He was absolutely gone. I had only seen him remotely like this once or twice before and it was nothing in comparison.

I’m not sure what he had taken, but it resulted in him wearing one silver plated tooth and being filmed for an interview.

“Tell me about your life’s highlights.”

“Titaaaaaays. TIT-aaaaaaays.”

His voice was so slurred I heard “the kennedys”, but as “the kennuhdaaaaays.”

He continued on, “Mooing, ‘cuz those TITaaaaaays. Milk bottles. Love milk bottles. Love everything titays.”

And those were the only words I heard that resembled the English language. Everything that followed was ancient linguistic acrobats.

*                                           *                                         *

One of my favorite things about choosing sobriety is that I can remember other people’s drunk and/or high moments clearly, without skew, even in dreams. You get to witness someone transform in front of you. Their voice shifts tone, the topics they usually discuss change, and depending on what’s in their system, they might go the touchy/feely direction.

The times I’ve witness him imbalanced, his voice takes on a level of excitement and adventure that’s not usually there. His vocal range expands and he goes a pitch or two higher. He sways when he walks. He’s a slender dude — it could be the wind.