Author's Note: Got busy. As promised, we meet the ducks. Please read and review. I might be inspired to write more often with more encouragement.

Also, I've never been to AA so I really don't know what the meetings are like. I managed to get a little information on AA and included the AA preamble.

Chapter 5 : First Meeting

"We want a ride!" Connie shouted.

"We want a ride!" The others children chimed in. "We want a ride! We want a ride!"

Gordon Bombay rubbed his temples. He had a splitting headache. And it was forty-five minutes into practice.

Luis, his driver, looked back concerned at his new boss. "I could kill one of them to set an example sir." Lewis suggested.

"Not yet Lewis," replied Gordon. "Take 'em for a spin. Anything."

The kids cheered as the limousine pulled out farther onto the ice. Bombay could hear them chattering on loudly. He didn't care. He stared blankly at the phone. One of the kids skates must have cut the cord.

He made a mental note to call the office later on. They couldn't leave all his cases to Jane. She was fresh out of law school. She didn't have the skill or determination to win that Gordon did.

"Goldberg!" The kids yelled. Gordon could smell it too.

"Young man, what did you eat?" Bombay asked.

Before the goalie could respond, Lewis noticed a young woman running across the pond toward them, waving her arms.

"Oh no! That's my mom. She looks pissed."

Lewis brought the limo to a slow stop. She stormed to the back door and pulled it open.

"All right, out," she ordered. "Everybody out now."

Gordon got out of the car along with the rest of the kids. Bombay deducted that it was the mother of one of the kids.

She not amused. "Are you out of your mind?" She angrily demanded. "What were you thinking putting the car on the ice? My son was in that car."

"Lady, Lady, relax," said Gordon politely.

"One crack in the ice, that's all it would take. One crack!"

"The ice isn't going to crack," Gordon explained.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"My name's Gordon Bombay," answered Gordon. " The new hockey coach."

She was incredulous. "The new coach? They send you to coach the team and you endanger their lives?"

"What danger?" Gordon asked innocently. "I grew up on the ice. I know when it's safe to drive on."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"I just know, all right?"

"Well listen Mr. Zen Master." She said angrily. "You may be in tune with the ice universe, but when it comes to my kid 'I just know' isn't good enough." She turned

away. "Let's go Charlie."

Charlie was embarrassed. "Sorry my mom ruined it guys." He apologized.

Gordon shook his head. "All right." He said. "Practice is over."

Charlie stopped and looked back at Gordon. "You going to be at the game tomorrow?" He asked.

Gordon sighed. "By order of the state of Minnesota, yeah."

The rest of the kids stared at him as he watched Charlie and his mother leave towards the parking lot. Bombay couldn't explain it. It was like some magnetic force that was drawing him to both Charlie and his mother.

Peter piped up. "What are you going to have us do now coach?"

"Do whatever you want. I don't care."

"I bet."

The team continued scrimmaging while Luis drove the car off the ice and waited for practice to be over. Bombay pretended to read the latest copy of the Minnesota Law review and occasionally watched them. They were not just bad at hockey. Horrible.

The kids continued to scrimmage until the parents started to pick up the kids one by one. Soon it was just Terry and Jesse hall playing one on one.

Bombay tucked the magazine into an inside pocket of his long coat and walked over to the two boys.

"Where is your mother? Isn't she going to go pick you up?"

Jesse stared Bombay down. "I ain't no momma's boy. I'll leave when I'm good and ready."

A 1980 Chevrolet citation pulled up to the pond. A man got out. Gordon looked at him. He glared back. "Terry! Jesse! Let's go!"

Terry and Jesse Hall stopped what they were doing and got in the car. Bombay checked his watch. A full hour had past.

'Four hundred and ninety-nine hours to go,' Gordon thought to himself.


Luis pulled into the parking lot of the downtown YMCA location in Minneapolis.

"Here you are Sir," Luis announced. "114 S 9th Street."

Gordon Bombay stared at the building. He was not looking forward to this. In addition to the community service and having his license suspended, Duckworth also included having Bombay attend at least 20 AA meetings before his community service was up. Bombay didn't think he needed to go. He wasn't an alcoholic. He just liked to drink. He enjoyed it. He could stop at anytime.

Bombay sighed and got out of the limo and walked up the steps to the front entrance. Bombay had written down all the information on the back of a business card. "114 S 9th Street. Suite 203," Bombay mumbled to himself.

Bombay walked into the building and immediately started looking for the stairs. He couldn't find them. He went back outside and saw Luis still waiting there. Bombay shook his head as to say 'Not yet'.

After about five minutes, Bombay found the back entrance and the stairs. He stared at the floor and walked up them slowly.

"You here for the AA meeting?"

Bombay looked up. A larger women, about 33 years old, with frizzy black hair smiled at him. Bombay didn't return the smile but nodded.

"Well hurry up," the lady urged. "You wouldn't want to be late for your first meeting, would you?"

"I guess not," Bombay said insincerely. The ladies' smile disappeared.

Bombay followed her to suite 203. A group of chairs were in assembled in a 'U' with a small podium in the front. Most of the people were already there chatting around the water cooler.

Bombay examined his surrounding like an attorney. He noticed right away that most of the people there were from either a middle or lower income. But all of them seemed friendly and comfortable with each other. Bombay looked down at his neatly pressed suit and felt immediately uncomfortable. He took a seat between in the middle row but off to the side. It was his strategy. Not too close so that he would get noticed but not at the back either.

A smallish, balding man in his mid-forties dressed in t-shirt and jeans stood at the podium.

"Attention everyone," he said in a very loud voice to get everyone's attention. "Attention. Could everyone take a seat? We're about to begin."

Everyone took their seats. The lady who had spoke to Bombay earlier looked at him and decided against sitting next to him. Instead, a young tall man with messy brown hair sat next to him. Gordon Bombay looked at him. He was no older then 21. His clothes were in tatters and dirty. He wore a safety vest that is often worn on a construction site. But of everyone there, he seemed to be the most popular. Charismatic even.

"Alright people," the man said. "Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety."

The man looked around the room and spotted Bombay. "This week we are doing things a little bit different. Each week, one person here will give a speech on one of the steeps of the twelve step program we have hear. But before we begin, do we have anyone who is here for the first time?"

Bombay shrunk in his seat. He cause the eye of the women he had saw earlier. She made a head motion in his direction. All eyes were on him.

"I think your right, Jade. We do have a newcomer this evening,"

Turning to Bombay, the man urged Bombay to come to the podium. "Come up and introduce yourself."

Bombay hesitated. Normally Bombay had no problems speaking to a room of people. He did it many times in a court room. Bombay started to rise but then reminded himself, 'This isn't a courtroom Bombay'. Bombay froze.

"Come on, don't be shy. Your among friends here."

Bombay bristled. He rose quickly and marched up to the podium. He knew exactly what he was going to say. He watched a video about it the previous night. Just like how he would prepare for a case.

"My name is Gordon Bombay and I'm an alcoholic."

"Hello Gordon," the group said in unison.

Bombay forced a smile.

The leader of the group extended his arm as to shake Bombay's hand. Bombay reluctantly shook his hand.

"Hello Gordon," the man smiled. "My name is Toby Smith. Do you wish to share anything else with the group?"

The question surprised Gordon. "Not at this time."

Toby looked at him. Most people on their first meeting shared at least something more then their name. But Bombay did not seem to fit in with the group. Toby shrugged as Bombay returned to his seat.

Toby looked around the room for volunteers. "Anyone else wish to share anything?" No one moved. "Alright then, would everyone please welcome Jade Hall to the podium as she has volunteered to give a talk on a first step of AA."

Jade rose from her seat with a stack of cue cards in hand.

"Thank you Toby." Jade cleared her throat. "My name is Jade Hall and I'm an alcoholic."

"Hello Jade."

Jade shuffled the cue cards and rapped them on the podium a few time.

"Step 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable."

Jade looked around the room and make sure she had everyone's attention. Everyone was watching her intently. Except Gordon Bombay who was staring at the clock on the wall; begging it to go faster. Jade made a loud rapping sound. Bombay looked at her and blushed as everyone started at him. He glared at her and she glared back.

"Most of us have," Jade continued."At one point or another, decided to change a certain aspect of our lives or personality and have set out on a chosen path in order to accomplish this. Being, let's say, more honest in our relationships, better parents, better employees or any number of things we have deemed necessary in our lives. Mostly we are successful and through a process of self-will, achieved our goals.

But, If a person is truly addicted to any number of behaviors or substances, that "self will" is insufficient to accomplish our goal of controlling or completely quitting. If this has happened, and it is usually obvious to those who love us before it is to ourselves, we have become "Powerless" and need the help of an outside source.

"An unmanageable life", stems from our "powerlessness" and is the external symptom of our powerlessness. Often we can prove to ourselves, since it is already know by most of those around us, that we are powerless, by looking at the decisions we are making concerning our lives and those we care about.

Jade looked around the room. "Have we stopped going to work, or are we late too often? Are we only concerned about our next fix and have stopped talking to our friend and / or family in a constructive manner? Do we often drink to forget the pain? To run away from our problems? Or are acting out in anger, yelling at those we love. It should be fairly obvious if your life is out of control but you may be fooling yourself by blaming others for your actions."

The group nodded with her in agreement. Bombay watched with a blank look on his face. He decided he didn't have a problem. He had to get through this and everything would be alright. She continued on though her entire speech. Until she got to the end. Then she started to cry. This got Bombay's attention.

"Last week was supposed to be my first visitation with my sons Jesse and Terry in over a month. I was so afraid so I started drinking. Afraid of disappointing them. I don't have a job. I can't support them. I felt powerless."

Bombay perked up. Jesse and Terry. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the roster. He was right. The women in front of them was their mother. Bombay felt a pang of guilt for how things went at practice earlier that day. Jade finished her speech and wiped a few tears.

"Thank you Jade," Toby said returning to the podium. "That gave us all a lot to think about. Thank you everyone for coming. There are coffee and tea in the back if anyone wants any."

Bombay barely hear anything else she said. He tried to reason everything she said. Was he drinking to forget? Does his drinking cause pain everyone's lives? Bombay shook his head. 'I don't even have anyone in my life," he reasoned to himself. "No one to care about or to be cared about."

Bombay stood, gathered his things and was almost out the door when Jade stopped him. "Do you have a sponsor?" she asked.

"A sponsor?"

"I'll take that as a no." She shook her head as trying to remember something. Bombay raised a eye brow. "Is nothing. I'll be your sponsor. See you next week."

Bombay nodded. He needed to get out of there and think.