked when  I saw him laying there in a state of convulsions. He had smashed his forehead into a concrete ledge and his left eye popped out of it's socket. Part of his brain was exposed and detached from the front of his skull. I  went into a mild state of shock. The doctor gently calmed me down and after a mild sedative, assured me he was going to make my son better. I found it terribly difficult to think he would survive this one, but he did, once again.
    After six hours of intensive surgery, a team of 5 doctors, each specialists in their own field, managed to put Allan back together again. Allan survived and even gained the sight back in his eye. Another modern miracle performed on my son!
    One year later Allan was raring to go back to Canada where he wished to be near his siblings again.
   But his saga didn't end there. One of his problems was his impatience to go through the steps it takes to become a success. Time after time he attempted to get from A to Z without observing .the rest of the alphabet. The line of least resistance. It doesn't work!! It seldom ever does.