Drano Pain-o

The bathroom toilet had become clogged up and my parents decided to take care of the problem themselves. I remember going to the base exchange with Dad and picking up a metal can of what he called “Drano.”

Once we’re back home I was excited to see how the stuff in the can would be used or how it would work. I was standing next to the toilet looking into the water as Dad poured the crystal like material into the bowl.

As the stuff hit the toilet water, it turned into a vapor, which filled my eyes, nose and mouth. I screamed my little head off and ran from the bathroom.

Both Mom and Dad told me years later they had a hard time corralling me as I ran through the house wailing about the pain. Once they had me in hand, they jumped in the car and raced over to the base hospital, where I would spend the next few hours having my eyes flushed out and lungs checked.

From then on, anytime I saw a Drano commercial on TV, I add my own words, “Drano causes pain-o.”