Some days are grey, unsavoury and uniform, fading light intermingles with fervent gloom, long and drab, devoid of moisture. Some are bright, sun beating down your face, sweeping your feet, leaving you with a spring in your step. Some make you blue, the others dissolve unsung. I, for once, had a green day.
It did start as a colorless canvass, routine sprinkles can never be prominent enough to leave a mark. I conspired in a bid to spice it with a willing accomplice. We decided to roll on grass fields.
An evening evaporated in clouds of smoke, pseudo talk leading nowhere, just like the Thai soup and the coffee and we were ready for a fix.
A forgettable tram ride and we found the hole. ENTER: The green room; five pre-eminent creatures graced the occasion. The indulgences included PlayStation 3, the game being played was Need for Speed. What an apt metaphor I thought, almost shuddering at the idea of what was about to follow.
The accomplice was supercharged, probably a bit more than the Lamborghini I was staring at, the virtual model zooming and thrashing all over the place like a housefly set on fire. I knew there were no friends in the room, suddenly. I couldn't make any, not that day, at least.
The accomplice decided that alcohol in its pure form was a goddess he had to bow down to and drowned in instant devotion. Knowing glances were passed, I managed to salvage some lost pride by patting my discerning eyes.
A 50$ note and the lethargy broke. Soon, the room was green, the music, ambience and liquids were the bare minimal that could be afforded to keep the proceedings going. A few shots, hits and misses, everybody got there eventually. Knowing glances, unknown eyes, distant faces, lost souls, blur....
There was happiness and the world laboriously swayed, to each, his own little kingdom. We had to forego a part of what we had procured as a goodwill gesture. The accomplice threw up. The others had added another amusing story to their repertoire of anecdotes. I shook my head, the typical automated reaction associated when faced by the inevitable. He sure wouldn't end up winning many hearts tonight, I thought.
We hauled ourselves on the train, unsure whether the ride would lead us to a desired destination. For the first time ever, I was the less intoxicated being, which imposed me with a weird sense of responsibility. The train ride was my joyride, couldn't stop a stream on thoughts from incessantly pounding my submissive mind, random ideas, past regrets, unforeseen possibilities, in no particular sequence formed a perfectly tenacious web. Ascension, dissension, an attempt to ebb the flow would result in a flurry of alternate outbursts. I gave in, came crashing just in time for the right station, stumbled out. Waited patiently by the accomplice as he ejected the remainder of the foreign objects his system refused to offer refuge to.
Disapproving glances, we were from Mars tonight. He curled in the loo with a blanket. I pondered, as always.
I was stung by the disparity. All the resources in the world but paucity of thought, rich threads had adorned the participants' bodies but I'd be damned if I could find a clean glass of water to drink water from.
It had been the best lesson $50 could buy. I drifted some more, tucked my soul away and settled down to play Need for Speed!
