I've been here for 20 long days. I have spent every single one of them hating myself for letting myself be convinced, for falling into the damn trap.
A few months ago I was a guy dedicated to my job in the technology industry. I loved that job because computers and computers are my life.
I hardly ever had time to hang out with friends. My girlfriend and I lived in a small apartment and hung out after work, she is a waitress in a prestigious restaurant and makes a very good salary. The economy was not a problem, we had each other and everything was fine.
One afternoon when I left work my best friend from school, whom I hadn't seen for years but we always corresponded, was outside the office waiting for me. I was glad to see him.
We went to our favorite coffee shop, which has been open for 30 years in the same place. We talked about everything. We greeted the owner who served coffee to our parents when he first started and now we were here enjoying the same old taste.
"This is a treat" - I said as I dipped into a shot of espresso.
My friend smiled and told the barista that the next round was Scotch.
Among the things we talked about, my friend told me that he had bet his life savings on a new brand of coffee. He even invested his children's college funds. It was something that surprised me because my friend was always responsible and even though he and his wife married young and started a family, he always gave everything to his children.
"Sniftable coffee? Are you out of your mind? - I shouted as I punched the table.
Everyone turned to look at us and a lady stood up to cover the ears of her granddaughter who was enjoying her cookies.
"Calm down, once you try it your life will change " - he said with that half-sideways smile that scares and annoys me at the same time.
I made it clear to him that I wasn't going to try that crap and that I thought it was very irresponsible to bet his family's future on this.
After the Scotch, we went out and I went to walk him to his car. He told me that in the glove compartment he had a few grams of the coffee that was inhaled and that he would put 2 lines in me.
I declined. But I remembered that at work everyone was talking about the energy that stuff gave them and all the famous singers were carrying their coffee lines and showing them in their videos.
I made myself a little cylinder with a pharmacy bill I had in my pocket and snorted hard.
I lost consciousness. When I woke up I was asleep full of drool in the back seat of my friend's car.
I never felt the need to repeat something like inhaling that garbage. So I started looking for more and more. My friend told me that I had to control myself and that if I wanted to do this I had to be cautious.
The next thing I remember is that I was running uncontrollably through the streets not caring about anything, I just wanted more lines of coffee.
I lost my beloved job, my girlfriend told me I couldn't stay with her like that. I sold everything I had to buy more grams of coffee. It was the worst stage of my life.
One afternoon as I wandered through the streets of the city, looking very unkempt and with trembling hands, a voice I recognized called out to me. It was the gentleman from the coffee shop on the corner, the same as always, the one who served my father and then me.
He put a warm loaf of bread and a cup of espresso on my favorite table. He patted me on the back and said: it's time to go home.
I understood and agreed to enter the 28-day rehab program, where they teach you that coffee is drunk, not inhaled.
The photos were taken with my ZTE Blade A3 2020 phone.
Corrector Castellano
App: Canva / Giphy. The translation was done with deepl.com. Post of my authorship.
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