Old Faithful

I first started attending AA in 1997. One of my meetings held a weekly raffle. I never win raffles, and as expected, I didn’t. But the member who did won a softcover Big Book. Right away, he walked over and set the prize down in front of me. He mumbled something about already having one, so I was welcome to it. I remember feeling a little embarrassed, but I mumbled back a meek thank you. I took it home and put it on my nightstand, where it sat unopened for several months.