London for ever - 22

I first met  Ruben in  an afternoon I had decided to have  a pint of lager at the Pub "The Vashel," not far from Leicester Square, before resuming the evening ice cream service. The pub, from outside, seemed likely to be the same as many others: the building occupying the  corner of two streets, smoked glasses to protect the privacy of the customers, massive external dark wood, and gigantic headed  insignia.

But as soon as you came in, it gave you the impression that a ship had flown centuries earlier in that corner of London, as if by magic, and then somebody had the brilliant idea of ​​getting a public exercise, adding the necessary kit furniture, tableware and furnishings, leaving all the rest, the central shaft, the rudder, the tailgate, the bulkheads and the sides of the polished wood in the mirror, along which many cannons for defending a pirates’ assault

Ruben  was there with his group trying the instruments, in view of the concert they had to hold that very night. By the way we knew already each other, but only by sight and we never had a chance to talk together.

The central deck was occupied by a long counter, with many barrooms’ points,  along which numerous wooden stools laid, fixed to the ground with a metal cylinder. 

Facing the counter were arranged in good order several tables, which were also fixed to the ground as if they had been designed to deal with the swings of a navigational vessel. In  a space was available to accommodate the instruments of a band, even though Ruben played the guitar accompanied only by a drummer and a bass player. Very narrow wooden ladders led from the central deck to the stern, where at the bottom the architect had skillfully set up a more intimate and pickled bar, which at that moment was in the shade and desert.

At the counter, being so early, there were not many people. The only servant, after having served the beer, went back to fix some cups and some glasses behind him. The three went on a bit, performing without an apparent order some songs, which sometimes broke down, and then resumed after exchanging some technical commentary.

When they decided for a longer break they approached the counter. I guess they had some drinks at their disposal from the house (the number, in fact, ranges from pub to pub, depending on the generosity of the manager). 

To avoid making a mistake, I wanted to pay one by myself, because I wanted to compliment them.

They gladly accepted the drink and compliments. But before they even drank the glasses they gave me a gesture to follow them towards the bar at the stern.

We took a coffee table in a private corner where I noticed that you could see, without being seen, the transit along the stairs leading there.

The drummer named Jon (without the "h", as he  let me know,  for it came from Jonathan) when he learned from Ruben I was selling ice cream, he said, "You cool!"

The expression, though ambiguous, had been uttered with a kind of spontaneity.  I  spontaneously answered, doing his own gesture, with the index of the right hand facing him and laughing as he had done: "And also fresh!"

Ruben liked my answer, because laughing he said to his friend, "For good. He also sells fresh drinks, not just ice cream! "

The answer was also good for Jon, as he turned to the bass player, "Hey, Phil, hunt out that joint that our  cool friend loves to smoke! Is not this true? "He concluded staring at  me.

- "Sometimes!" I answered, putting on my lips my  handmade cigarette.

- "Try first with this. It's packaged with Lebanon oil, you know?" Phil told me,  passing me the joint and giving me fire with  his cigarette lighter.

- "It's O.K." I replied, passing Ruben the joint after two deep throats.

Ruben told his friends who had already seen me at work, "in the square," as they called Leicester Square, without naming it, and joked that she had always seen me "very busy" (he mimed  the actions I used to serve ice cream at the pitch).

We all got rid of his funny imitation.

He had a broad smile on his teeth, a bit stained  by smoke, which made him  look  older than his youthful appearance, and his thick black hair and a bit crunchy. The look you read in his brown and melancholy eyes was shiny and calm.

- "Did you like the concert?" He asked, perhaps to break the silence, pushing my joint back. I did and I passed by the joint to  the other two, but Ruben pointed out to me that they had set aside and were packing another one.

- "This is all for us two," he added, returning  to me after having smoked for a while.

22. to be continued...