My friend who loved his drinks

Here is the tenth unforgettable character in my life …

This friend of mine was a legend by himself. I first him at the naming ceremony of his son – he had two daughters by then and went on to father one more daughter. A jovial person, he was the life of any party. He never bothered about levels – he was at ease with the General Manager as he was with a Casual laborer or helper or mechanic.
He loved his drinks and was not very particular about the brand – once, at a picnic, he was in-charge of the cooking. There was the usual bottle by his side and, he and his cronies would take an occasional swig to keep up the tempo. It so happened that a mischievous member of the picnic party switched bottles. My friend absentmindedly picked up the bottle of kerosene instead of the liquor – the scenes that followed were hilarious.

This drinking habit took a heavy toll on his life; he got picked up by the police on being a suspect in an attempt to blow up a political leader. This meant suspension from service and his family was in shambles. He managed to come out unscathed but the drinking habit damaged his domestic life. There were instances when he was too loaded to walk.
Subsequently, he got rid of the habit – his son is an Engineer in one of the Arab countries, his daughters are settled in their lives. His wife suffered from attack of gouts and was bed ridden for a long time. He had to undergo a bypass surgery but took active part in organizing get-togethers of retired persons in the neighborhood. When I met him at such parties, he appeared to be the happy-go-lucky character that he always was with a smile for everyone.
Unfortunately, he is no longer in our midst neither is his wife, but their memories remain.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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