I Was Thirsty

Just imagine how thirsty I was earlier this evening. I was out with my friends, we had all just come from a two-wedding-weekend where we had played various roles to support the respective couples, we were dressed to the nines, and my order had just arrived.

The waiter placed the ice-cold bottle on top of the coaster. Then, my seatmate exclaimed that she had a missed call from one of our friends. I checked my cellphone and saw two missed calls as well. We looked at one another and suspected something was wrong. When we got in touch with our other friend, true enough, we found out that the car they were riding got side-swept by a truck.

I stared at my drink, which I had waited for since yesterday. I looked at the brother beside me, who was talking to the girls in the car accident, and asked him if the damage was serious. He reported that the girls were okay, but the two vehicles that collided were already causing traffic.

Perhaps I was exhausted from the two weddings, but I was, up to that point, oblivious to my supposed role in the incident. I attempted to take a sip. My friend, who was also a lawyer, asked the brother, "Do they need our help?" I sighed. "Do they need a lawyer?" I asked, suddenly imagining my friends' predicament and wishing I could just take one sip.

We discussed what to do and it was decided that three of us would rescue the girls. I stared longingly at the ice-cold drink in front of me. Brother M told me, "Let's come back to drink that later."

We turned out to be a good team. Brother M knew everything about cars, K could play good lawyer, and I could play tough lawyer.

During the drive to the scene of the accident, it suddenly dawned on me. I was never going to see that drink again. Never mind that my friends and I had planned and waited for that perfect moment when all our duties would have ended and we did not anymore have to wake up early the next day. It was a long, but very enjoyable, day and it was not going to end the way I wanted it to.

When we got there and saw our friends, our drinks were momentarily forgotten. The truck was loaded with six pigs. It was midnight. We did not have sufficient paper to properly write the driver's statement on. The driver claimed he had no money, which we all agreed was just the standard excuse.

We all wanted it over and done with. At least no one was hurt. But it took us too long to get out of that situation that our other friends, who had watched our drinks for us, had to go home already. In the interest of safety, we all went our separate ways as well after we got back to the restaurant. Somebody graciously paid for my unopened drink.

I don't usually charge lawyers' fees from friends (for small matters like these), but I will make an exception on this one, and will settle for a drink. One ice-cold drink.