For the first time since my trip to Hazelfest,
I went out last night and did something fun. Now I could count every Wednesday
night at the Green Mill playing Bingo (a sport at which I believe I dominate)
but that’s more routine now than novelty. It’s still fun, and I love hanging
out with my sober friends, so I really had a “blast” last night when a bunch of
us went out for food, games, and Laser tag at Pinz in Oakdale.
To clarify, I do have fun on more than one occasion per
season, I separate this adventure because it was new, and farther away from
home than I’m used to. I haven’t even been free from the grip of the D.O.C. for
a month yet, so being out late still kind of scares me.
Thirteen of us gathered to celebrate a few birthdays in the
month of October. All of us are in recovery, and most I know from my homegroup
in A.A.
On occasion, I use the L.A. Fitness in Oakdale because it’s
closer to where my cousin lives and sometimes we lift together, so I was
familiar with the location. What I had never seen was even so much as a single
car in the parking lot, so when we pulled in I was astounded to see the place
all lit up, and lot full. Anxiety +1. I had picked up a friend along the way, and
we walked into the place which was swarming with children, discontinuous
strobing lights, and a cacophony of sounds, all alternating direction and
intensity. This would have been a nightmare for me a year ago. But I just
walked on through and took it in. There was a large game room which contained
everything from air-hockey, to whack-a-mole, to ski-ball. All of them promised
a big payout of tickets which could be traded for valuable prizes. Past the
game room was a bowling alley. Or perhaps two of them. One appeared to be of
the normal style, and the other of the “cosmic” variety: black lights, disco
balls, and yes, laser beams.
What we didn’t find was the restaurant which was located all
the way back by the front door. So, we meandered back, taking in the sights and
the sounds yet again. We found our group and took a seat, and placed our orders
while waiting for the others to arrive. I found a place to never get chicken
wings: Pinz. They were overcooked, odorless, tasteless, and I couldn’t pawn
them off on anybody. So I paid my $30 tab for the two orders, and took a friend
out to explore the game area.
To protect her anonymity, I’ll call her Penelope. Penelope
and I ventured into the unknown where I behaved exactly like a kid in an arcade,
and earned a gold medal in Air Hockey, but a bronze in Street Racing. Without
probably showing it, I felt comfortable with Penelope in this crazy
environment, and I had the thought that I would probably murder her soon.
Maybe that last sentence threw you off just a bit, and that
was the intent. Sometimes I don’t transition well, and I needed to get to the
part where we all shot each other with laser beams in an enclosed battlefield.
This was a first for me. Somehow nobody had ever shown me this delightful sport
before, and I think I’m in love.
We wanted to play just with our group of 13, instead of with strangers and kids. We wanted to be able to swear. We paid up
and waited for our opportunity to do so. Our time would consist of two separate
ten-minute games, played back-to-back. The goal: Red Team destroy Blue Team; I
was on Red Team. Penelope was on Blue Team, and I did murder her several times,
and she murdered me, as well. It truly was a cardio blood-bath as we ran around
and around, ducking, dodging, and shooting our way to victory. Or loss, I have
no idea to be honest. I wanted to keep playing well after we had all left the
building, but I now have something to look forward to for another time.
One small note, at one point, I believe I was able to duck
out of the way of a fast-moving laser beam. I’m not sure if there exists any
footage of this feat, but I knew what I saw. We all know what we saw.
