Well looking back is some times a very difficult thing to do. We see things we can't believe we did and we hope we learn from our mistakes. If you are lucky when you are growing up you are surrounded with good people that don't accept your shenanigans and lead you to the right path.
The year was 1982. I had just spent the entire night into the wee hours of the morning partying at the local dance club. I was with a couple of friends who were going to college full time. I on the other hand had a full time job working at a commodities trading company Baron & Sons. It was for this reason I was so popular at the time since I paid the bills at the end of the night.
I really like dancing and my girlfriend Elena did as well. It was a time of my life where I lived to the excess. I spent all my money having a good time, drinking booze and dancing like there was no tomorrow. Then comes the morning.
This particular day I didn't get back home until 4 AM after dropping Elena off at her parent's house. I also still lived home and was commuting with my older brother Jack. This was not the day to try to take another off day, but I did.
It would have been at least the third time that month that I was about to call in sick. Of course I was legitimately sick from drinking too much but my brother who often played the fatherly role was not going to put up with me calling in sick again.
He heard me pick up the phone and leave a message that I was not going to be in. He flipped out at that point grabbed me by my hair and threw me into the shower. This was no major feat for him since I was a pretty small guy weighing in at 145 pounds and only 5 feet 5 inches. Where he is 6 foot and weighs nearly 200 pounds.
As he threw me into the shower he shouted at me "Mike! You are going into work and when you get out of the shower you will call the office back and tell them. I will be waiting for you downstairs." I had no choice but to go along. Of course I knew deep inside he was right but I stilled muttered to myself "asshole". Luckily he didn't hear it or he pretended not to hear it because he didn't kick the shit out of me.
I went in that morning nauseous and with a pounding headache. My brother drove us into Manhattan in his black Pontiac Trans Am as he always did with the music blaring. It was Black Sabbath today. Boy was I not in the mood. But then again I think he was just teaching me a lesson. As the car swerved in and out of traffic, I just felt sicker and sicker. Then as we approached the last toll plaza we had to pull over so I could puke. Boy that felt much better.
The guys at the office cut me some slack and kept feeding me Alka Seltzer. By the afternoon I was feeling somewhat better.The only thing that kept me going that day was knowing it was Friday and that Elena and I were going to spend the night in the city. So I spent the day at work functioning at a 30 percent capacity. The guys like me so they let me leave the office early at 3 o'clock. I called Elena and told her to meet me at the hotel.
I took the E train up from the World Trade Center to 50th Street and walked a few blocks to the Novotel Hotel on 52nd and Broadway. Though I love the city it seemed exceptionally loud at that moment. I checked in and went straight to the room and quickly fell asleep.
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