Could Be Worse

“When things are bad, do you miss drinking?” Brat Boy asked.

I said, “The funny thing is, I don’t.  In fact that’s when I’m most grateful I’m sober.”

I explained, “Like a lot of alcoholics, I had a talent for making bad situations worse.  I used to get dumped by nice girls because of my drinking. My first instinct was always to get drunk and find the craziest woman I could find to drain me of whatever self-esteem I had left.

“Not doing well in grad school? Get drunk and try to pass comprehensive exams hungover. Run up huge debts? Get drunk and total the car I needed to get to work to pay those debts.”

Brat boy shook his head, “What do you think would happen if you did drink now?”

“It’s like the slogan says ‘There’s no problem so bad a drink cannot make it worse.’ Trust me I’d find a way to make things much worse.”

Today I won’t make it worse.

Jury Duty © 2020 by Ken Montrose

Jury Duty is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at: www.greenbriartraining.com https://www.pinterest.com/kenmontrose/mt-rose/