It was supposed to be our evening, just me and my eldest son eating at a restaurant and talking freely about how we’re adjusting to this move to Norway. It ended with CPR and an ambulance.

Let me back up. While Farmor (which is Norwegian for father’s mother) watched my 4 year old, Logan and I went to a quaint restaurant across the street for some quiet time. We ordered our food and sat down on the patio.

This woman at another table turns to Logan and asks if he’s my husband’s son. Logan and I are caught off guard and then we nod. She explains that she went to school with my husband, her name is Elisabeth and she lives in the neighborhood. She recognized Logan from Hubby’s Facebook page.

We exchanged a few more pleasantries and then focused on our families. Soon, we spotted a man who was convulsing in the parking lot. Elisabeth ran over to him and I followed, thinking he was having a seizure. I reminded myself of my good friend Randi’s advice: Turn him on his side, clear away any objects that could injure him and reassure him.

There’s a handful of other people around the guy just watching, except for Elisabeth who tried moving the man on his side. She’s jabbering away in Norwegian and I don’t know if she’s asking for help or what because no one else is doing anything. I kneel down help her move him to his side and someone else calls 113, which is the 911 equivalent.

The rest is a blur of me holding his head, trying to cushion it, throwing away the gum that is partly hanging out of his mouth. I remember thinking, this is a very long seizure. Keep in mind though, I’m not at all experienced in seizures. My classmate Brian had one in sixth grade and just last month there was a scary experience where a woman collapsed and had one on the waterfront in Portland. Still, this man’s seizure just seemed to last forever.

I glanced back at Logan who was still on the patio looking at me. I gave him a wave and a thumbs up, thinking that somehow would allay any concerns he might have.

Then the unconscious man started snoring. I had never heard of that. Snoring? Now? What was happening? I immediately wished I’d taken those First Aid classes that are on my Some-Day-When-I-Have-Time List.

When Elisabeth told the emergency officials about the snoring, the man on the phone barked at her to begin CPR immediately. From my point of view, I saw her face get more alarmed and she began chest compressions.

She looked up at the people standing there and said something in Norwegian, the man who works the strawberry stand knelt down and put his hands side-by-side on the snoring man’s chest and began to push lightly.

Dude! I thought, haven’t you seen ER?!?!?!? I elbowed him out of the way, put one hand on top of the other and began chest compressions as they taught me in gym class when I was 16. (Isn’t it crazy what the mind can suddenly remember?)

I began praying that the guy didn’t die. This was supposed to be a relaxed night out, not one where I’m terrified someone’s going to die on my watch.

Finally the guy came around a bit, and I kept talking to him because when I would stop talking his eyes rolled back in his head. I couldn’t believe that the ambulance was taking so long to arrive, and I angrily ask an older gentleman: “Does it usually take this long for an ambulance to show up!?!?” Biting back my best jerky ‘Muricanism attitude and not saying, “In ‘Murica, the paramedics woulda done been here by now!”

The poor older gentleman just mumbled something in response. Finally the ambulance came, I quickly jet back to Logan because I know he’s concerned. We talked about what happened, I answered all of his questions. Elisabeth came over and we kind of laughed nervously because … well, it’s nerve-wracking especially because neither of us had formal training. She works in a hospital, and said her boss wanted her to get CPR certified.

I think we’re both going to get trained in the not-too-distant future. I told the bartender to keep the wine flowing because of my nerves. He brought me another glass of red, followed by a very stiff, very good mojito on the house. Then the guy from the strawberry stand came over and gave me a free basket of strawberries.

Elisabeth and I became Facebook friends and she had contacted the hospital. Apparently the guy had a heart attack, but he is expected to recover.

As for me, I’ll start researching First Aid classes in English in the morning.

BTW, if you’re wondering about the snoring, I believe it was agonal respiration, very scary stuff.