Thinking About Drinking

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 302, 17 September 1936, Page 5

Thinking About Drinking

young Married Woman Has Her Say

Patsy tries to explain the drinklng-at-dances epil to her friend, Tanya. And describes a bright party.

My Dear, Doesn’t spring make you feel a trifle dizzy? In Wellington it’s something in the winds at street corners. They have so unsettled me that Mike actually suggested that we go dancing together, a • thing he has not done since we were married. He had read about a deputation of women who complained to the city council, that topers were “carrying-on” in Hill Street. Of course everyone knows the neighbours in Hill Street haven’t slept for years, on account of the cars swooping up and down, but Mike thought the toping must be much worse and he hoped to de-pep me by one rousing “carry-on.” He knows perfectly well that.when 1 am springminded I want new hats. The wind makes me hang on to my old ones so hard that I begin to think of them in a fatal way. The party was held in the suburbs — one of those affairs where you take your own partner and alcohol for' the night, then don’t see either again and have to borrow other xieople’s. Not that Mike ever willingly gives me alcohol. He says it is the duty of girls to keep the fun clean, a sort of temperance league in backless frocks. He gets me quite angry when I point out that many girls nowadays can drink simply oceans of bottled spirits and never even waver. In fact they have no spark, no magneto as it were, with out it. Mike just says, “Oh, your generation.” in a scornful voice as if we were dead tea leaves not fit even to go down the sink.

We arrived quite early at the party, about ten o’clock, but the people were by then already in the semi-merry state of expecting something fearfully exciting to happen any moment. They were draped on chairs and sofas giggling at a sweet young man with brass buttons and. darling, the longest and curliest lashes I have ever seen. He was getting quite hot trying to amuse them by pretending to be a penguin, crying out in a queer way and waddling round the room flapping his arms. I didn’t know penguins did behave in that way, but he said they always did at home, only they were so shy they would not speak even to explorers without an introduction. The penguin and I danced, but most of the people were too busy drinking Some man suddenly called out to the penguin and told him he was a liar because penguins were not a bit like hi.s imitation. -There was a half eaten cake beside us and the penguin threw it, I don’t really know why, so that it hit the man, by accident I expect, right on his nose. A sort of brawl began, Mike and I felt practically respectable so we left.

We found the hostess for the first time since we came. A brawler had just spilt some cocktail down her new frock so she was rather distrait but very brave. Next morning Mike’s face was swollen and I had a fearful headache and a spot on my face. Mike said snappily that it was only fair punishment, and if I did not worry about my morals at least he expected me to take care of my complexion : my eyes were dull and my skin was grey. W’ell, dear, I felt so glum witli my hangover I just, broke down and wept. In the end I promised Mike never to drink again .... and I meant it. But you know how forgetful I am. Your loving PATSY.