Vol. 15 What a baseball ticket taught me about how to say no to alcohol

I watched my uncle’s mouth open and close in slow motion as the words formed in my ear:

“It sounds fantastic—we’d love to join you for the game!”

My months of planning for the perfect hangout with my favorite uncle evaporated in front of my eyes—the special sushi roll, the pier walk under the sunset, and the banana boat at Ghirardelli Square to wrap up the evening.

I heard myself screaming inside, “But we have plans! But I don’t even like baseball games!”

Just when I thought I was about to lose it, I heard my uncle add,
“But not tonight. Jeanette and I have a special evening planned.”

Then he turned around and winked at me.

Just like that, we quickly slipped past his friend and went on with our perfect evening.

That was the first time I ever watched someone set a boundary with so much grace—and without even using the word “no” in his reply.

When this happened, I thought about you.