Having just seen the 1954 movie ‘Magnificient Obsession’ with Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman, my husband and I had a chance to be so tested the other night. We were out on our usual long neighborhood walk enjoying the weather and scenery when we noticed a car pass us twice, and stop at a cross street just ahead of us. As we approached the man inside the car asked ‘What does it take to get arrested for drunken driving around here?’.
Being somewhat taken aback by the unusual question, we did stop and try to answer the best we could. We found that he was indeed quite drunk – had been for the previous four days after being dry for eight years. He seemed truly at his wits end – certainly to stop complete strangers and seek help. He claimed to not have a place to live, and to be quite tired and frustrated. Luckily a nearby resident also appeared and let us use her phone to call the county sheriff. This just seemed like the best thing to do given the circumstances. Certainy he should not be out driving – I could see a drunken driver accident in the offing if he were to continue on the roads as night fell.
Upon the rather bright and official arrival of the sheriff, we shared our story with the officer of our rather long chat with ‘Dan’ (we waited for over 40 minutes for the police to arrive). Dan seemed to have a troubled life from age 16 onwards, and was completely despondent after a family visit that seemed to go poorly. Something had certainly driven him back to drinking. Some references to violence and past mental conditions had us wary of what might occur next and anxious for the help of the police. Despite his mood and condition, his sense of humor did come through in some playful exchanges over his car keys.
As I woke up this morning in my warm, clean bed, I could not help but think what had happened to Dan last night. Did he get his desire of being arrested for drunken driving? Where did he sleep last night? I can only hope that we helped in some way to provide even 40 minutes of conversation that perhaps strained relationships with his family could not give.