I wasn't sure if the
invitation to the party extended to me so I gate crashed. I rushed to get ready
when a lift to get there was offered to me. I met some people at the party that
I was neighbours with for some time and never even knew it. We hit it off and
next minute the girl was offering me a rum. I wasn't driving home this evening,
someone else was, so I accepted.
Next thing I know I'm
yelling and laughing and having a good time. A bit of a blow out after such a
long time of being the good, well-behaved, responsible one. When I discovered
one of the party guests had snuck away I staggered off to find him to drag him
back. I got pulled up halfway to one of the houses by one of my friends who, in
her own drunken state, tried politely to ask me to curb my swearing as best I
could.
"There are
children around!"
I couldn't find the
missing party guest and on my way back to the soiree I found some members had
moved to the staff verandah. One lady was trying to teach us all to whistle
loudly with our fingers in our mouth. A skill I have always been envious of.
But I gave up when my bladder started screaming at me.
While I sat on the
porcelain throne I was suddenly attacked... by a broom. After a while the broom
wielder gave up and I finished I my business and walked outside. But all was not
right. The world would not stop twisting and twirling and I headed straight for
the edge of the verandah and heaved up a technicolour explosion. And that's
where I stayed. Lying in the one spot, for anytime I moved I would throw up
again. People checked on me. And had a giggle as I did at myself. Someone tied
my hair into a messy bun. Soon my ride was ready to return home but I turned
down the lift.
"I don't want to
throw up in your car" I mumbled.
Hours passed on the
edge of the verandah. At one point someone rolled me on my side. Eventually I
got too cold and moved into one of the bathrooms. I laid out a bath mat and
wrapped a towel around me and went back to sleep. Not long after I heard doors
being opened and closed. Someone was checking on me again. My alarm went off on
my phone at 5am and moments after I was being scooped up and carried off to a
room in the quarters because apparently I can't sleep on the bathroom floor.
What little sleep I
got in the room was interrupted by my friend ringing me to say she was ready to
head in to town. Nevermind that it was a quarter to seven! I climbed over my
still drunk friend in the passenger seat and off we went to spend the day in
Katherine chasing and talking horses and cattle.
Tee-totaller me
regretted accepting those few but very strong rums that night. It was shame job
that it took me only two hours to go from perfectly sober to hobo drunk. I went
down as quick as a wimp in a cage fight. It was embarrassing that I had to buy a
new shirt in town just to look and feel even remotely acceptable the next day.
And to all those children that I swore in front of: I'm sorry that you heard
some words that you weren't suppose to know till you were just that little bit
older!
