A No Smoking Saga

It came out of nowhere!

While waiting for our order to arrive at Tipu Burger & Broast in Clifton, Karachi this past Saturday afternoon, Uzair was more than usual active. But not because of waking up before 6 am that morning for that big test. The main reason behind that extra dose of energy in him was finally getting done with all the tough study routine he was going through for good now.

So, after we reached that joint and placed our order, that extra dose of energy really kicked in. He talked non-stop, kept on looking outside and bugged me about our order getting late. I, despite feeling actually tired on the other hand, stayed calm and controlled him up in a nice manner.

And then he read it!

A “No Smoking” sign on his upper left side quickly lightened up all questionable flames in his mind but luckily for me, he asked just one.

What does it mean?

Now, thinking about the right explanation to let your 5-year old kid know about the dangers of smoking while waiting in a fast food joint with an empty stomach is something I dearly wish you don’t have to go through. And especially to that kid who hadn’t seen anyone smoke because no one in my family, friends and close relatives smoke at all.

So, what should I tell him about this?

The most simplest one was to say this is a bad thing and one shouldn’t do it.

But that simple one had a very strong chance of morphing into a complex set of rapid fire questions in no time. And for that, I was totally unprepared.

A questionable look on Uzair’s face about that sign was still on. That’s when I looked away from him, only to spot my savior!

In the form of that waiter who earlier took our order, walking right towards us with our much awaited lunch order. At that very moment, that waiter bore an amazing similarity as of an accomplished noble hero, who had just vanquished an evil form from the face of the Earth.

As soon as I spotted that gentleman, I quickly uttered that simple explanatory sentence to Uzair, while placing a plate of fries and fried chicken wings in front of him.

Because a plate full of fried goodies weighs more than an explanation about a no smoking sign 🙂

 

 

image courtesy of SafetySign