It was called The Hilltop Tavern.  I was 15 years old, and had gone there with a group of teenagers that age and older.  We were all squeezed into a red leather booth, laughing and ordering drinks.  We knew that we would not be questioned about our ages there, because it was a well-known place among young people for that reason.  It was my first time in the dim smoke-filled place, and I remember feeling uncomfortable, but not wanting the others to know that.  I ordered a mixed drink as my friends did, and since it tasted so good, I gulped it down quickly.  Another round of drinks?  Well, sure!  I went along with the crowd.  After finishing the second drink, my head suddenly felt too heavy.  I wasn’t talking the way I usually did.  I laughed too loud, and talked too slow.  My eyes didn’t want to stay open.  I didn’t like the way I felt.

I hadn’t let my parents know where I was going after the movie, and I got in trouble the following day for getting home too late.  That morning my head felt heavier than ever, and I was quite nauseous.  I felt disappointed in myself, besides feeling embarrassed about how I must have appeared.  As the day went on, I quietly reflected on the night before.  This will ruin my plans, I thought.  I can’t do that if I want my plan to work.

©Pat Montesano 2003 All Rights Reserved.