Stress of When He Came Home Drunk

Stress of When He Came Home Drunk

 

"It takes only one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can't remember if it's the thirteenth or the fourteenth." 

                                                     George Burns

 

There was a very sensible ring of doorbell at first, and then a soft knock at the main door as if by angels, when I was half asleep at about mid night, I gathered courage, also my physique, and my clothes, went towards the main door of our home hurriedly without even slippers and with great confusion and fear, opened the door first putting the security chain in place, the door making creak, peeped through creek, found three men – idiots, standing outside with faces down holding my hubby tight while he was with lose trousers and all buttons of shirt open, lose shoe laces, eyes half open and red, half asleep, speaking something rubbish in an incoherent manner with face down. One of three musketeers said, in a low voice like a mouse, “Bhabi Sahiban, we had a party at my home, all of us enjoyed and he had little more. He is otherwise okay, nothing to worry”. As soon as, I held him tight and before I could acknowledge the help given by these three idiots to bring him to this condition, they disappeared in the dark of the night quickly and fast.

 

I took him to our bed room with great difficult, he being more than eighty kilogram, he was not able to maintain balance and walk properly and straight, putting all his weight on my shoulder, at every step he was apologizing, so much of foul smell full of he was. After making him sit on the bed I rushed like a mad person to close the front door lest some scoundrel enters. I could not make what it was and what was happening, slowly I told him to change his clothes, he did not agree and shouted to let him sleep. Smell was so foul, I once thought of leaving him alone and lock him in our bed room and sleep in the first floor balcony of our home; then he caught hold of me tight, I had no choice I had to sit but it was as if I was dying. Then I played my feminine role. Removed with great difficulty turning him right and left, his dirty shirt, vest, trousers, wet underwear; shoes full of vomit fluid and wet socks, he was completely naked still smelling most foul. This exercise made it clear that he had vomited in his friend’s home and also urinated in his underwear, hence the foul smell. I could understand how difficult is for other persons family members to clean all this non-sense in their home. I had to bear all this; he was my hubby.

 

He lay naked on the bed, looking horrified as in Hollywood movies sometimes turning mouth up and sometimes mouth down like a demon: I was so afraid what to do, what not to do, lest my young children see him in that role. I put air conditioner on, at 17 degree and soon he was shivering and himself took the blanket while murmuring some nonsense words. Soon he was snoring.

 

After sometime as it happens with all the drunkens, he asked for a glass of water: I knew the trick, gave him water with lot of lemon squeezed, he drank it to his fill and again started snoring within minutes. It gave me lot of relief though I spent whole night awake in that dirt and killing smell as whenever I tried to move away he was awake. Whole of this drama was enacted in the corridor and in our bed room. I thanked my stars, he did not raise his voice volume, perhaps he could not as he was perhaps full to the brim and perhaps ashamed too and afraid also not of me but the two children he had fathered.

 

Thank God, our angels two children twins one boy and the other doll two and half year old were fast asleep in the next room. I was having a nap on my sofa, when I heard the sound of anklet bells of my doll and her steps. I was astonished, I thought it was still night, but she was right it was her time to take milk. When I peeped through the curtains of the window, I found twilight had already been raptured by the rising Sun, it was morning; I felt little more confident.

 

Soon there was another ring of the doorbells, I said to myself, who could be there, my hubby is already in and I do not have the second one. It was the milk man with his drums. I had a sigh of relief.

 

At about 11.00 clock in the morning I heard noise in bed room as I rushed to see what was happening I saw him sobbing when asked he told he could not hug his daughter as he was sitting naked in the blanket, I tactfully sent to him with blanket to the bathroom and asked him to first take rich bath and wear home clothes and pleasant deodorant, he obeyed like the most obedient servant and came out well dressed, he had musk fragrance and then I allowed him to hug our baby. He was so happy and so were we.

 

The bed he slept was in bad shape, it was smelling bad and was wet also. Maid came in and when I asked her to wash the bed sheet etc she refused so bluntly that I had to swallow her remarks then it was packed in laundry bag.

 

"It's like gambling somehow. You go out for a night of drinking and you don't know where you are going to end up the next day. It could work out good or it could be disastrous. It's like the throw of the dice."

                                                                            Jim Morrison

 

In the morning after that horrifying night awake, although I was feeling tired, I had prepared the breakfast of his liking and enjoyed to our fill as brunch neither the breakfast nor the lunch, but something in between. His eye contact was missing and also the sharp voice, I was also laughing in my sleeves on his behavior like that of goat kid. But it was not as easy as I have narrated.

 

It was night of tension right from 07.00 PM onwards his usual time to arrive at home. When he did not arrive up to 08.00 PM, I gave him ring when he told that he would be coming a little late as he is with his friends, this made me apprehensive of coming events – whiskey and ice everything is nice – whiskey improves with age and I improve with whiskey . My apprehension came true when he was brought home in that condition although I took him in without a murmur but I was shivering, knew nothing, nobody else was there at home, lest he developed medical complications, vomiting, unconsciousness, need for taking him to Hospital etc.  I was reciting Hanuman Chalisa to ward off untoward events. It was physical ordeal for me to take him up to the bed in our room as soon as he lay on the bed I thanked the Lord for the strength he gave to pull him. My children were another worry, lest they wake up to see their papa laying naked on the bed and smelling so foul. All nonsense things were coming to my mind and making me shivers through the spine, I am afraid to write down what transpired that night in my mind. Oh God do not put anybody to such an ordeal.

 

Who was responsible, primarily he was, one should know his limits and so many other things particularly the place. People say it is for enjoyment, I intend to believe them, because hard drinks are a fashion at every celebrations. Bad is indulgence beyond a limit, but if it makes a lamb of the lion, what is the fun of such enjoyment which then becomes over-indulgence. In fact, it is lack of self-denial ingredient of one’s character.  Another person responsible is spouse and his tolerance, who many a times can correct such habits to some extent.

 

There is more refreshment and stimulation in a nap, even of the briefest, than in all the alcohol ever distilled.

                                                                                       Ovid

Life is important. There is nothing to hold onto. A man that drinks is throwing his life away. Don't do it, hold on to your life. There is nothing else to hold on to ...

                                                                  Tennessee Williams

 

Some things are better left unsaid, but people get drunk and say them anyway. I am not drunk so I am keeping many such things with me and not narrating anything.