Story #1

Undrunk

He thought he could never get drunk. It was his ultimate rule; it was almost a personal law - do not get drunk. It also translated into, "do not lose control."

He was a control-freak. He freaks out when something blows up in his face. At times, he appears to be in control, but when it really comes down to it, he's not. He does not like to admit that he's lost it.

So when his bestfriend celebrated his 24th birthday, the inevitable happened.

Together with three more people, in a circle on the floor of J's garage, they popped a long-necked bottle of rhum, chased down by a bottle of cola. Four glasses, a cooler of ice and three-fourths of rhum later, one of them isn't quite sober anymore and one of them isn't just drunk, but wasted. He denies it, but the more he does, the more he hurls; He unfortunately has no clue that he's in for quite a ride.

The next thing he remembers is being seated in the passenger's side of a mitsubishi, the back of his head throbbing, sending pulses of dizzy-spells. He is taken hostage by his unstable stomach threatening to let loose all its contents on the slightest uncomfortable movement. Further down his throat, seemingly untouched, the flesh is tender, reacting to the slightest temperature difference, causing him a searing pain whenever heat or cold touches it. His friends tell him his throat is burned. He feels it, too late.

He realizes that once was enough. Getting drunk was never his style anyway. He now learns the hard way, why on earth his conscience was telling him no.

That was why. And now it's too late.