Most doctors do not have to give their sons this warning: When you get pulled over by the police, keep your hands on the steering wheel. But my dad, a black psychiatrist, did during my first driving lesson. He said it before reminding me to wear my seat belt or explaining the procedure for shifting the Volvo into gear. “Understand?” His interrogatory was more a statement than a question. I nodded. “Say it.” “Yes.” But I didn’t really understand until the police pulled me over two weeks after I got my driver’s license. He was trying to save my life.
Christopher Ross is a writer, graduate school refugee, and RN in New York.