I buy 12 packs of Dr. Pepper in cans, and keep them really cold for the guys who mow and weed the lawn.  But the last time I went to the store there was so much to bring in that I left them in the car--a week ago.  I bet it was 115 in the car when I went to get them.

As I tore the container open and took the first can out, I dropped it on the tile floor in my kitchen--and it exploded.  A tiny hole acted like a water hose with a finger pressed on it and spewed Dr. Pepper all over the cabinets, along with everything on them, and ran down all over the floor. I started to pick the can up and remembered....

I had a similar incident when Becky was almost a year old.  We were in California staying with Ken’s folks--Ken was overseas in the Orient somewhere for 13 months (a regular event in the life of a Marine).  She found a glass pack of Coca-cola, shook one of them up and when it fell on the concrete floor it exploded, driving a huge piece of glass into her arm.  I pulled it out, blood everywhere, spurting like the Dr. Pepper can did.

I knew to put pressure on it, but even that couldn’t contain it.  We raced to the hospital, but they refused to see us.  I didn’t realize I had military insurance because I had never had to use it.  There was another hospital close or she would have bled to death.  How much blood does a one year old have?  How could they have refused to help?

So I am standing in my kitchen wondering--how in the world would I have gotten myself to the hospital if I had a piece of that Dr. Pepper can in my arm.   Thank God I didn’t.  All I had was Dr. Pepper sprayed over my entire kitchen. What a mess.  I’ve been cleaning it up ever since and keep finding sticky places.  I’ll never find all of it.  But, I could have ended up bleeding.