Casually, I sauntered over to the cooler, as if I were going to get a drink. I unscrewed the cap and exposed the freshly distilled non-alcoholic water that lay within. They really need to loosen up I thought, as I dumped the contents of the whiskey and scotch bottles I had brought with me into the tank. Bottles empty, I put it back into the bag I brought and zipped it up.

I looked behind me. Good, it was obvious no one had noticed.

Screwing the cap back on, I grabbed a tray and six new cups.

“Hi you guys!” I cheerily said as I brought the tray over to them.

They looked up at me with slightly suspicion.

“What…what!” I huffed with mock anger, “I just wanted to encourage all of you for taking the first step onto a better path in life. I’m sorry if I seemed disinterested at first, but it’s all clear to me now.”

I passed the cups of my new concoction to each of them.

Raising my cups, I proposed a toast.

“Now I know it’s not alcohol…” I started, to the giggles of some, “but still, I believe I toast is in order, let us, um, celebrate our continued success at staying sober!”

“Amen,” a collective chorus of voices was heard followed by the downing of their ‘water’.

Jacob looked at me, and smiled. He had a wild look about him. I smiled back. Busted, I am sure. A man with of his age and extensive experience with drink would have known from the start what he just drank.

Kenneth’s eyes brightened all of a sudden.

“What’s this delightfully non alcoholic beverage?” he asked out loud unironically.

He rushed to the water cooler.

“I’ve got to get another!”

It was working.

Kevin held his hands to his head.

“Argh, it feels like all the pressure of my job is flooding back to me.”

Edward got up and headed for the cooler, looking at us, he hollered back, “I don’t know about you, but I’ve always thought these meetings were incredibly boring, until now. Whatever you gave us, Roxy, I think is about to change things.”

“You’re welcome!” I smiled.

Erin looked at me in suspicion; it appeared that she had not drunk it yet.

“What’s wrong Erin?” I enquired with faux concern.

Daring not to break eye contact with me, she stared back.

“What did you give them? Was it… was it?”

“What? You mean alcohol? No! I would never!”