Sofia Adams - April, 2012Anne looked at me attentively, as if she could read what was going on in my mind."I know what you're thinking, Sofia. I know it's not easy. It's okay to be sad," she said.I weakly smiled. Of course, she knew."I prefer to focus on how happy I am for you, Ann," I replied honestly. Concentrating on positive things seemed to work a little to distract from the insane desire I had to drink."Have you thought of a name?" I asked.Anne laughed."We don't even know the gender, Sofia!" she retorted."But it's just a matter of time," I replied."Yes, but when we find out, we'll have even more time to decide," she concluded. "And between us, I'm avoiding the subject to avoid hearing the horrible names Tom wants to give," she whispered.Anne had barely finished the sentence when Tom abruptly entered the room along with Ethan."Hey, Timothy isn't that bad," he said.Timothy? That had to be a joke.Anne looked at me as if she wanted to say, "See? I told you.""We've alre
Sofia Adams - April 2012I was dreaming.I saw what appeared to be an older Nick playing with children on a sunny beach. One of them was a girl who looked about seven years old, with red hair just like his, and the other child was a slightly younger boy, maybe three years old, with dark hair like mine.Obviously, my deluded mind deduced that they were our children as I watched Nick toss the little boy in the air and catch him, while the girl clung to his legs, asking him to do the same with her.Nick let the two children play and came to lie beside me on the sand under a blue sky and bright sun.He lovingly touched my face, his touch burning more than the sun on my skin.I was smiling and happy."We never really had a chance, did we?" I asked."Of what?" Nick asked, still smiling easily."Of this," I pointed to us and the children happily running ahead. "We never had a chance at a future, and even if the accident hadn't happened, Nick's illness would eventually have become an obstacle
Sofia Adams - April 2012I blinked, returning to reality and realizing that Kate was still waiting for a response."Yes, it's because of the dream. I have this feeling that I can't live a life without Nick," I confessed. Kate gave me a knowing look, and her following words sent shivers down my spine."That you don't deserve a life when he died because of you," Kate completed, giving voice to my exact feelings. "And even though everyone says you're not to blame, you don't believe it."Kate understood more than anyone."Yes," I whispered."You stopped drinking recently, and now all the emotions you used to suppress with alcohol have nowhere else to go. You have to face them or let them overwhelm you. But that will only lead you back to alcohol," Kate said, softly uttering all of this with the authority and truth of someone who had been where I had been.We arrived at the café before I could respond, but I don't think she expected an answer.We sat at the table with our orders after wait
Ethan Hernandez - April 2012Anne had left just over a week ago, but that didn't stop her from taking care of everything from afar.I looked at her last message on my phone, wondering if it would be right to fulfill her request."Ethan, please distract Sofia a little... I trust her to be strong and all, but it must be hard for her. Maybe a conversation or just going out for a while will help. Keep me informed, okay?"I had noticed Sofia distancing herself in the past few days; she was avoiding me. And I could only think that it was because of Nick.It didn't have to be like that; I just wanted to be there for her and help. I wanted to see Sofia become herself again. I wanted our friendship back.I observed her slow improvement from a distance. Her withdrawal symptoms had eased, but she always seemed too spacey, distracted. As if she wasn't really there.And that was my fear. If she no longer had alcohol as an escape, maybe her brain would find some other way to shut down and distance
Ethan Hernandez - April, 2012Sofia smiled weakly and looked away. Our conversation had come to an end, but I wouldn't let her go like that. She needed to know that she could show me her sad side as well without fear.Since we reunited, I had received anger and bitterness. If I wanted to reestablish our connection, I would have to accept it all. And I did accept it.I accepted her sadness, her grief, her tears, and her crises.I accepted it because I knew who she was beneath it all. I loved what was underneath, and I would learn to understand what she had become on the surface.I took her hand and squeezed it. Sofia didn't return my gaze, but she squeezed my hand back, and I could see a slight smile on her lips.The Ferris wheel was slowly ascending. It would take 30 minutes to complete a full rotation, so we hadn't reached the top yet.I alternated my gaze between the window view and her. I couldn't help it; she was so beautiful.My mind traveled back to years ago, with a younger and
Sofia Adams - April 2012I was in my fifth meeting when I noticed a new member of the group leaning against the wall, far away from me.I waved cheerfully at Mick as he gave me a weak smile. He looked terrible... He had deep circles under his eyes, his hair was more disheveled than usual, and his clothes were wrinkled. A thin layer of sweat dripped from his face, almost in a sickly way. All of this, combined with his downcast expression and tired posture, led me to a conclusion: Mick was going through detox. May God help him at this moment because I remembered all too well the hell it was.Before I could reach him to talk, people approached to take their seats in the chairs forming a circle.It was time to share.A few days had passed since I went out with Ethan. I felt much lighter and somewhat confused. So when it came time to share in the support group, I finally gathered the courage to speak up."Hi, my name is Sofia, and I'm an alcoholic," I said, following the greeting I had he
Sofia Adams - April, 2012It had been a month since I arrived in Vegas. I didn't imagine the changes it would bring to my life. Maybe I was right after all... Vegas was a turning point for me.My phone rings in my purse, and I quickly answer after seeing who it is."Hey, how's the baby?" I ask.Anne groans on the other end of the line."Why does it seem like every time I talk to someone, their first question is about the baby? Hello, I'm here too, and I'm the one carrying him!" she says.I laugh at Anne's grumpiness. Tom had been complaining that she had been a bit irritable lately. And I absolutely loved that."You would get along well with Sky. She's also expecting and super grumpy," I smile, thinking of the blonde dwarf from my AA group."She's in your group, right? How are the meetings going? What step are you on?" Anne asks.On one hand, it was difficult to talk about the meetings. It still made me feel weak, like I had failed. But on the other hand, it was also a relief to know
Sofia Adams - April 2012We walk through the streets of Las Vegas."Is the fourth step still keeping you up at night?" Ethan brings up our conversation again."I just don't understand what there is to evaluate. I did bad things, got it, next step," I say exasperatedly.Ethan laughs."I don't think it's that simple, Sofia..." We stop at a familiar park since we've come here a few times to talk."Tell me the complete step," Ethan requests, sitting on one of the plastic benches. I sit beside him."The fourth step: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. We were given instincts for a reason," I repeat.Ethan gazes into the horizon."Since these meetings started, I've been researching about it. The fourth step seems to be one of the hardest, and seeing you, I understand the difficulty. I think your main obstacle is not understanding why it's so important," Ethan says. I don't know how to feel when I hear that Ethan researched the twelve steps for me. It's confusing."Th