Repeating my mother’s mistake.

I’ll never forget the summer of 2008. I had just graduated from highschool and thought my life was all planned out. I had submitted all of my college applications and knew my life was just beginning. I’d never been a rebel in school. I didn’t underage drink. I didn’t try any drugs, but I was guilty of one thing - sex!

My boyfriend, who was a year older than me, called and invited me to a party. I was excited to go, knowing that now I was 18 and no longer needed to ask permission to go anywhere. In the middle of me getting ready, my mom came into my room and told me how proud she was of me. She was proud that I had finished school and most importantly that I hadn’t repeated her mistake.

Makeup done and hair styled, I jumped in my black Acura and drove as fast as I could to pick up one of my friends. Only thing on my mind was to try alcohol for the very first time. Okay, I may have snuck a few sips of my mom‘s wine before, but that was different. I was ready to drink Tequila, Vodka, EverClear, you name it. I wanted to see what it felt like to be ‘blackout drunk’. All of my friends had already experienced it and I was the odd one out.

My friend jumped in my car and commented on how cute I looked. Overcome with flattery, I whipped my head from side to side so my hair flew around.

“Dang girl, your hair is getting long!” yelled my friend. She then touched her own hair as if to compare lengths.

I looked in the rear view mirror and twirled my hair around, agreeing that she was right. My hair had gotten a lot longer. “I been using Cantu girl. I told you this.”

We finally arrived at the party and I was in disbelif. Everyone was already drunk and having the time of their lives. I immediately walked in and went straight the punch bowl. Taking my first cup, it was amazing. I wondered where the alcohol was that everyone was so drunk from. But I liked koolaid and this tasted similar so I refilled my glass not once, but three times. Only after my 3 cups, I called my boyfriend wondering where he was.

“Behind you,“ he says glancing at my empty cup. “Babe, you’ve got to be careful with this. They put like every kind of alcohol in here that you can imagine.”

Horrified, I respond, “Wait, there’s alcohol in here.” Instantly feeling sick. I run up the stairs and to the bathroom. If I would have known what awaited me in the bathroom, I’m not sure I would have gone up there.

I barged into the bathroom and found 3 other girls in there laughing and holding 2 pink boxes. “Sorry, didn’t know anyone was in here.”

“No, this is perfect. We have our 4th girl now,” she said holding her arms out to me. “Come in. We are all going to take a pregnancy test, just for fun. You down?”

A pregnancy test for fun? Who does that? I thought to myself. But this was my first ‘real’ party so I shrugged my shoulders agreeing to partake in this odd request.

“Okay, I was going to totally say you sucked if you said no.” She handed me a pregnancy test and we all took turns peeing. It was the most awkward thing I had ever done in my life, you know peeing in front of other people. So strange!

We all put our tests face down. I remembered that mine was the 3rd one. She put a timer on her phone for 3 minutes and we all just stood there laughing. “I know I’m not pregnant but she,” pointing at another girl, “she thinks she’s pregnant.” I chuckled.

I know I’m not pregnant.

“Okay, we all turn them over at the same time,” she said as the timer went off on her phone. “1-2-3.... Yes! I’m not pregnant.”

“Wait, does 1 or 2 lines mean pregnant?” asks another. I secretly wanted to know the answer also. “Cause mine has 1 line.”

Laughing, she responds, “1 line means you’re not. 2 lines mean you are!”

”Okay, I have 1 line.”

“Me too. This was stupid.” Then they all look at me waiting for me to express whether I had 1 line or 2 lines.

I couldn’t say anything. All I could do was run out of the bathroom. How could I have repeated my mothers mistake?

To be continued...