The Drunk

A young white male, two weeks ago, looking Scandinavian and clean cut, was drunk in the hotel lobby. Being big and calm ( the public persona only) the women at the desk often use me as a foil or security guard to weed out undesirables.

This fellow, a union carpenter in town, was dead drunk and weeping in the lobby about his life being in ruins. They at the desk ordered me to drop him at Mall of America, or anywhere.

I had two women on board going to the Mall. This guy seemed to take a shine to me and unloaded his sad, self-destructive story. He is a nice fellow, about 35 years old. He blubbered that his wife of 15 years had thrown him out, and that he was going to lose access to his daughter, about 10 years old.

He had been at his parents house in Woodbury for four days, and they threw him out for drinking nonstop for 4 days. His dad yelled at him that his life was half over. This talk of dying alarmed me. He had requested that I drop him off at an inn on Nicollet Ave. I said I would.

When I got there, I asked him to step outside so I could ask him a question in private. I asked him if he was suicidal. He said absolutely not. I was going to call 911 if he said otherwise. He asked me what he should do. He had left his car at my hotel, and had quit driving around drunk all night for fear of a DUI or killing someone with his vehicle.

He asked me what he should do. I said book your room, and then go to Culver's next door and get some food and coffee. I asked if he was Lutheran, and he said yes. I said for him to call a pastor for some quick counseling, and then immediately to get in for chemical dependency treatment. He said he would, which I doubt very much, or that it has not been tried before.

It reinforces what we all know: alcohol can be demon rum, and can tear up lives with tragic consequences.

Alcohol or any drug should be used sparingly if at all. We cannot maverize if we are not clean and sober.

I apologized to the two women on the bus. The older woman was clear and firm: she said that her ex-husband was an alcoholic and that she got rid of him. More power to her.