Definitions:
A Shot Of Liquor - There are 1.5 ounces in a shot of alcohol. Drinkers in countries like the US, Ireland, and Greece consume full shot glasses, but not every culture does this. Germans, Hungarians, and Romanians drink shot glasses half full, and Russians and Poles drink them one-quarter full.
BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) Limit - In every state, there is a legal blood alcohol content limit. That limit in 49 of the 50 states is .08% BAC. Utah is the only state with a lower .05% BAC limit.
Jameson Irish Whiskey (18 years ) is 92 proof.
Sociopathy (Sociopath) - Antisocial personality disorder, sometimes called sociopathy, is a mental health condition in which a person consistently shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights, feelings and safety of others.
Potter's Field - A potter's field, paupers' grave or common grave is a place for the burial of unknown, unclaimed or indigent people. "Potter's field" is of Biblical origin, referring to Akeldama, a place in Jerusalem. It was purchased after Judas Iscariot's suicide by the high priests of Jerusalem with the coins that had been paid to Judas for his identification of Jesus. The priests are stated to have acquired Akeldama for the burial of strangers, criminals, and the poor, the coins paid to Judas being considered blood money. Prior to Akeldama's use as a burial ground, it had been a site where potters collected high-quality, deeply red clay for the production of ceramics, thus the name potter's field. Once the clay had been unearthed, the land was not suitable for agriculture, making it a perfect place for a cemetery of the unwanted.
We find ourselves in Provo Utah, in the kitchen of the Jenkins family.
Timmy Jenkins bought a kitchen scale a few years ago, and he never found a use for it until now.
Unfortunately he was using it to investigate his wife's deviant behavior, and not to make dinner.
He was a meticulous man, with a great eye for detail. He had an engineer-like zeal for getting to the truth.
He put the bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey (18 Years) on the kitchen scale and wrote down the weight. He then did the rest of the calculations that he had done the previous 7 days.
It was Saturday. His wife was out at a bachelorette party.
He thought back to last Saturday when he found the two bottles of whiskey. He was in the guest room. He had noticed a cobweb in the corner of the ceiling and was there to clean it up.
He had to move a chair that was in the way.
When he stood in the space where the chair had been, he felt part of the oak flooring move. Of course he investigated, and he quickly realized that that specific piece of oak was no longer nailed down.
He lifted it up, and to his surprise, he saw an almost empty bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey (18 Years).
Nestled like a new born baby below it, in its hunter green box, was an unopened bottle.
He brought both to the kitchen and weighed them and recorded that data on a legal pad.
A week had passed and it seemed that his supposedly “I've been sober for one year - I have the Alcoholics Anonymous coin to prove it” wife was off the wagon.
Each day he brought the kitchen scale into the guest room, moved the chair and the loose oak plank, and took his measurement.
He stared at his week’s work on the legal pad.
His wife’s drinking had caused so many problems even before they were married.
The last time she drank, well, at least the last time he knew she drank, she had totaled his brand new Mercedes and almost killed their daughter, Tina.
He gave her an ultimatum. If she touched alcohol again, they were through.
Like so many spouses of addicts and alcoholics, he slowly slipped back into a life of denial. In his mind he wanted to believe she was sober and mentally stable since the accident.
He thought back over the past year. Was his denial making him ignore signs she was drinking again? Or was he being paranoid?
Didn’t she seem to have mouthwash on her breath at all times of day?
(Denial told him - What's wrong with wanting minty fresh breath?)
Didn’t he notice her balance being slightly off for no reason at random times?
(Denial told him - As we age our equilibrium can be impacted)
Wasn’t she waking up with headaches.
(Denial told him - Those damned allergies are bad this year!)
Didn’t he see her hands trembling on a few occasions?
(Denial told him - The poor thing has been under so much stress lately.)
Denial is a most powerful and dangerous thing. It lowers our guard and makes us blind to severe risks right in front of us.
Again, like many spouses of addicts and alcoholics, his denial made him ignore obvious signs of his wife's continued deviant and dangerous behavior. His denial suppressed his instincts and natural self-protection, and left him, and more importantly, his daughter at continued severe risk after her mother had almost killed her.
But thank God he found the loose oak board in the guest room.
There was no way that his marital reality could be suppressed or rationalized any further.
Denial over.
At 8pm he saw his wife’s headlights shine through the living room window.
He turned out the light in the kitchen and greeted her at the front door.
He said: “Hello my love, I’ve missed you so much. Come in the kitchen, I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes. It’s a big reveal, just like on those TV shows you watch.”
He led her into the darkened kitchen and positioned her in front of the kitchen scale with the bottle of Jameson on it. To the right side were his notes, the oak plank and a picture of their daughter in the ICU with only a 50/50 chance of survival from one year ago.
He turned on the lights and said: “Open your eyes. Surprise!”
Her wide grin slowly disappeared as she took in all she was seeing. At first, she was confused, but then it sank in that he had caught her red handed. She studied the notes on the legal pad.
He said: “Are you driving while impaired with our Tina in the car? You may kill her this time! Last time it was only the luck of the drunks that saved your lives and my political connections that kept you out of prison! For fuck’s sake, Tina will have a metal rod in her back the rest of her life. She won’t be able to run or lie down flat, ever!
He picks up the legal pad, and puts it directly in front of her face.
Look! 7 out of the 8 days you are driving over the legal BAC limit!
As you can see, per The Widmark formula, your blood alcohol content was far too high to drive most days.
You know you will serve at least ten years in prison if you break your parole by getting another DUI.
Didn't you think it was odd that since last Saturday that I made sure I was the one to bring Tina everywhere she needed to go? Haven't you noticed you haven't had to drive her anywhere this week?
She will never get into a car with you again!”
She screamed: “What kind of sick fuck weighs a bottle of whiskey eight days straight and calculates BAC?”
He said: “Here it comes, the alcoholic’s deflection and attempt to shame and guilt the one you have abused. So text book. I expected better from you.
I am the kind of stupid sick fuck who married a lying sociopathic addict. We are going to stick to the point. And that point is that you are a lying sociopathic child abuser. You promised me if you ever felt the urge to drink you would come to me. I spent over $100k on two in-patient rehabs. You unappreciative bitch. I should have left you in the gutter where I found you.”
She started to cry and gave that “I am just an innocent little girl and you are bullying me” look that is so common when immature women get caught dead to rights and yelling and shaming fail to work. He knew at that point she would not take any accountability.
She moved closer to him, stroked his forearm, and put on her sexiest smile and voice and said: “Oh, come on Timmy. It was only a few shots per day. No one could even tell. As always you are overreacting baby.”
He laughed in her face at her text book alcoholic / drug addict rationalizing rhetoric and manipulative behavior.
She didn’t realize he was video recording all of this. He had just gotten the proof that would allow him to execute their prenuptial agreement which basically said if she drank alcohol again the marriage was over.
He said: “Per the prenuptial, you are to move out of my house. My divorce attorney will be contacting you. You will get nothing and deserve less! I should have executed it after the accident.”
Just then their 14 year old daughter Tina came in through the garage and limped into the kitchen.
Everyone was silent. She looked at the evidence and then stared with cold steely eyes at her mother and screamed.
“YOU ALMOST KILLED ME LAST TIME. I HAVE A METAL ROD FUSED ALONG MY ENTIRE SPINE BECAUSE OF YOU. I WON’T BE ABLE TO WALK FAST LET ALONE RUN THE REST OF MY LIFE. I CAN’T FULLY BEND AT THE WAIST OR SLEEP LYING DOWN. MY PELVIS WAS SO PULVERIZED I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CARRY CHILDREN. YOU KNOW YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF THIS.
SINCE MY ACCIDENT, DID YOU EVER DRIVE ME IN THE CAR AFTER YOU HAD A DRINK?”
Her mother just muttered and stammered: “Honey, I.. .uh.. You know that I love you… I would never jeopardize.... uh you and your father are overreacting. I don't appreciate getting ganged up on…..”
Tina screamed: “I WAS WONDERING WHY DAD WAS BRINGING ME EVERYWHERE THIS WEEK!
ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION. (ENUNCIATING EACH WORD) DID YOU FUCKING DRIVE ME IN THE CAR AFTER YOU HAD A DRINK SINCE YOU ALMOST KILLED ME?
JUST BE HONEST ONCE IN YOUR FUCKING LIFE!”
Mom: “Yes, but honey.....”
Tina: “Mom, we are done. Many years from now, when you are dying, there will be no deathbed reconciliation. Lucifer has a special place for mothers like you. Dad, if you don’t kick her out, I am leaving. That is a promise.”
Tina limped out of the kitchen and they knew when she had gotten to her room by the slamming of her bedroom door against its jamb.
Tina’s Dad left the kitchen also. He went to immediately share the video with his attorney.
Tina’s Mom stood there and cried. Because she was ashamed? Of course not. Everyone was being so mean to her and it wasn't fair.
The only blame to be had was self-blame, which she would never realize, even to her last breath.
She would die, penniless, of cirrhosis of the liver, 5 years to the day of the big reveal, in a government subsidized hospice facility.
There was no deathbed reconciliation from Tina or her ex-husband.
Tina's mom was sure they would come apologize for all they did to her. She often thought: "What is taking them so long?"
Her last words, at 3am, to one of the nameless revolving health aides were:
“I would never put my daughter’s health in jeopardy. You know that, right?.….”
The health aide said: “No hablo ingles. Di en español por favor.”
Then she flatlined.
She was buried in an unmarked grave in a Potter's Field.
