14 January 2006

Gone For the Junk

- Men are now feeble in their temper because they are not accustomed to hear the truth.

- William Godwin

At work today I heard Al has been dropped from the seniority list. He's been away from work for a year, could be longer. Rumour has it the heroin has him in its constrictive grip. He'd missed work for extended periods of time before his latest sabbatical. Life for his wife and kids must be Hell. I have to say I am surprized to hear Al had gone for the junk. Last time I saw him he had the belly of a union beer drinker. I'll bet I would not even recognize him now.

Our first aid guy saved his ass by calling an ambulance for him years ago. I heard he had a heart attack. Now I am thinking he took a hit that was a little too much at lunch time that day.

I have been at my job for just about thirty years now. Al was not the first to allow booze and drugs to do him in. Once people start swimming in that river choked with dead bodies they start thinking they are going to medal in swimming at the Olympics. Too often the medal they win is made of lead and it drags them to the bottom just as soon as they get it around their necks.

I have dabbled and dibble-dabbled in the drug river myself. But I stayed close to shore. I'm not sure if it was the death of Lenny Bruce or Janis Joplin that affected me more but I keep it clean these days, if I could not quite do so in my younger days.

There's a few more of the motherfuckers I work with overdue to turn up dead or worse because of what they go for. Shit has a way of catching up to you. The river always wins.

No comments: