Example Essay #7 pg 1

Example Essay #7
The three romantic love relationships I have had in my life are examples of whiskey men. I am attracted to alcoholics for some reason and have spent copious amounts of money in various therapies and classes to find out what character flaw of mine has caused me to come to this place. I have found after excessive therapy, seminars, groups, al-anon, that it is not a character flaw or problem with me. I believe it is my wanting to help that attracted me to Jack Daniels, Canadian Club, and our course Southern Comfort. I have two brothers that are alcoholics and several family members that suffer from this horrific disease so I avoid alcohol like the bubonic plague. I unfortunately want to pull others from the monster’s clutches even though I know there only escape if for them to choose to escape. So my three loves are as recognizable as three whiskey bottles which are usually grouped together on the top right shelf in a bar.
Mr. Jack Daniels my first love Len and I met in college. I was not attracted to him at all and I was the RA on his floor and he made a bet with some guy friends of mine that he could get me to go out with him on a date. Little did Len know that those boys he was plotting with were my close friends and they were double crossing him and let me in on the bet at 50% of the take if I turned him down flat. The boys suggested he asked me to go out for a drink knowing that I didn’t drink and when he did I told him of course I didn’t drink and I didn’t approve of it especially since it was illegal since we were 18. I turned him down flat and the next morning I collected my 100$ which I planned to use towards the last text book I needed to purchase. My friends were enjoying their half of the loot too but I was feeling very guilty the next morning when Len walked by with his head down. I caved and gave him back the 100$ and told him how the boys got the best of him. He asked if I was against eating with easily fooled men in restaurants and of course wanting to help I caved. Three years later we were engaged and had just had our invitations arrive from the printer and Len had begun hanging around with this group of frat boys and drinking Jack Daniels like he anticipated an age old whiskey maker to be going out of business. I had confronted him several times quite gently as I had knowledge of the power this monster could exert over lives and he assured me it was not an issue. A few months later in 1992 you may remember the man who drove through the UMaine Hockey crowd just as the game got out hitting 3 people, smashing into a cement barrier, and then getting out of the smoking car and running on foot from the police. I had the unfortunate experience of being called as a witness for the DA. Len who had just graduated with an English Teaching Degree was now a convicted felon that could never do the one thing he wanted to do which was to teach English. The three people sued and fortunately his family had considerable wealth, a great attorney, and they paid off the injured and the attorney got the charges reduced. The price was 9 months jail and of course the felony conviction ending his dream of teaching. He did the time got out and went back to Jack. I had now put off my wedding, upset my family, disrupted my education, and so when he started back with Jack I gave him a choice. I or Jack Daniels which one do you chose forever. He chose wrong and I left my ring on the dresser and never went back until I attended his funeral several years later. So that is my first whiskey man the one that is so hard to bear the wasted life and should have deterred me from wanting to help another.