Once

The next morning Julie announced that she was three weeks late.

"How did that happen?" Emu asked.

"How did you get into CMU, if you don't know how that happened?" Michaela asked.

Emu laughed. "I mean I know how it happened. I guess I was asking why it happened."

Julie said, "I think I told you all that Darren said he'd wait for me to get clean and sober.

"Well, we decided we'd get back together in six months if I was still in recovery. And, we kinda decided we'd spend just one night together before the six months started. Just one night – it didn't seem like a big deal. Since it didn't seem like such a big deal, we didn't use any birth control."

"Driving drunk, sharing a needle, swimming alone at night in the ocean: there are just some things you don't do even once," I said.

"It's almost like that AA slogan that starts, 'one is too many,'" Emu said.

Ann said to Michaela, "If you look at me and say 'a thousand is never enough,' I'll kill you!" They both laughed.

Today I will remember for some things once is too often.

AArdvarks (c) 2013 by Ken Montrose