Countdown
“Ten!” Who’s next to me? In this moment, we’re all cheering, “Nine!” celebrating, I need to remember it as vividly as I can. “Eight!” And all those around me are now calling it out, with one voice. “Seven!” When else can you catch a group of people this large, doing anything in sync? “Six!” “Are you going to do anything different this year?” He asks me with a smile, glass raised up to his mouth, trying to take one more sip but finding it empty. “Five!” He’s planning on stopping drinking, I remember, and I smile. But what will I do? “Four!” Maybe I could do the same, something that I know will never happen. “Three!” I don’t know if I’ll remember this in the morning. I probably won’t. I glance down at my glass, and tip half of the contents into his. “Two!” Or maybe I could tell the truth. Maybe I could do something small, something I’ll remember. “ONE!” “Nothing,” I whisper, and I meet his eyes. Everyone cheers, and the shouts fade back into pleasant conversation. N...