I see this meme and I think of O...

So, a week or so ago we had a very bad day visiting with O. He was suffering from Heat Exhaustion, Dehydration, and Social Overload. Then he added a drink to the mix, and by the end of the day I was deeply upset and questioning everything.

In anger I told him to stop drinking, that his rage when under the influence was toxic - and I was lossing the strength to continue fighting for him and with him. Which of course caused another scene - I really didn't expect it to go any other way. He was enraged, yelling at his daughter, yelling at my kid who was defending his daughter - all while I was driving.

I got him home, and was so frustrated and torn that rather than take him all the way to his apartment, I dropped him off at the street watched for him to get to his door and let himself in, then drove off. I switched with HellKatt while he was yelling at the kids in the backseat, and she drove. I'm given to understand we pulled off the road where I'd been in the 4 1/2 rollover (Hellkatt's attempt to put me back in the driver seat) and then we stopped at Lytle Creek for a short bit so I could ground the worst of the anger into some trees.

Anyway, yesterday he and I had a lengthy phone call where he told me he'd been sober since I took that stand, and how he was waiting on a job interview for a job he was pretty sure he'd land; had found an AA meeting he could go to regular even if he does get the job, and how he would give himself until his daughter was 11 to get his feet under himself, and his head on straight.

I'm not sure about what his thoughts are if he fails this, as I've seen him make this decision before (and I'm so tired of the fight that I can't see anything but the broken promises, even while hoping for a difference). But his plans sound rock solid, honestly. Surgery to fix his back, job, place, car, no more drinks...he could finally be seeing the man I see in him.

I have such high hopes for him to succeed, I can't explain why - but I can ignore the fucked up past, the burnt bridges the shattered hopes, if he can just successfully reinvent himself, again. He's done it for the Marines, he's done it for civilian life, can he do it again?