Drunk drama

I was called to a liquor store to find two drunk guys arguing. One walked away in a huff, and the other came to my car. "Take good care of my friend, okay? Here's $20, will that get him downtown?" Yes, I told him. The guy lived in a condo tower downtown, and it would be about $16, so $20 would be fine.

Then the guy went after the one who walked away and talked him into the cab. Apparently he thought he was okay to drive, but he clearly wasn't. He could hardly walk. Eventually I got the go-head to leave and instead of making for the freeway entrance (5 north), he told me to head deeper into the residential area. He got out and made for a 1990s Jeep. I was debating whether to get out and talk him out of driving when the other drunk guy drove up in an old VW bus.

Major drama ensued. There was yelling, cursing, and a debate about how to determine when a person is too drunk to drive. Meanwhile, I dropped the car into Drive and slowly idled away into the night -- with $20 for my troubles.