Mickey Finned

It began in the early morning hours, shortly after I got home from the radio station. My wife fixed me a large salad and an even bigger plate of ‘nitro’ chicken wings.

It took me about an hour to eat everything and wash it down with a couple of bottles of my favorite sports drink. By the time I’d finished – I was feeling uncomfortable.

And even though I had taken an antacid and even waited before laying down, by the time my head hit the pillow I was still feeling uncomfortable. It took me a couple of hours to finally fall asleep.

Hey, I did it to myself and I know better.

When I woke up, I was still feeling ‘sickly’ to my stomach, so after getting showered and dressed, I asked our room-mate Kay if she’d fix me an Alka-Seltzer. She said that it would be no problem.

Kay handed me a small plastic cup with the effervescing liquid in it and without a second thought, I slugged it down. Instantly, I knew something was off about what I’d jus’ taken.

That’s when it struck me: Alka-Seltzer Cold Plus. I take the stuff only when I’m sick and need a real good nights sleep, because it knocks me on my butt.

Arrgh and oh, no!  She had given me the wrong stuff.

Now to understand fully, I was already tired from a lack of sound sleep and now I was ‘medicined’ and still had a full night of work ahead of me. I knew I was in for a struggle.

The entire evening into the early morning hours was like living in a slow-motion bubble for me. I had to concentrate twice as hard on not making mistakes as I normally do. Further, I had to keep in mind much of the stuff I do simply by rote.

Once home, I went straight to bed and slept a good part of nine-hours.

Then the phone rang.  It was Kay, wanting to tell me she had jus’ learned from a co-worker about what’s printed on the box the Alka-Seltzer Cold Plus comes in :  WARNING: As may produce drowsiness, do not drive an automobile or use heavy equipment after taking.

I told her, “I’m going back to bed for a while to think on it.”