My First Attempt at Alcoholism

“Grandma it is way past 8.  You should be a sleep,” I thought.  once the light clicked off I crept downstairs.  I didn't want a lot.  Just a taste.  The lights were all off downstairs but I knew where it was. My dad was asleep and my mother was not there.  It was the perfect crime. I had been planning it all day. Waiting for the right moment.   I was not sure exactly what Marlow was but I knew it was a forbidden fermented fruit.  I am slightly humiliated that at the age of 26 I had to break into my grandmas liquor cabinet.   Being Mormon you never even touch the stuff.  Like Indiana Jones I methodically made my way down the stairs.  Hopping over the stair that creaked. Tip toeing to the light switch.  Trying to avoid the dog.  There it was. Marlow. What is it?  I had no idea but it was red and there was a lot of it.  It towered over the counter like an ancient roman artifact. I quietly snatch the wine glass down from the ceiling. I poured myself a glass. Barely any really. I smelled it. It smelt fantastic! I had never smelled anything so sweet and biting. I poured a little more.  I drop spilled on the counter and I panicked!  Though it was the size of a nickel I imagined it would burn into the hard wood floor. The game would be up.   I could hear movement upstairs.  I raced for a paper towel. I couldn't leave any evidence.   Who knows what would have happened if my Dad caught me.  After I put the cap on I rushed to the stairs. I stopped suddenly. Two dead eyes pierced from a pale face. I knew it! I’m toast. It was the cat! She knew what I had done.  From where I stood she looked like one of the fallen devils.  "You don't understand cat!" I thought, " All your friends drink milk!"

 I flew up the stairs careful not to spill.  I know red wine stains because I have seen so in infomercials.  I sat on my bed and stared at the drink. It sat, and sat, and sat untouched.  I couldn't do it. I just couldn't bring myself too.  You see drinking that glass of wine was not just a glass of wine.  It was me turning my back on everything I have ever known. Drinking this would make me a sinner.  A lush in the Mormon world.   I am a good Mormon.  And good Mormons just believes. I took my glass of Marlow that I had worked so hard for and poured it down the drain.  One day at a time I thought. One day at a time.