Beer is cool?

Dear IkPassers, our 40 days have been over for a while. I'll be honest, at the start of this second campaign I was very confident and the not drinking was going really well. But after a week or two that suddenly changed. I saw my father grab a cold beer on one of the beautiful days that suddenly surprised us. “Would you like one too?” he asked. I almost had one, but luckily I don't like beer. Yes, you read that right. I am not a beer drinker.

I was about twelve years old and had secretly drunk a bottle of my father's beer. I knew that. After my childhood stomach was completely empty and my house arrest for a week was a fact, I promised myself never to drink beer again. Unfortunately I broke that promise on June 27, 1997. I had to look up the exact date, but the memory is etched in my memory.
Together with colleagues from the strawberry nursery, where I was working at the time, I went to a concert by the Achterhoek rock band Normaal. Well in advance I was told it was going to be a 'beer feast'. Every Normal fan drinks beer and beer would also be thrown. “Yes Gerb, they really don't have any mixed drinks for you there”, my colleagues joked the weeks before the concert. Well, I decided to drink some beer after all. I'll show them that I'm also a tough beer drinker.

I stepped onto the site and within a minute I was out of a T-shirt. Two unknown men approached me and ripped my T-shirt to shreds. A minute later I was completely soaked from the beer being thrown over me. Just thinking about that smell makes me nauseous. It was about ten degrees that evening, but the wind chill quickly dropped to freezing point, shirtless and sticky from the beer. Luckily my hair was still fine. I actually wanted to go home, but still went to the party tent where the stage was. Fortunately it was a bit warmer there, because of all those sweating and beer drinking 'Anhangers'. Because that's what the Normal fans call themselves.
I had 'the pot' and quickly walked to one of the many bars and ordered a meter of beer, just like everyone else did. I had not yet turned around to walk back to my colleagues and my meter of beer was already flying through the air. An enormously muscled big 'Anhanger' smiled at me kindly and shouted: “Høken!” Well, then get angry. So I quickly shouted the same thing and gave him a high-five. Then order a new meter. Luckily I was able to deliver it on time. Although half still flew into the air before consumption.

Unfortunately there was a beer left for me and there I was with a beer in my hand. I suddenly saw a number of colleagues look with a look of: “Would he do it?” Hupsakee, throw that cup back in one go. Look at me being tough dude. My torso already stank of beer and now I tasted it too. damn. Everyone around me started cheering. “Gerb has been drinking beer!” it sounded around me.
Fortunately, I was able to postpone beer number two for a little over an hour and in the meantime I was amazed at the amount of beer that was consumed. Not normal. Or actually it was normal, because that's how they were going to perform. Anyway, beer number two was a fact and I saw them watching again, my dear colleagues. There went my beer, back quickly. And again I thought: Gosh, this stuff is gross. Why is everyone drinking this? And why has drinking beer been labeled 'tough'? I don't get it.

For a moment I went back in time and was that twelve-year-old boy who had secretly stole beer from his father. I was a bit smarter by now, because after one beer I stopped. Out of necessity, but still. Now I'd had two of them and I remembered the deal I made with myself as a twelve-year-old boy. I had broken that promise and I knew it. After being tough two more times, I walked out of the tent nauseous. Looking for a quiet place where I could sit for a while.
You can already feel it coming: unfortunately I missed the end of the concert.

In the weeks after the concert I was of course regularly bullied at work by my colleagues. Oh well, then don't be tough, I thought at the time. Fortunately, these two memories only briefly ensured that I didn't drink a beer with my dad, on that beautiful sunny afternoon. You learn by doing, right? Passed with flying colors. Also this time. I will definitely participate again at the beginning of next year, are you?