Walking in the door of work yesterday, after a night dreaming that my coworker, Chris, saved me from a black man in black and purple polka-dotted sweat pants, Tim said I fell off the wagon. A peculiar statement, I thought, as I looked nice and never made my drinking or non-drinking a conversation topic with Tim. I just smiled and changed the subject.

We had a steady flow of pizza traffic all evening and a little later than usual. My not warming up more spaghetti sauce made a problem for me when a late night family all ordered pasta. I did my best, Brit helped, and I still feel bad today that their food was not up to par. Lesson learned.

Mike Rieck lightheartedly called me an asshole--can't remember why--and I encouraged him to find a more suitable name. I tend to think asshole is masculine. He said asshole seemed to bother me more than another name would, so was a good choice. This is life as a non-professional.

Lights off and vacuuming, a couple families with their baseball clad kids appeared hungry. Chris was up front, Britni in the back. The kids ran past me to use the bathroom and then Chris took over vacuuming (he made a deal with Mike Rieck that Mike could leave if he'd give Chris his tips. I said Chris should split them with Britni and I [I think the deal was ridiculous to begin with] unless he vacuumed). I heard a mom tell her kids we were closed--maybe they guessed this or maybe Chris had told them.

Britni and I up front now, she looked out the window at the families still in the parking lot and said we had turned a lot of people away. She and I have discussed the fact that Chris closes too early, and we decided we'd feed them and he could leave.

Britni ran out to tell them and they came back in pleased to order food to go. Chris, finished vacuuming, asked me if these were the same people that were just there. Yeah they were and Britni and I were staying for them. Britni asked him if he was mad and he said yes and thanks for making him look like a dick. He also thanked us for undermining him and that we both had it coming to us now, by him, that is.

She and I were both upset by this because Chris is already disgruntled with a bad side we'd rather not be on. People and things that wouldn't bother the average person bother him. He has Saturday off so I won't see him until next week. All I have is an apology.

I tried briefing Aaron with the story when I got home. He was acting obnoxious, which seemed the equivalent of five beers I remarked to my mom (she stayed over to go to an early appointment with me today). He stepped outside for an odd "cool off" and then headed to bed early. He seemed strange but so is the life of a recovering person sometimes. I went in to apologize--I wasn't sure if I upset him or something--to which he replied he felt bad. Again, I said sorry you feel bad and left to watch my mom bowl on the Wii for a bit. I went to bed a little later, smelling alcohol in the room. I woke him to tell him so and asked him if he drank. He lied.