It was years ago -- my senior year in high school. The night started out like most other Friday nights, with the only plans being to take in a show with some friends. I was in a work-study program at school, which enable me to leave early and get paid and also provided a nice fringe benefit: being able to hang out with people old enough to buy beer. Fantastic!
I arrived at James' house at about seven or so. He was a fan of Formula One racing and had recently been to Canada to take in the Gran Prix. And like many Americans visiting our northern neighbor, he had loaded up on a few cases of Molson XXX to bring back to the States. (Mind you, this was before XXX was being sold domestically.) But the Molson turned out not to be the only surprise of the evening -- he had also made up a batch of "enhanced" brownies. This would be my first (and only, to date) run down the brownie highway.
The plan started out with one brownie, two beers. One more brownie, two more beers. For good measure, how about one more brownie and one more beer? Perfect. Now it was time to pick up two more buddies and head to the show. Retrieving the friends and making the trip to the Tavern were uneventful, much like the band that played that evening. I continued having beers for the duration of the show. Evening over, time to head home. We decided to stop at the local donut shop, get a dozen donuts, and inhale them. Great plan -- I love glazed donuts. I polished off my three and we all loaded up and headed home.
Ten minutes passed, and then it started. It felt like someone had a hold of my intestines and was trying to pull them out. This sensation would last about ten seconds, but it felt like five minutes. I doubled over in pain and winced like I'd been shot. Oh, God! Please let me make it to my friend's house!
Everyone thought this was pretty funny, and laughed every time I doubled over.
As the car pulled up to the driveway, I already had the door open and was prepared for my sprint inside. In an attempt to remove any variables, I planned to use James' downstairs bathroom and avoid any squirts while navigating the stairs. I hopped out, ran in the house, and was positioned on the throne in about fifteen seconds. Made it!
I pushed a little and let out a huge... fart? Is this a joke? No feces to speak of.
My stomach did feel better, though, so I shrugged my shoulders, pulled up my pants, and left. I bid my friend a good evening and headed to my car.
In the driveway, it happed again, although not as severe. The pain in my stomach was back, but it only lasted a few seconds. So I rationalized it this way: it was only gas before, so this must be only more gas. So I stood upright, unlocked my car door, and hopped inside.
Ten minutes into the ride, the pain returned. This time, it wasn't subsiding. It was about two in the morning in a suburban area. Only housing developments. No McDonald's, no gas stations, and no IHOPs would be saving my ass. Soon I found myself not just clenching my ass cheeks together -- this time, my ass was literally eighteen inches off of my car seat in attempt to provide more sphincter control. If I had a pressure gauge in my ass, it would have displayed readings similar to deep-sea diving conditions.
The pain started to affect my thinking, and I started turning down random streets. Where was I going? Who was going to save me?
I soon realized I had no other alternative. I stopped the car in the middle of the road, put it in neutral, applied the e-brake, and turned off the lights -- leaving the car running would enable a quick escape, I rationalized. I opened my door, killed the dome light, and removed my shorts and flannel boxers. I squatted in the road and the hot foam escaped like it was being shot from a fire hose. All I could think during the expulsion was of some old man walking his dog the next morning and finding my present. Hopefully, his dog would lap some up. I chuckled to myself just as the last fart escaped.
I wiped up with the flannel boxers and positioned them next to the pile of chocolate cake batter in the road. I put my shorts back on and hopped in the car and sped off. I DID IT! No mess and no arrest! The rest of the ride home I wore a triumphant grin on my face, as I reflected upon the greatest relief following a shit that man has ever experienced.
In the years since this happened, I have been diagnosed with diverticulum and IBS. So these kinds of episodes are common now even with standard food and beverages, never mind "enchanted" brownies.