What Miss Ruark Knew.....

This is the story of alcohol, people making bad choices, and assuming too much.

The first thing you need to know is the village I taught in is called a "dry village" because it is illegal to have alcohol in the village. People smuggle it in, bootleg style ala Al Capone, but you aren't supposed to have it or drink it. A teacher getting caught with alcohol could face legal consequences which could have an effect on their teaching credential in Alaska.

Being that I'm not a big drinker, I made the choice before I moved to Alaska that since I was there to teach, I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize my career. It wasn't that important to me to begin with. It just didn't seem worth it.

So I spent my time in my village not drinking. I knew other teachers who drank but as long as they weren't hurting students, it didn't bother me. I didn't think it was any of my business anyways.

So now comes the story...

I was flying home one time and another teacher from my village was on the plane with me. And she was drunkety, drunk, drunk. Like sloppy drunk. Like trying to kiss the bush pilot drunk. It was annoying.

But she was just my coworker, not my friend. So I decided not to try to rescue her or take care of her. She was able to walk (albeit crookedly) and she was just loud and obnoxious. She didn't really need my help anyways.

But she slipped and told me that she was sneaking in a bottle of Jack Daniels for another teacher, XX. 

Now, XX was also not my friend. I actually was so indifferent to his existence that I have since forgotten what his real name is. Or what he taught. Or what his face looked like. I really did not care what XX was doing in his house. 

Not my circus, not my monkeys, right?

But then I did something kinda stupid. I was complaining to a friend of mine at a training one night (she lived in the village next to us) about how annoying it was flying with the drunk lady. It was super late and I was tired so instead of going into the details, I mentioned that she had brought a bottle for someone else and was sloppy drunk. I stupidly then said, "So I guess I know all the dirt now." 

But I never said what exactly I knew. And here's where it gets interesting....because that girl repeated to a group of people (XX included) that I knew.

That's all she needed to say. 

XX freaked out that I knew about the bottle....he assumed I knew about the MANY other bottles and parties at his house. So he came to confront me, just to make sure that I didn't repeat to anyone else about the bottles & parties.

Me: "Well, I know you don't know me very well but I would never jeopardize someone's career and I didn't know all that to begin with."

Their friend came to confront me because she heard I knew about her drinking beer at her house and then listed all the other teachers over the years who were drinking and even a couple who brewed their own beer and I better not tell anyone. And since I had told my "friend" all about what I knew, I obviously couldn't be trusted.

Me: "Well, I know you don't know me very well but I would never jeopardize someone's career and I didn't know all that to begin with."

XX's roommate came to confront me because I knew that XX was having an affair with a married teacher and yeah, he didn't approve of it either and warned them that it was a bad thing to do.

At this point, I was DONE. I told the guy that not only did I not know about it, I really didn't care. I may have yelled that I never knew any of the stuff that people were telling me and I wanted them to stop. I didn't want to hear anymore.

I think it was then when people realized how very little I had actually known. Oh, but I sure knew now.

They avoided me after that and if it was an attempt to snub me, it went unnoticed. They were not people I cared to be friends with. I couldn't tell you why at the time, but after they flipped out on me, I think my gut was steering me to better paths.

Thinking back though, it's kind of funny what a guilty conscience and the words, "She knows" will do to people...