Orientation, part 6

I knew it was important for me to get to an AA meeting to tide me over until the members of my own 12 Step program group returned to the city, so I got Mike to help me plan my driving route one night. He showed me how to go, and I took a deep breath and headed in alone.

The drivers were aggressive in Madrid, and the street signs were often hard for me to read, but I was following my directions pretty well, and I reached the church where the meeting was to be held. But I saw no public parking garages nearby, and the street spaces were jammed. Spaniards, I knew, would park on the sidewalk, on corners, at angles that left their cars sticking out into the street—but I didn’t have the nerve to do that. Scared to death, with no other ideas, I circled the block and prayed for a space—and on the second trip around, there was one! I took it gratefully and walked shakily toward the church.

I was early for the meeting, so I helped a friendly Englishman set up the room. Though the English-speaking AA group was fairly large, many of its members were out of town, like the members of my own program, but there was a group of fifteen or so present. I sat through the meeting feeling awkward, but I was happy to be there. A man who was visiting from California spoke of his gratitude to all the AA groups he’d visited during his trip through Europe. “I’d like to express my thanks to the drunks of Madrid for being here for me,” he said.

After the meeting I went up to him and welcomed him, and I told him a little about my situation as a newcomer in Spain. To my shock, I suddenly found myself crying. “I was so scared driving in here tonight, and I couldn’t find a parking space. I guess I’m frightened all the time,” I told him. “I didn’t even realize it till I started talking to you.” He was kind and let me sniffle on till I felt better, and I knew I’d done the right thing by coming to the meeting.