Part 10 of the story of how Gary's life changed. You could call it From Beer to Eternity. There might be 20 ar so of these to make up the whole story. Links to other parts are on the right.
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For years I lie to my wife, Brenda. I break her trust. She doesn't know how much I really drink. She knows something isn't right about why I take so long to go to the store. It makes her suspicious. I can't tell her I'm sitting in the parking lot, drinking. I tell her that's just how long it takes. She starts looking at the times on receipts, so I learn to drink first, then go in the store so the checkout time and my drive home match up. Later I start throwing away all receipts anytime I shop just to be consistent and to try to avoid questions. Yes, I'm a genius. Of course, it still takes me too long and she still has seasons of intense questions.
We argue over it. I get defensive. She feels like she's going crazy -- either I'm lying or she's crazy; she knows it's one or the other. I let her think she must be crazy.
What a horrible, abominable thing for a man to do to his wife. But sorry, alcohol is god, and this god must be served. This has a long lasting impact on our relationship and marriage. I can't imagine what it does to her sense of worth and self-esteem. It takes her years to trust me, long after the drinking ends.
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