35. Fault lines
When I got to
work the next day, DUI Dave was sitting by himself in the group room, staring
at the floor.
“I’m an ass,”
he said. “I’ve know it for years.” I could have argued with him, but doubted I’d
sound sincere. I waited for him to speak
again.
“Mostly I
drink ‘cause I like to,” he added. “But a lot of times I drink ‘cause I hate when I’m wrong and can’t admit it. That happens a lot. The more wrong I am, the louder and drunker I
get. It cost me my first marriage. I’d like to make a 180 degree turn, but if I
do, I’ll have to apologize to a million people. ”
I said, “You
won’t change overnight and you don’t have to apologize to everyone all at once.
Most people don’t demolish their faults,
they chip away at them.” I brought him into my office and showed him my filing
system, spread sheets, and other tools I used in a semi-successful attempt to
stay organized. “I’ve been chipping away at my tendency to be disorganized for
more than a decade. Progress, not
perfection.”
Today I
will chip away at my faults.
Sober Not Somber
© 2015 by Ken Montrose
(Just a reminder: Sober
Not Somber is a work of fiction. Any
resemblance to anyone you might know is purely coincidental.)
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