"You are close to useless" I hissed, my breath heaving.
" I have been saving your ass for too long! "
I turned away in disgust.
After another moment I began to hear
whimpers from the heap on the floor.
I amm- sorr-y-" It was barely audible.
"Yeah I know full of remorse but not enough to get help; or stay with it!"
I spat at her crossing my arms tightly. I knew I should leave
but I didn't dare not till she showed a little more alertness.
"Here dry yourself before you catch your death-" I flung a lavender
towel at her. It sat untouched on her shoulder for a few moments
before a quivering hand grabbed at it and began rubbing.
"This is absolutely the last time I bale you out Amber!
You're going to have to get into a Halfway house and
really go to those meetings!"
I saw a slight nod. "I'll call Michael if you want a ride
tomorrow, but then I am done and you are on your own."
I turned on my heel and left
my younger sister on the bathroom floor
where I had unceremoniously dumped her
after the cold, sobering shower.
12 comments:
wow- tough love
excellent poem
Alcoholism is a terrible disease we are all powerless over... sometimes it takes a lot for the person to get help... like family not enabling anymore.
Powerfully written and rather moving...
ugh...a hard reality...and you cant help if they dont want it...have worked with a few addicts...a few in very scary circumstances...
Conflicting emotions rising and falling. A terrible situation to be in - for either sibling.
Really touching..an experience in which one must have a spine of steel...
nicely written...thanks for sharing your words
It's well and good to take a tough stand. When they're at their most vulnerable it might get some sense through their heads. Clever use of the prompt,izzy!
Hank
Yeah , Michael sounds like the right being for this job !
HOLY SHIT! I've been there SO many times, but never with a relative--other than a wife(s)!
Your "conversation" put me right there in the room, smells and all.
But, ya know...one time that was ME, for 20-25 years. This month 18th will be 39 YEARS since! Thank You, GOD!
Oh, izzy, this is marvelous. That description of the lavender towel remaining untouched for moments held all the unspoken angst of the piece right there. And wow when I got to the end I really had chills because I was reminded of my younger sister's first "drunk" when she was 13, and how I stuck her in the shower to try to sober her up before our parents got home. It didn't work, of course. Some of us are fortunate enough to have learned from such experiences....
I could feel the tension and tortured emotions in this piece. Beautifully done!
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