PO Box 1980

I was on a business trip to Chicago when the 9/11 tragedy stopped all flights back to Los Angeles. I checked into a hotel equidistant from O'Hare and Midway airports to be ready for whichever one would become available first. Then I called the Chicago Central Office and received information about a meeting at a church nearby. As I drove into the parking lot a few minutes before starting time, I was dismayed to see no lights and no evidence of anyone at a meeting. The church was across the street from a high school football stadium. I saw a man walking toward the stadium. I crossed the street and said, "I'm looking for Bill W. Do you know him?" He stopped abruptly. So I said, "I'm from Los Angeles and I'm looking for a meeting at the church." He almost shouted, "Oh, my God, I've been sober for just four weeks, but I've had several drinks and I'm going over to the football game to have a few more with my friend." Meanwhile, people had arrived for the meeting. I said, "I don't know about you, but I'm going across the street to the AA meeting. He followed me in. When it was his turn to share, he said, "I was just going over to the football game to get drunk when an AA from Los Angeles stopped me on the street. He asked me about Bill W. and I knew I should come to this meeting." The group spoke to him afterward and drove him home.