I was a really good kid growing up. Seriously, it never occurred to me to skip school, ever. In high school, I was always pretty much where I told my parents I would be. There was one exception when my friend and I took her parents' car and drove to Michigan to see Iggy and the Stooges. She told her parents she was sleeping over at my house and I told mine that I was staying overnight at her house. But honestly, other than that one time I was a perfect kid in high school. My mom still doesn't know to this day about that trip!
When I hit college I realized that the professors were not really paying much attention or even cared whether or not I was in class. The responsibility to go was all mine so if I missed a day no one was calling my mom. This was a new found freedom. Another new thing for me was...the availability of, shall we say, substances that I was previously unaware existed. Yes, I'm talking about drugs. There was a time, in my college years, that I imbibed in some illicit and illegal drug activity. It was recreational in nature and never really went farther than that, thank heavens! And, to be honest, there were times when it taught me a lesson or two as well.
Case in point -
I was at a pre-Christmas party at my friend Michael's apartment. Michael was a great guy! I loved his silly sense of humor and flamboyant ways but he was also a genuinely kind, caring human being and I loved him for that. So, there we were at his party drinking bad cheap champagne. We got a little buzzed and the party decided to all go out dancing. So off we went with our fabulous 80's clothes and hair-dos. We were so full of our own fabulousness!! We danced and drank more and smoked a little pot. Then someone passed me a tiny bit of paper and told me to place it under my tongue until it dissolved...so I did. It didn't take much of an arm twist for me to be convinced. In the next minute or so, the club was closing and we all just went home. I was wide awake and no where near ready to just go to sleep. I was convinced that the tiny bit of paper did nothing to me. Back at Michael's place, the tree was lit up and shining beautifully. Michael and I laid down with our heads under the tree looking up at the lights. It was amazing! Then I realized how cool my teeth felt when I touched them with my tongue. Then the Christmas music started playing in slow-mo and everything was magical. It was slightly less magical the next morning when I woke up, smelling like a bad brewery, cold and with a killer hang over. Michael and I had fallen asleep under the tree in a drunken, acid induced stupor. Every muscle in my body ached and my head felt like someone had pressed it in a vise all night long. Sunlight seared through my retinas as if I was a vampire. I limped to my car, drive quietly home, claimed to my parents that I was coming down with the flu and crawled into my bed for the next four hours. That was my first and last trip and though I'll admit some of it was spectacular the aftermath was definitely not worth it. Never again. Never.
I prefer the glory of Christmas through clearer eyes, thank you!
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