breakfast for dinner and a root beer float

Today is my birthday. I will be celebrating it the same way that I have for the past nine years...breakfast for dinner (at the diner) and a root beer float. The diner and my choice of company vary. There have been years that I’ve gone alone.

Only a few people know the origin of this tradition. This year marks the ten year anniversary of the event that started it all, so I thought it would be a good time to share.

From 1998 to 2001 I was involved in a pretty bad relationship. Obviously, it did not start out that way. The downward spiral began when I discovered that my partner was an alcoholic.

We arrived at my parent’s house for dinner. The meal was served and when we began clearing the table, I looked around the corner and saw M in the living room. The liquor cabinet was open and she was chugging a bottle of vodka. She returned to the kitchen and offered to help, but it was apparent that something was not right. My mom told her to relax and watch TV. Shortly thereafter, candles were placed on my carrot cake and lit. My mom brought the cake to the table and called us in to sing happy birthday. M got up from the family room floor (where she had passed out), said there was something wrong with her contact lens and that she had to go home. She walked out the front door and drove home.

Needless to say, this was an embarrassing experience. I had tried to hide her drinking problem from my family because my uncle’s alcoholism had caused my mother so much pain. Now, it was all out on the table.

Two of my friends picked me up and drove me back to Philly. When I entered the apartment, her bedroom door was shut and locked. I did not see much (if any) of her during the weeks following that incident. Shortly thereafter, she moved out and I never heard from her again.

On my next birthday, some friends wanted to take me out to the bar of my choice to celebrate. It made me think a little bit about how the default setting for celebrating seems to be “Let’s grab a drink.” Personally, I can think of better ways to celebrate, better ways to spend my money and better ways to spend my time than at a bar, drinking. I respectfully declined and invited a close friend to accompany me to the diner to have breakfast for dinner and a root beer float.