Peter's 21-Run

Today is Peter's 21st birthday. I met him in August of two-thousand-one. He was a freshman from Colorado. Scotty and I were at the Bar-B-Q before the school year started. We were sitting in a field among hundreds of other people. This young man walked up to us and said "Do you mind if I sit here?" We did not mind and from that point on our friendship had started up. From that time we grew into being best friends. He was like a brother to me. Then one day it just ended. I still don't know why, and I would love to know for sure. I still like the kid. I figured he was young and wanted to explore things and I was standing in his way. I did not want him to miss out on the college experience. I did not want him to regret not doing things. Anyway, more on that later.

I went to my office in Pullman. I worked on my report for the corners case. It took a little while. I also worked on redoing my form. It was ugly and I wanted it to look better. I spent a few hours perfecting it. It looks a lot better if I don't say so myself.

Ryan talked to me online and we decided to go see a movie. We went to Assault on Precinct Thirteen. Peter also called and told me that he and the others were getting ready to go. I told him Ryan and I were going to get some dinner and then I would call him when I was done to see where he was at.

Ryan and I went to McDonald's. Right as I got my food a worker had two extra hot fudge sundaes. She game me one. I sat down with Ryan and we ate. Then we drove to the movie theatre. The movie itself was pretty good. It had Ethan Hawke in it. I don't think it was necessarily a sequel to Training Day. It was a pretty good movie. I drove Ryan to Safeway and then called Peter. They were at his dorm room getting ready to start the night. They were going to Pete's Bar and Grill. I met them down there. It was Moe, Tara,Neil, and Peter there when I arrived.

NEIL, TARA, PETER

The came from outside of Pullman to spend time with Peter. Peter had already had a drink at Rancho Viejo at dinner and then back at the dorm room. At Pete's he had a Wiley and two other shots of Hard A. Wiley's are large drinks, worth about six drinks. He was feeling sort of ill so he went to the bathroom and threw up.

PETER with Wiley glass pointing to his "21" button.

When we left Pete's we were waiting for Moe in the parking lot. I gave Peter a Field Sobriety Test.

PETER doing a one leg stand and counting.

We drove back to Rancho Viejo. We got Peter a Mexican Flag. It is worth three drinks. It is a flaming drink and very good tasting. Then I saw Aaron and Steve. They were having a drink and bought one for Peter. It was another flaming drink. When we left there Neil was stumbling drunk so was Peter. We helped them get across the street without getting hit by a car.

We went to My Office Bar and Grill. Peter had a shot of tequila there. He got a shot for everyone else. Then we left and walked to the Sports Page. I showed Peter some of the stuff in the Sports Page. I had to hold him up for the most part. He was really not doing too well. He went to the bathroom and threw up again. Then he went out and finished his beer that he was drinking. We had some popcorn and played pull tabs. We left and really needed to help Peter walk. He found a trash can and threw up a tiny bit. Then he fell and the trash can fell over with him. He picked it up and got the trash put back into it.

Then we walked to Rico's. We were about to go inside but Peter had to throw up. He threw up in the flower garden right in front of the place. We were laughing, telling him not to do it in front of the window, because they would not let him in.

We got inside the place. We found a table to sit down at. I got Peter and Neil a water. Then Peter needed to go to the bathroom. I lead him up there and he put his hands on my shoulders and we did a two-man conga line to the bathroom. He went into the stall and puked some more. He was not doing well. Neil also came in. Then him and Peter were in some weird conversations. Some guy walked in and started to laugh saying that was the weirdest conversation he has ever heard in a bathroom before. On the way out Peter went between the two pool tables. He was so drunk he tried to sit on a barstool and fell over it.

We went back to our seat and were there for another few minutes. Peter was pretty much done for the night. I helped to walk him outside. He was bumping into people saying "don't worry, it's my twenty-first birthday." Then they would wish him a happy birthday.

Once outside he sat on the bench and started to puke a bunch more. We started to laugh some more. Then we took him back to his dorm room in Waller Hall. I got there first and waited for him. The car showed up with him in it. He got out and laid down on the street. Someone helped him up. He got me the keys for the door and I opened it. We walked him to the bathroom. He felt like puking some more. He was pretty much hugging the toilet and had his head laying on the seat. He spent about a half hour in there. I was with him the whole time. Some of the others who lived in the hall came in there to enjoy watching Peter at such a low moment. Neil was running his hand in the cold water because he burnt it a little bit with his cigar.

We took Peter into his room and on to his bed. He laid there but did not feel well. I took him back to the bathroom. He said "I have to puke, but I can't because I am throwing up." I was laughing my butt off at that comment. Then he said he appreciated that I was there for him. He said he was happy I came out on his twenty-run with him. He said that he was sorry for being such an "asshole" to me over the last few years. I did not get into it with him at that time. But I think if I had asked he would have been honest with me. He had no ability to lie to me at that time. I never asked though. I still wonder what it was and before the end of the school year I will have to ask him.

As he was laying on the bathroom floor he was breathing hard for a tiny bit, then he totally stopped breathing. I sat there watching that happen. I was the only one in there. Would it make me a bad person to say that I thought about walking out leaving him like that for hurt he had caused me over the last two years? Well, I didn't and I wouldn't. I shook him and he started to breathe again. When I got him back to his room I made sure that Tara and Moe, who were staying with him, knew what happened and made sure that he did not stop breathing again. I don't want to see him die. I still really like the kid.