Swallowed the cigarette?! I hope he didn't do that a lot. I can't imagine what that did to his insides.

Well, your mother sounds like a very incredible person. She's done a lot in her life. Striking fear in the hearts of politicians is no easy task. Hurray for her! A professor, studied law, built a business.

Now, you've used the past tense a few times here. Has she passed away? I think I know your father did because you've talked about that. I apologize if I'm mistaking how you've been saying things. But I thought I should ask just in case, because it seems like you've talked about other things she does. Of course I read a lot and don't always remember who wrote what. :)