conflictions

i have a student this semester (sorry, ferpa) who gave a speech on how drunk driving has impacted his life. he's lost two family members and has been in an accident himself because of excessive consumption. so, he urged his fellow classmates, and myself, to refrain from this.

no problem.

last class period, i could hardly be within two feet of him without the strong odor of alcohol overwhelming me. today, he gave a very slurred speech in class.  it's only eleven in the morning. did he drive to school? will i see him in the parking garage driving away after class?

i go to my second class and look in the face of a girl who was hit by a drunk driver on her way to school at eight in the morning. many facial reconstruction surgeries later, she smiles at me from her seat. i remember her crying as she told her story.