Survivors

This room is so beautiful at this time of day. The sun hits the gold dome at the bank sending in yellow, orange, and red tones through the green trees that stand taller than the room. It's like being up in a private treehouse. My treehouse will soon be shaken with the arrival of Harry back in town. He called and informed me of the lecture by Nien Cheng, author of LIFE AND DEATH IN SHANGHAI. It was a nice evening. The church itself was something to see. "Roundtop" we Twleve-Step program people used to call it. Maybe that's the last time I saw my cousin alive. I was doing some 12 Step work for a friend. I told him that was not how we operated but he insisted that I pick up a guy who they were going to throw the book at if he drank again. My job was to pick him up and take him to the roundtop meeting. After going to great lengths to even find this house, let alone mustering up the courage to go up the stairs of this enchanted forest and ring the bell, he comes up from behind scaring me half to death. Ruth, that you Ruth? Yes, it's me. Are you John? ..... Well, John, it was John who sent me. He smelled of drinking and was hiding his can of beer. John, I say, "are you crazy? You're not supposed to be drinking." I wondered how I got into this mess. We got into the car and drove downtown. He reminded me so much of my crazy cousin who is hyper to the max. After finding a seat for the two of us at the church, I say, "You know John, you remind me of my cousin." No sooner said when the halfway house bus pulls up and out comes "cus." Only in this program could such a thing happen. I now have John on one side, "cus" on the other, my crazy bookends. I'm sober about seven years and "cus" starts lecturing me that what he sees here looks like 13 stepping. You're supposed to have boy/ boy. girl/ girl; not this boy/ girl stuff. The only thing that kept "cus" out of the nuthouse was that he could tell a joke and the attendants would be laughing so hard they could never get him in the straightjacket. Well, I did get John home and me home sober too. Sorry to report John was killed shortly after. "Cus" died two years later. Both deaths were due to alcohol. At tonight's lecture, I heard how a woman survived six and a half years in prison with her faith in God. "Thou I walk in the valley of darkness, I will fear no evil" seemed to be her prayer. I'm sure John and "cus" have their God too. God must have been short of funny guys up there and took them both to cheer up the heavens.

Copyright; Ruth Mahoney 23-Sep-88
Friday, 6 p.m.