TMI 40 A Death

Dennis got out of rehab after 2 weeks. I went again with him to counseling and AA meetings. The people there told me that when he was really ready and really sorry there would be sincerity in his commitment to stop. They tried to tell me and make me understand. They really did. I refused to see it. I wanted so badly for things to work.

He came home. He went back to work. He was clean for 2 days. Then he got drunk on top of the meds they gave him to combat the withdrawl.

We got a call from his mother. His father had died at the age of 84. Dennis got sober. We drove to Arkansas with the baby, my 13 year old and his best friend. His parents lived without air conditioning. His mother had a llama, a pot bellied pig, at least 3 dogs and a pack of cats. There was also an Iguana and a variety of other pets. I am a pet person so it didn't bother me in the least. The heat and humidity were killing me. My brothers and sisters in law were furiously trying to get the house clean enough to be presentable to company for the wake. Dennis stayed sober. He also brought several gifts for his 13 year old niece. I had alarms going off in my head all over the place.

I spoke to the sistes and the brothers. They all swore they had never seen Dennis act inappropriately with any child. His cousin was the sanest of the bunch. He was a male nurse that had been in the military. I could relate to him. He was in the process of an ugly divorce. His wife was a heroin addict and he was in a custody battle for his 4 year old daughter. He told me he didn't trust Dennis with her. I agreed that caution was always needed under the circumstances but I also thought he was still just a drunk not a pedophile.

The funeral was sad. The Sons of the Confederacy were there. Dennis mostly stayed sober. I was ready to go home.