If you've ever been around people in recovery, you know they love to tell stories. Especially ones that draw on the days of wine and roses, as it were. Some are tall tales, and some are true.
This one led off the third Wolfe Street Center summer Talent Show on July 19. Judge its veracity for yourself.
A guy's been in recovery for a couple months now when he's stopped by a cop for speeding, and one of the things he has been working on is truth-telling.
The cop asks if he knows that he was speeding, and the man says, very forthrightly, "Yes, sir."
The cop asks if there's a reason, and the man says it might have something to do with the bottle of spirits he drank before the trip.
The cop asks for his license, and the man tells him he has had seven DUIs and doesn't rightly expect ever to own a license again.
The cop asks for the vehicle's registration and proof of insurance, and the man says he doesn't know where that might be. This isn't his car. He stole it. But if the officer'd like to inquire further, the car's owner is in the trunk.
The cop then steps away from the window, radios for backup and tells the driver to step out of the car with his hands high. In minutes the scene's buzzing with red and blue lights, and another officer pulls a wallet off the man and finds a valid driver's license. A field sobriety test checks out. There's a vehicle registration and proof of insurance in the glove box. The trunk is popped, and there's no body inside.
The second officer shakes his head. Nothing about the call into dispatch has checked out. Where did the arresting officer get his ideas? The driver, seizing the opportunity, adds, "He probably told you I was speeding, too."
About a dozen acts performed for the talent show. It wasn't exactly a fundraiser -- the foundation raised a few hundred dollars. Just an opportunity "to show everybody they can have a good time without getting loaded," director Markie Ford said. The Wolfe Street Foundation is a nonprofit serving groups faithful to the original 12 steps of recovery. That's Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon.
The foundation's next big event will be welcoming the Alloy Orchestra on Oct. 7 to the Argenta Community Theater, where, among other things, the ensemble will put music to the silent movie Son of the Sheik.
High Profile on 07/27/2014