Article June 25, 2001 ISSUE

OUT ALL NIGHT AT A party

D. Kitty Simms

When I was little, I loved to fix drinks for my daddy and his friends. I would take great care in preparing the drinks. I would wipe the tray and the glasses with a soft cloth to make them shine. Then I'd proudly serve them. My dad would smile and say, "Good girl."

Then I would return to the kitchen and drink my own little weak drink. In our neighborhood drinks was the common name for the hard liquor that was served. So as a child I learned to fix—and drink—hard liquor.

Then in high school my friends and I added beer and cheap sweet wine to our weekly drinking. Our parents were not concerned, because we had learned to drink at home, and the general thought was that when we went out, we "wouldn't be stupid." Meaning that we wouldn't let someone use liquor to take advantage of us.

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