Tuesday 7 August 2007

The (5 minute) Pledge*

*Reproduced with agreement from Himself

For the last three weeks, Himself has been alcohol free. For those of you that know him, this is quite an achievement as he has always been an - enthusiastic - drinker. And I have to say I enjoy my glasses of wine of an evening.

Last Thursday we had a meal at our local pub and so he decided to have a few drinks. On Friday we met friends for a drink and he was well restrained as he had been the previous night.

On Saturday afternoon I went off walking with a friend and said, ‘you can please yourself, darling. Drink gin all afternoon.’ (He’d bought a bottle of gin a few days beforehand.)
‘Oh no, Pop,’ he said, very sanctimoniously. ‘I wouldn’t do that.’

I got back at about 5.30pm to find him watching a John Wayne film, glass of gin in front of him. He asked if we’d had a good time and whether my Swedish friend had enjoyed it. I told him about the afternoon and settled down onto the sofa with him. Five minutes later he asked if we’d had a good time and whether my Swedish friend had enjoyed it. I looked at his glass. ‘How much gin have you had?’ (He gets amnesia after a certain amount to drink.)
‘This is my first,’ Pop,’ he said with a wide eyed innocent expression.

Suffice it to say that the best part of the litre bottle of gin evaporated that night. I got my own back. I asked him to mend the video at 9pm. I enjoyed seeing him sprawled on the floor, trying to focus on the TV cables.

He didn’t sleep very well. He swore never to drink gin again. In fact he swore not to drink again.
He drank a bottle of wine that night.
Yesterday we were out walking the dog and he said, ‘I’m not going to drink at all this week, Pop.’
I was impressed.
Half an hour later, we stopped at the supermarket on the way home and he emerged carrying two bottles of wine.
Mind you, he only drank half a bottle last night.

Does ‘I’m not going to drink this week,’ mean ‘I’m going to drink what I want,’? Is it me? Am I missing something here?

When I asked him, he laughed till the tears streamed down his face and finally gasped, ‘I’m entitled to change my mind, Pop.’

I don’t know. It’s enough to drive a girl to drink.

8 comments:

Nikki said...

A conundrum to be sure... but will this affect his blogging ability?!!

Flowerpot said...

as he never wakes up till 11ish (by his own admission) I doubt it. But we'll see.... glad you stopped by and braved a comment!!

Cornish Dreamer said...

And they say us women are confusing!

RT

Flowerpot said...

I know, RT. Don't you just want to hit them sometimes?!

Cornish Dreamer said...

Yes, quite often when I'm at the office I find myself wishing I had some kind of useful weapon, but then I realise that men will be men (or boys, more like). :@)

RT

Akelamalu said...

They're a law unto themselves! Pass the wine please.

the rotten correspondent said...

different gender different rules. why IS that??

The British Bird. said...

Hello flower..

Hubby has been on an off the booze for years. Actually went to rehab back in the eighties before he and I met. That little red flag never waived hard with me, but I just said, "You are a big boy, you know what it does to your liver, waistline and bank account, I am not going to nag at you." His saving grace is the military, who nags him for me. he has to go in for weigh ins every six months. It was the military that put him in rehab. If you have more than a couple of drinks on any given night they say you have a problem.

It doesnt stop him drinking. He just doesnt tell them he does it.