Chili Beans

I ate
a shit ton
of chili beans
that day.

Much more
than I would ever care
to eat
again.

I could feel them
rumbling in my belly,
especially after I drank a
12 pack.

Each beer
I drank
in one long
drink,
hidden away
from the family.

I was 14,
and I was drunk,
I only had four,
but I kept going
and going,
until I was feeling as good
as the rest of the family.

For once,
a family event
was tolerable.

I stayed up,
embracing the moment,
and having the time
of my life.

Eventually they all went
to sleep,
one by one,
until
I was the only
one up.

So I tried to sleep.

I couldn't.

My head was spinning,
round and round,
the world
a turbulent,
drunken mess.

oh no.

A rush of beans
came out of my throat
and on the couch.

It was the most
disgusting
puke
I've ever seen
and I've seen too much
in my lifetime.

I can still smell
the beans
to this day.

And to this day,
I will never
eat chili beans
before
I start drinking
or after.

This is
one of the many
lessons in life
I had to learn
the hard way.

Learn
from my mistakes.