'Babe, you are 5 down...way beyond your limit, you sure you want
another one?' He asked looking at the visibly dizzy state of hers. 'Of
course! That's what I am here for...to have as many drinks as I want.'
She looked at the waiter and signaled him to serve the drink. Waiter
looked at Massey inquisitively, clueless about the order that he
was carrying - a large vodka and a small rum. Massey picked both the
glasses and placed the vodka before her while making sure his glass
didn't draw her attention; he was not supposed to drink at all that
evening as the part of the deal they shared before hitting the popular resto-bar they were sitting in. It was her birthday and they were there to
chuck out one of her wishes from the Top-Ten-Things-To-Do-Before-Dying List - Getting Sloshed.
She
craned her upper half to look into the vodka glass from top, the curly
hair making a thick round curtain around the rim, then she looked up at
the palely lit ceiling lamp hanging above her head. She repeated the
gesture twice, bemused, asked Massey
'Dude, why is this light above not reflecting in my glass?' Smiling at the silly question, he swirled
his drink took a sip and bowed forward over the table as if to share a secret. He replied in a whisper, 'They switch off the light
every time you peep into the glass'. She too leaned over the table to hear him clearly. 'They who?' she asked. 'These bar
people' he said in a hush. She concentrated hard on what was being told to her and with as much logic as could apply in her dazed state, she asked intently, 'That waiter who served us,
is he switching it off?'. 'I guess' he said with a nod to end the topic.
Massey laid back in his chair again and looked at his watch. It was half past ten and he was now wondering about dropping Rags
back at her hostel that allowed entry only till 11:00 o'clock at night.
'Oieeeeeeeeeeee!!' The sudden shrill startled him from his thoughts. Rags was at her blaring best with her hands on her hips and a furious expression, she yelled at the waiter who was serving at a table at the other side of the hall. The waiter turned and so did everybody else in the hall. She signaled the waiter to come at their table. Massey by now understood what was to unfold next and thus, he tried to give her a piece of his mind, 'Rags, relax! Stop creating a scene here, you are too drunk to handle yourself...come on now we are leaving.' he said while getting up. Rags did not budge even the slightest from her stance and in the meantime the waiter too arrived at their table. 'Yes ma'm?' he asked politely. 'You moron! how dare you switch off this light here!' she snapped her fingers and pointed at the ceiling lamp above her.
'Nobody switched it off ma'm, its been on all the while' he said.
'YOU THINK AM A FOOL?' she snarled 'Does it go off on its own when I look into my glass?' wide eyed she asked, trying hard to control the slur in her speech.
'Huh?' waiter turned to Massey for help, not able to understand what was he being reprimanded for.
By now every eye in the hall had turned in their direction. Massey gestured the waiter to clear the table and get the bill while he held Rags by her waist from back and gently rubbed her head before whispering in her ear, 'Babe, enough now...lets go'. She shrugged him away, irritated to see the waiter picking up things from their table she pounced back at him, 'Keep that glass down and dare you switch off the light this time!' she howled again. Waiter put both the glasses back on the table while Rags sat on her chair again. As she readied herself to look into the vodka glass again, she noticed the other glass on the table which still had a bit of rum in it. Bewildered, she screeched 'Masseyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!'. 'Yes woman?' he asked coolly while collecting the bill and signing the payment receipt. She turned to find him standing at her back -
'YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T DRINK!'
'I didn't' he said.
'What is this then?' she asked holding the glass up in his face sloppily.
'Oh, that was just one drink baba..relax..come we'll go home now' he said squeezing her shoulder gently as a cue for her to move.But far from understanding any cue or command, she whined again -
'You promised! you promised you wouldn't drink...'
'Whewww..it was just one drink sweetheart, ok..I am sorry?'
'But you promised...'
'Yeah, that's why - I am sorry...come lets go home and then we'll sort this out..ok? come..'
'NO! you take it out first!'
'Take out what???'
'The rum that you had'
'Ok, and how do I do that?'
'I don't know..puke or pee in this glass, right away!'
'Huh?'
'PUKE or PEE...NOW!'
That followed peals of laughter from everybody around who was engrossed in Rags and Massey's conversation courtesy her loud shrilly voice. Massey too couldn't help laughing. Baffled at everyone's reaction Rags lost all the fire that she had. Tears started rolling down her eyes for she found everyone mocking at her including Massey.
'Hey!' Massey tried hugging her but she pushed him away.
'Baba stop crying..!' he again tried holding her but to no avail.
'Ok would you just move from here at least?'
She sulked and shook her head in an adamant no but before she could realize, her body was dangling in Massey's arms who had picked her up and was walking out of the bar.
'Oieeeeeeeeeeee!!' The sudden shrill startled him from his thoughts. Rags was at her blaring best with her hands on her hips and a furious expression, she yelled at the waiter who was serving at a table at the other side of the hall. The waiter turned and so did everybody else in the hall. She signaled the waiter to come at their table. Massey by now understood what was to unfold next and thus, he tried to give her a piece of his mind, 'Rags, relax! Stop creating a scene here, you are too drunk to handle yourself...come on now we are leaving.' he said while getting up. Rags did not budge even the slightest from her stance and in the meantime the waiter too arrived at their table. 'Yes ma'm?' he asked politely. 'You moron! how dare you switch off this light here!' she snapped her fingers and pointed at the ceiling lamp above her.
'Nobody switched it off ma'm, its been on all the while' he said.
'YOU THINK AM A FOOL?' she snarled 'Does it go off on its own when I look into my glass?' wide eyed she asked, trying hard to control the slur in her speech.
'Huh?' waiter turned to Massey for help, not able to understand what was he being reprimanded for.
By now every eye in the hall had turned in their direction. Massey gestured the waiter to clear the table and get the bill while he held Rags by her waist from back and gently rubbed her head before whispering in her ear, 'Babe, enough now...lets go'. She shrugged him away, irritated to see the waiter picking up things from their table she pounced back at him, 'Keep that glass down and dare you switch off the light this time!' she howled again. Waiter put both the glasses back on the table while Rags sat on her chair again. As she readied herself to look into the vodka glass again, she noticed the other glass on the table which still had a bit of rum in it. Bewildered, she screeched 'Masseyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!'. 'Yes woman?' he asked coolly while collecting the bill and signing the payment receipt. She turned to find him standing at her back -
'YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T DRINK!'
'I didn't' he said.
'What is this then?' she asked holding the glass up in his face sloppily.
'Oh, that was just one drink baba..relax..come we'll go home now' he said squeezing her shoulder gently as a cue for her to move.But far from understanding any cue or command, she whined again -
'You promised! you promised you wouldn't drink...'
'Whewww..it was just one drink sweetheart, ok..I am sorry?'
'But you promised...'
'Yeah, that's why - I am sorry...come lets go home and then we'll sort this out..ok? come..'
'NO! you take it out first!'
'Take out what???'
'The rum that you had'
'Ok, and how do I do that?'
'I don't know..puke or pee in this glass, right away!'
'Huh?'
'PUKE or PEE...NOW!'
That followed peals of laughter from everybody around who was engrossed in Rags and Massey's conversation courtesy her loud shrilly voice. Massey too couldn't help laughing. Baffled at everyone's reaction Rags lost all the fire that she had. Tears started rolling down her eyes for she found everyone mocking at her including Massey.
'Hey!' Massey tried hugging her but she pushed him away.
'Baba stop crying..!' he again tried holding her but to no avail.
'Ok would you just move from here at least?'
She sulked and shook her head in an adamant no but before she could realize, her body was dangling in Massey's arms who had picked her up and was walking out of the bar.
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