The Last 10 Years (part III)

When I left off yesterday, I had been in Amsterdam for 6 months. Now it was time to move back to Houston.

It was a month before my 40th birthday. Six months before, I had quit my great job and had been on a drinking binge since then. Now I was back in my hometown. During the first few days, I bought a new car and leased a very nice studio apartment. Had to purchase all new furniture because I had liquidated everything I owned several years back.

The location of my apartment was not accidental. I was in the middle of Montrose, the gay center of Houston and my smart, 2-bedroom, 2-story apartment with the circular stairway was a 2-minute walk from most of the bars.

Within a couple of months, I realized that I was tired of the gay bar scene. It wasn’t fun any more for me. I didn’t know a soul; all of my gay friends had died from HIV/AIDS. I was isolating now because of my drinking and didn’t have the nerve or personality to meet new people. I started going to Griff’s.

I had first been to Griff’s Inn when I was 20 years old, with my older sister. It was a small, Irish pub and sports bar. I felt more comfortable around these people – I can talk sports all day long. And they had great hamburgers! The bar soon changed its longtime ownership when two young guys bought the place. I became good friends with them and I was soon a “fixture” at Griff’s. I became the token gay. I was umpiring again almost on a daily basis, otherwise I was at Griff’s. I began doing many odd-jobs around the bar and producing all the flyers and menus they needed. We soon reached an agreement – I could eat and drink for free in return for all the services I was performing. What a deal!!!

I was usually at the bar by 10 or 10:30 each morning, helping set up the tables for lunch. Whatever time I arrived was when I started drinking. Pints. I loved drinking pints after those years in the UK. No more bottled beer. In keeping with earlier tradition, by mid-afternoon, it was nap time. Then back to Griff's at 5 or 6pm. About this time, there was a modification to my drinking habit. I began drinking rum & coke regularly. Beer during the day, R&C starting around 6pm. Til I passed out. Being a blackout drinker, I don't remember very many nights with any detail.

This went on for 5 years with almost no interruption.

I led a pretty quiet life during those years. Drink all day, except on baseball days. But definitely I would make up for that during the night. I moved to an apartment a block from Griff’s in ’95; a shorter walk. My new friends would often come by the apartment to help alleviate me of some of my stash, whether it be the beer or the marijuana or both. All of my drinking life, my fridge was always stocked.

By the middle of 1997, I thought it was finally time to go back to work so I began looking around. Not much luck. Finally, an old contact from the ‘80’s found me and I was hired to do the same job I had always done in the offshore business.

to be continued