Where Tears Meet the Breath of Alcohol

They always tried to leave for school early to reach the chestnut trees before the pigs did. Chestnuts were highly valued at school, especially by the fifth lesson, when everyone’s stomachs were rumbling. Sam, Ted’s next-door neighbor who had just moved to the countryside and was unfamiliar with rural life (something Ted often took advantage of), quickly became obsessed with Ted. Sam’s parents said that when he had a fever, he rambled about Ted being his only friend.

A natural introvert, Ted did his best not to come across as rude, but he couldn’t always hide his discomfort with Sam staring at him during breakfast. The more he tried not to hurt Sam’s feelings, the more his privacy seemed compromised.

Like Ted, Sam was encouraged to be studious, and his new friend did his best to help him stay ahead at school. The boys shared a writing teacher, who frequently detected Ted’s influence in Sam’s essays.

Their moms were friends and often swapped stories about their children’s boorish behavior:

1. Sam was afraid of the picture of his dead uncle hanging in the room he had to pass on his way to the bathroom at night, and always peed in the flowerpots, killing the flowers.

2. Sam was sometimes beaten by his parents but always laughed it off, saying, “It didn’t even hurt.”

3. He couldn’t be left home alone because he was likely to burn down the house—once, he set fire to a blanket.

4. Sam had to wear leggings to prevent his balls from swelling.

5. He drove his dad crazy with his nasty remarks and unruly behavior.

6. He was a fussy eater.

7. He often provoked older boys, who would beat him up.

8. He believed that "Gudiani Katsi" (bogeyman) would come if he misbehaved.

9. Sam’s parents frequently threatened to send him to an orphanage to scare him into good behavior.

10. Everyone agreed that Sam and Ted were very similar through and through—except for points 1, 2 and 4.

The journey to school always began with an air of intelligence, which inevitably faded halfway through. Along the way, they passed several ‘interesting’ spots. In autumn, the chestnut trees were a major attraction—one at the dead end and the other with branches hanging over the street. If it was raining and the river flooded, it became their favorite spectacle. They loved watching the fast-flowing river and pretending they were riding the currents.

If the water in the puddles was frozen, that was even better. They competed to see who could be the first to break the ice. One time, Sam’s feet got wet, and he had to turn back. He often made up stories to skip school, which his parents rarely believed. That time, they gave him a new pair of socks, dried his boots under the wood stove, and sent him back to school. Unlike the times when he deliberately jumped into puddles, he didn’t protest.

They both held their breath when passing the trash bin, which was always overflowing and rarely emptied by the trashmen. In spring, the boys would stain their hands red with berries, chasing each other and sometimes staining their clothes and the mindset necessary for the day ahead, half of which had to be spent at school.

They had to pass a house where an old man lived with a large, high-strung dog. Sam, usually a plodder, always quickened his pace to keep up with Ted near that house, sticking to him like a puppy clings to its owner in unfamiliar surroundings.

Once they passed that house, the road curved, leading to a crossroads where a woman named Maria lived. Sam once stole her wild plums, prompting her to come out and scold him. On his way back home, Sam retaliated by throwing cow dung into her well. Ted wasn’t too pleased about it, but he didn’t like Maria much either.

In fifth grade, Sam became infatuated with his classmate named Ann. To him, Ted was the ultimate expert in matters of the heart. Sam often sought his advice—on writing love letters, choosing gifts, and everything in between. Under the guise of seeking help with homework, he’d visit Ted just to discuss his budding romance.

“When I marry Ann, we’ll move to the capital,” Sam would muse confidently. “It’ll be easier to find a good job there.” Ted often struggled to keep a straight face during these grand declarations.

Ted had ‘special’ playing cards, hidden under his mattress. One card, the 6♠, featured a picture of a woman that left nothing to the imagination. Sam knew about the cards and often begged Ted to let him see them.

“If you show me the cards, I’ll help you with anything,” Sam would bargain.

Ted hesitated. “I don’t know... I don’t want you getting in trouble at home.”

“Trouble? Do you think I’m stupid enough to leave them lying around?” Sam shot back.

Ted hated the thought of being the strict older brother figure and ultimately relented. “Okay. Take them, but just for a day.”

Sam’s eyes lit up with mischief as he pocketed the cards. That night, he no longer needed poetry by Galaktion Tabidze to lull him to sleep.

The next morning, Ted waited for Sam to walk to school together, but he didn’t show up. When Ted arrived at school, he spotted Sam under the pine tree, talking nervously to a classmate. Later, during the break, Ted saw Sam in the corridor, the principal following close behind, clutching something in her hand.

“Where did you get these?” she demanded.

“I found them under the desk,” Sam lied without hesitation.

The cards were confiscated, and the matter was never spoken of again by anyone.

But Sam’s curiosity didn’t wane. “Have you ever seen a woman like that in real life?” he asked Ted, his tone almost daring.

Ted deflected. “What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” Sam pressed. “Your classmate told me about a place you and George went. Will you take me there?”

Ted said nothing.

***

When Ted fell in love with Kate, Sam became the ever-present third wheel, accompanying the couple practically everywhere they went. As a result, the boys added a peculiar ritual to their afternoons. When Ted and his crush had to part, he and Sam would retrace their steps and restart the journey back home, as if to reset the day and make up for lost time. What they didn’t realize at the time was how deeply committed they were to each other as friends.

One advantage of growing older was that Ted no longer had to wait one or two hours for Sam to finish his lessons. By then, they had the same number of classes each day.

Summer holidays were both a blessing and a test of patience for the boys. They nearly grew bored of each other, yet each new day brought another level of tolerance. One of their favorite pastimes was fishing, although Sam was hopeless at it. He often tangled his fishing rod’s line in the tree branches, leaving Ted to untangle it or convince him to leave the rod behind.

“Will you make me a new one?” Sam would ask.

“Yes,” Ted would sigh.

Sam caught a fish only once, and his reaction was enough to end the outing. He screamed in excitement and insisted on going home immediately to show it to his parents.

Sam wasn’t much better at football. In fact, he was terrible. Ted knew no one else would pick his best friend. So, he always chose him first when forming the teams, enduring the giggles of the others, even though he knew Sam would be a liability.

***

At sixteen, Sam got drunk for the first time in his life—on Ted’s graduation day. It was bittersweet for him. Initially, Ted tried to monitor how much Sam drank, but as the night wore on, Sam took control of his own glass count. Their friendship had spanned over seven years, and Sam wondered if it would ever end. Would Ted’s graduation and move to the city mean the end of their bond? For a fleeting moment, he hated Ted.

Sam rested his head on Ted’s shoulder and nearly fell asleep after a few minutes of gibberish talk. Ted thought back to when they first met—Sam’s puppy had just died, and he hadn’t tried to hide his tears then. Nor did he hide his tears now, as they mixed with the smell of alcohol wafting from the curves of Sam’s lips. Oh! The first time Sam went to school without leggings. What a proud moment it was for him, Ted also remembered the time Sam peed on his classmate from a tree.

“For a moment, I thought it was raining,” the girl said in the teacher’s office. “But then I wondered why it was warm.”

***

Ted, now 20 and an undergraduate student, agreed to share a room with Sam, who was 18 and preparing for his studies in the capital city. On his way to Tbilisi, Sam thought about the memories they’d revisit, the conversations they’d have, and the often-embarrassing moments they’d recall. When he arrived, Ted greeted him in a way that felt like meeting someone for only the second time. No words were exchanged during lunch, which felt like a corporate event thanks to Ted crunching numbers with his head buried in his smartphone. Sam never asked, 'Do you remember when we…?' He felt that reminiscing about the past seemed incongruous with his childhood friend now fixated on managing expenses.

“Since we are going to be roommates, I will be able to save 250 lari from this month on,” Ted said, a tone of satisfaction tinting his words.

At that moment, Sam realized why Ted had agreed without hesitation to share a room.