My Baby's First Beer

My baby has turned 21.

Alexander J. Dreith, my youngest child, stopped being a minor on April 5^th. He wanted to share a beer with me, so we went to the Snyder square, wandered into The Big Apple Deli, and ordered us a couple of Bud Lights.

I watched him carefully as he took his first swig of brewsky. Interesting… while beer was an acquired taste for me back in the day…..he seemed to naturally appreciate his first beer. Actually guzzled it down quite effortlessly. I know this sounds odd…..but I think he might have tasted it before….in an act of illegality. Shocking, and yet undeniably a possibility. It reminded me of my first drink, back in 1976.

Back then, the laws were changed to allow 18-year-old to legally partake. The Dreith law, I surmised. It went on for three years or until I was 21. It seems folks my age really screwed it up and the legislature moved the age back to 21 after many of my classmates went on three year drinking binges.

I honestly never drank a drop while in high school. Hard to believe, but true. I was a jock and felt morally superior by not drinking. Never even drank on graduation night as all of my friends crawled around on the ground totally toasted.

Had a friend come back from Europe one night during my 18^th year. Rick Hamilton had grown up across the street from the Dreith spread and had entered the Army and done a tour in Germany. He brought me a bottle of German wine upon his return and I remember throwing it into my folks’ swimming pool one night before heading up to the Coliseum in Benld. That night, I got home after midnight….stripped down…..dove in and unscrewed the top. (Yes, a very fine wine). I downed it in a few minutes and experienced what it was to be drunk all by myself….until three or four in the morning. Shortly thereafter I transferred to SIUE and decided I was way behind my colleagues in alcohol consumption. I caught up fast.

Now I enjoy a good blush now and then. Haven’t been drunk in years and years. Then it was a right-of-passage….now it is a headache that I don’t need.

Alex drank his inaugural beer and we conversed about the day’s events, his future and world events. Then he announced he had people to see….places to go. I was grateful he thought so much of me to spend that moment…..that right-of-passage….with the old man.

And I can smugly say…..I watched him drink his first beer…

His first legal beer.