Early on Sunday (or late Saturday night, whichever you choose) I got ditched.

While on a night out with “the boys,” my ride decides to take someone home and not come back. Oh, he leaves a brief message on my phone stating that he’s going home and will talk to me later.
My blood pressure immediately rose, and I tried calling him back numerous times, only to become closer to his voicemail.
 

The whole time he was gone, all I could think about was the worst-case situation. I felt like some high school kid’s parent, waiting up for a child on prom night.
 

This is not the first (and most likely will not be the last) time that this individual has done this. He assured me, however, that I would never have to worry.
 

Now, I will give him something to worry about.
 

Seriously though, if you give someone a ride somewhere, is it not common courtesy to make sure they have a ride home? Is it so much trouble to put yourself aside and look toward your friend’s benefits and needs?
 

Just because you are sincere, doesn’t mean that your kind gesture automatically makes you a babysitting-taxi service. But it does take some consideration for your friend or passenger.
 

Plus, I hate when people try to use the whole “well, you were at ‘so and so’s’ house, couldn’t you have just stayed there?”
 

No, jerk, I couldn’t, because I have an apartment with a futon, and I enjoy sleeping on it. I don’t bust my own chops to make rent so that I can have the privilege of sleeping on someone else’s sofa.
 

Not only that, but in a party, “get together” type situation, alcoholic beverages are involved, and I prefer to either stay at home or have a designated driver for those situations.
 

On this particular night, though, I was not at home, and the guy that left was the designated driver.
Needless to say, I was in a predicament that I can almost guarantee that a certain percentage of college students find themselves in at some point.
 

I also made a very poor decision of picking a driver who was slightly inebriated, yet the most sober of my choices.
 

Do not be the one who pushes someone into this kind of situation. There’s too much potential for depravation. Think about it. All the “what ifs” and “watch out for that’s” can put anyone in a sober mood for the rest of the night.
 

A word for the wise: if you are a bad driver or have had people tell you that you are a bad driver, take it slow. Alcohol does not give you super powers and improve your driving skills by any means, unless you use the paranoia as a sedative.
 

And don’t ditch your friends!!