MIZ PATTI, ARE YOU DIABETIC???

Years ago, two of my good friends were Sarah and Kenny. Sarah was a secretary where I worked and her husband Ken worked for a drug and alcohol rehab center.

Ken had talked to me about helping to sponsor a young black girl who had come to him for a job. She was just out of high school, admitted she was struggling with an alcohol and drug problem of her own but really wanted to stay clean. She had a strong desire to help others.

Ken knew of my recent alcohol problem that I had hopefully come to grips with and thought I could maybe help Penny. I found the prospect a bit scary. I could glue a dog back together but a human being was another matter. I was nowhere near qualified. With a lot of reservations and knowing I would be working with Ken, I agreed.

Usually, we would all meet at Ken and Sarah's house where we would have dinner and just talk. Sometimes serious conversations, but often, just relaxed times. We would often play cards or board games while chatting.

Ken and Sarah had no addiction problems and Penny was very surprised to discover that I was a recovering alcoholic. I looked so "normal" she was a bit dubious. We wanted her to realize that there was life after addiction. I was their poster child.

Penny once said something that made me realize just how different our formative lives had been. She stated that when she was a child, she wanted to grow up to be a drug dealer. They were "somebody". That underscored that I could probably never fully relate to the life she had grown up in. I could only try to imagine. We only knew our job was to get her away from where she came from, closer to where she wanted to be, and to instill in her that it could be done.

One day, I volunteered to provide dinner for the group at my place. I was to pick up Penny after I got off work as she had no car and Ken and Sarah would meet us there. I teased Penny as we rode down the dirt roads to my house that she was in real redneck country now. She did laugh also but it was a tad weak. Pretty sure she had never been in the country before.

After she met my dogs,horse and pony, she went to the bathroom to wash the doggie off her hands. I was working on the salad and didn't pay much attention to how quiet it had gotten.After way too long to wash you hands, I heard her call to me from the bathroom.

"Miz Patti, are you diabetic?" came the strange question that left me wondering what the devil brought that on.

Then I started to laugh when it dawned on me what caused that question. I had forgotten something that was so normal for me but would scare the bejeebies out of a recovering addict. Across the top of my vanity was an array of needles. syringes and small bottles of injectable medicines that I used on my dogs.

The poor child was terrified she had gotten into a drug users house in redneck country. The only thing that could explained the array, would have been if I were diabetic. She laughed almost hysterically in relief when she learned all that paraphernalia was for my dogs. The so called drugs were wormers, preventives, and antibiotics. For a long time after that she referred to me as her "doggie drug dealing" friend.

Penny eventually got a scholarship thanks to Kenny and went off to college. For a while when she was in college, we got cards from her. Mine were addressed to DDD. She happily informed us she was getting married. Then her cards tapered off as her new busy life consumed her. I was pleased that her life had gotten so full that she didn't need us any more. Pretty sure she stayed clean and had a good life. No body wanted it more than she did, except maybe us.

Yes, there is life after addiction.