Pub Thumping!

God saw that Everyman was spending his days alone and saw that this was not good. So he decided to give him company. But India being a land where the right woman in the right palce at the right time seems to be a rarity, He decided that it would be a much less demanding task to simply give him 3-4 friends to spend the weekend with. Turns out, it wasnt that bad a deal.

Last weekend, my friend came to Pune. Buddy’s (not his name of course, but this is better than relegating his identity to a mere letter like 'D') visit was a long-awaited one. He was a local boy and knew all the right places in the city. And a good pub was on top of my list. So come Saturday night, we were on our way to 1000 Oaks, one of the most frequented pubs in Pune. We reached pretty early, by around 8.30 PM. There were 3 of us, Buddy’s cousin also having joined the party- and we were expecting another two guys to join us later that evening. The place was empty save for the odd couple snuggling in the corner of the bar. I had expected some loud thumping music, but it was MLTR , Richard Marx and co playing. The atmosphere reeked of mush. Quite a few tables were empty, and we were about to sit at a table when the head waiter, a large, somber looking man looking even more somber in his black and white outfit, came and curtly told us “You cant sit here, stags are not allowed at this table.” I looked at the table for signs of stag-unfriendliness. The seats did not seem made for any other purpose, and especially not for making out. Buddy’s reply was dismissive, “We are expecting some girls”..Aah, if only that were true..(truth was, we were expecting some girls, only, they weren’t going to be sitting at our table). A couple of minutes later Mr. Somber Head Waiter comes again. “You will have to pay a cover charge”. This guy didn’t seem to relish the thought of 3 innocent slightly young men sitting in the pub. Pretty soon though, he saw Buddy talking to the owner’s younger brother, who was old school chum. Mr. Somber Head Waiter never came near us again.

An hour and one pitcher of beer later, we were joined by the other 2. The music started to become heavier, and the crowd started pouring in. Right behind where I was sitting, was a young couple. The girl was pretty cute. The guy didn’t seem to deserve her (Life is never fair in such cases!). A few minutes later, the guy tapped me on the shoulder and asked for a cigarette. The cigarettes belonged to another of us, so I asked him if we could give him one –I spoke loud enough so that lover boy heard, and my friend took a good look at lover boy and nodded his head in agreement. That was the first of 3 cigarettes that he borrowed from us that night. I later learnt that he just lit them up, took one drag, and handed them over to his pretty girlfriend.

Two hours and three pitchers later, the pub was packed. The music was thumping. MLTR gave way to rock and some retro music from the 80’s. The mood was picking up. A couple of tables away, a pretty someone was dancing in gay abandon. She had on a black dress that just about struggled to reach her knees. Her face was lit up, and she was having a great time. She was dancing in front of a small group of friends I suppose. Couldn’t see clearly coz who she was dancing for was hidden behind a pillar. But who cared about that. My eyes were glued to her. I don’t know if I was watchin the dance or the dancer, it’s hard to say. She was pretty yes, but her dance made her seem prettier somehow. When I looked her way a few minutes later, she had disappeared.

It was now close to 11.30 PM. The pub would close in another hour’s time. We were into our 5th pitcher and spirits were pretty high. The music was getting to us and we were singing along to virtually every song. Jon Secada, GNR, Metallica, Freddy Mercury, heck, the DJ even played ‘Tub Thumping’, an early 90’s hit by a band called Chumbawumba. I don’t remember the last time I sang so loud and free. And it did feel good. It felt very good. I looked around to our lovers. The guy was not to be seen, the girl was sitting alone. Holding her head in her hands. Was she high? Was she crying? I blinked, I looked again. She was no longer alone. The twerp of her guy was right beside her. He looked equally lost. The music reached a crescendo and then it all stopped. They turned the music off. It was time to go home. We returned to our seats, there was still some unfinished beer to take care of. We looked at the couple. They were headlocked. No they weren’t kissing. That would have been ok, and normal. Their lips weren’t locked. Their foreheads were. Picture it if you can. The girl holding her head, and the guy’s forehead touching hers and he holding his head. Nothing else touched. We still felt like we wanted some music, and so we started singing. Since the couple looked like they could use the ambience, we decided to sing mushy numbers. Bryan Adams’s and our version of Heaven. I guess it wasn’t very bad. Nobody threw anything at us.

Half past midnight and we were out of 1000 Oaks. Didn’t have much place left for dinner and so I just had a humble paav-omlette to follow up the beer. My tummy was full, but my head was kinda light. A pretty woman dancing away, a rather drunk and in-love couple, plenty of good beer, and even better music.

It was a pleasant evening after all.