The Mee Street Chronicles: Straight up Stories of a Black Women’s Life: “Scotch on the Rocks”

The Mee Street Chronicles: Straight up Stories of a Black Women’s Life:

“Scotch on the Rocks”

            In the selection “Scotch on the Rocks” in the memoir The Mee Street Chronicles: Straight Up Stories Of a Black Women’s Life by Frankie Lennon, the narrator, faces dilemma in which she does not want to acknowledge she is an alcoholic. The narrator is able to unveil her values and traits within her thoughts on herself on alcoholism. In this selection Frankie ends up in an alcohol counselor office after she received her second DUI after being involved in a terrible car accident. She is told by her boss to go to the counselor seek help with alcoholism. As the counselor starts to ask Frankie questions about her past with alcohol Frankie gazes out the window as if she was looking for an escape of her reality. As soon as her counseling session was over the first place in which she went Allen’s Lounge and Bar. Frankie is a now a regular at the bar and feels the bar is her escape to her problems. Although in this particular selection it just is the place in which she gets a reality check from herself.

            In the selection, Frankie reveals her values the society’s acceptance, partying and euphoria. Frankie’s values as well as some of her character traits are revealed as the selection unfolds and it intrigues the reader to find out if Frankie quits drinking. “Although I felt frazzled, the mirror showed me looking as cool as a cucumber…” within this quote it demonstrates that Frankie noted the fact onlookers might of not thought much of her and Marsha’s altercation because she seemed calmed although she was terrorized inside Marsha could of hit her. Another incident in which she seeked approval was at the end of the selection when being offered another scotch she couldn’t help herself from answering “Sure, you know I never turn down a drink.” Not wanting people to notice she doubted alcohol and her partying ways as well as she was starting to think of a way in which she could quit as the counselor told her. Frankie, in her late 20’s did not want to be seen as an alcoholic and did not realize the fact drinking and partying could have a negative effect in people’s lives. Even if alcohol gave her some sort of euphoria in her younger years and now she does not have that same euphoria. Frankie is not ready to leave behind her partying ways and the alcohol’s euphoria as well as to know she does not need society’s acceptance she only needs her own acceptance.

            Diffident, unwilling and belligerent are just three of the traits the narrator portrays within the selection.  Frankie portrays she is a diffident person because as is aware Marsha might try to hit her because she is “fooling around” with Jay. “If she made a move to beat my ass, would I just sit here and let her…” shows that Frankie lacked in her own confidence that there could be fighter inside her that would of fought Marsha if needed and can also fight against alcohol. The narrator is unwilling and belligerent in several parts in the selection when she is mentally trying to convince herself she is not an alcoholic. Thinking of many excuses and differences she has with people she knows are alcoholics. An example is when she compared herself to Charlie calling him a “stone drunk” and mentioning he gets drunk easily unlike her. Her diffidence, belligerency and unwillingness took over only looking at the negative outcomes and giving her a lack of confidence rather than letting her see the bigger picture as she fought her inner self thoughts.

            Frankie’s cause of conflict involves her inner thoughts and her traits and values. “I was…scared of “The Corners”…where I’d hidden the truth about me,” she acknowledges puts things in the corner when she is able to confront them. “Am I willing to quit drinking?” is a question she continuously asks herself but is unable to address it because she decides to not explore the question along her past actions with alcohol. Her traits and values do not allow her to grow and acknowledge that she is causing harm to herself and it would affect her in the long run. The corners, appear to be the narrator driving motivation; because it does not allow her to see she could be on the verge of becoming an in denial alcoholic and does not acknowledge she had already caused harm to herself and will continue unless she fights her alcoholism.

            In conclusion, the narrator’s ongoing battle with herself does not allow her to see the reality. Her traits and values play a huge part in the fact she does not want to be seen as an alcoholic nor admit it. Frankie unwillingly admits she is scared to face her alcoholism and does not want to face it because she is not a “stone drunk” as Charlie. Frankie’s negligence and naïve-ness does not allow her to face her alcoholism and fight it. Her negligence takes over her not allowing her to reflect that there is more than one type of alcoholics and it is okay to seek help for alcoholism it does not makes her any different from anybody.