Scribbles Galore

It was a Wednesday afternoon and a rather slow day at work. The girls and I were discussing how we could do something daring and interesting for a change, in order to enhance the pretty much routine schedule we have.

So we decided that we would go for a drink in the afternoon… yes… during work hours. A rather brave plan, you might say, for five young girls in a society, which still does not look at females and alcohol in a favourable eye. Let alone going out for a drink in the middle of the day.

Wednesday came and went and the looked forward to Thursday dawned. We all reported to work with much enthusiasm. We had an early lunch to ‘line’ our stomachs… and left work to a ‘happy’ pub close by.

We went there and the waiter asked us if we were there for lunch. This crazy lot replied with a few giggles and he assumed, “drinks it is!”

Once we were seated at the table he asked us what we wanted and we said, “Margarita’s please… and please make it a pitcher and add some fries on to the order as well!”

The waiter gave us looks of not just astonishment but shock! And surprise! And all the rest of it!

He repeated the order saying, “A PITCHER!” and we confirmed it. We thought the fries would be forgotten as the pitcher was the highlight of the day. Once he reached the bar, all the waiters were staring at us in astonishment as well!

The fun loving girls we were, we sat there having a nice chat and in a way, hoping that no one we knew would walk into this ‘happy’ pub.

None of us could believe that we were actually going to get drunk in the middle of the day!

A few minutes later the fries arrived and then of course the famous pitcher and we started pouring it into our glasses. Glass number one… Cheers! Glass number two… three… laughter…!!! We would have had about four to five glasses each, between the four of us (as one of the lot refrains from alcohol) within the space of about a half hour!

Predictably, of course, we could hardly stand at the end of it!

But we had to get to work and carry on as though nothing had happened and act as though we had only returned from a late and long lunch!

Before heading back to office we headed over to a supermarket close by and stuffed ourselves with chocolates, éclairs and ice cream hoping to sober up at least partly before heading back to work.

A few of us even had to work late that day.

So with enough ice cream and chocolates in our system to last about a week, we took a ‘tuk tuk’ back to work.

Apart from one in the gang, none of us can clearly remember the ride back, but by the time we reached our office we were relatively sober. Well, at least we were as sober as we could be considering we had quite a lot of ‘booze’ in our systems.

I had to carry on with my late routine while the others left work. By the time I got home I too was quite sober.

Well, that was that. Life went on as usual. For a few weeks we laughed about what we had done. And then it was pretty much a memory. In fact, it was one thing that we swore would remain a memory!

And a few months later two friends and I went to the same pub to have lunch. One of which was a ‘Margarita Girl’ and the other who was oblivious to the whole ‘Margarita afternoon’ we had had. And this time it was actually lunch and not drinks! The same waiter who served us our ‘pitcher’ served us this time as well. He made us feel quite uncomfortable by asking us if we were having Margarita’s this time as well!

Another time we were at lunch… and this time he (the waiter) was with a few friend and they all turned and looked at us! So he had obviously told his mates about these five girls and their ‘pitcher’ of Margarita at two in the afternoon.

Then recently we were at lunch and he came and spoke to us. And asked us if we were having “any Margarita’s”, with our lunch!

Gosh… People never forget do they?

We were just having a good time but I guess when a group of girls do something different, and unconventional by Sri Lankan standards, it never really is forgotten!

So much “Of Margarita’s and Martini’s” eh?