November 2018 blog entry. "Meet Johnnie Walker"

Where are the months going? Already November! It's an amazing 29 degrees here in Cyprus, and there were people swimming in the sea this morning at 8.30.

Anyway, I want to introduce you to "Johnnie Walker", another excellent painting by Theo Michael, and inspired by this, a story by me. Hope you enjoy both.  

www.artbytheomichael.com         Go here for more of Theo's amazing work and much more.  

​‘Meet Johnnie Walker’
 
It was the weekend. Not that it was any different to any other day for me, but somehow the word ‘weekend’ seemed to lift the spirits. For the average Joe who has a job of work to go to every day, the weekend conjures up a sense of freedom, elation and relaxation, but for me it was literally lifting a glass of spirits, whiskey in my case!
Every Friday night without fail, Nic and I would meet at ‘Toni’s Bar’ for our ongoing battle, the battle of the Backgammon board. Backgammon, the game of the rich and famous, Omar Sharif was known for his skill at Backgammon. Neither Nic nor I were rich or famous but we loved to compete. We would play Backgammon all night into the early hours of Saturday morning, which was about how long it took us to get too drunk to play.
We would arrive at Toni’s Bar about 8 o’clock and take our seats at our usual corner table. The Backgammon board would already be in place and so would two glasses, an ice bucket full of ice and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red label whiskey. To make our games more interesting and give us extra incentive, the loser would pay for next week’s bottle. I have to be honest and say that it was Nic who did most of the paying. I regularly complained that Chivas Regal was my choice of whiskey, so why couldn’t we have Chivas?
“I’m not paying that sort of dough for a scotch!”  Nic had retorted.
“Well don’t lose then Nic”, was my response.
“As if you can tell the bloody difference anyway!”  said Nic smirking.
“I reckon I could.”
We had this argument week after week, same argument, same words, over and over, but still Johnnie Walker won the day. Perhaps I should lose deliberately so I would have to buy the scotch.
The weekend soon came round again. As I passed the hallway mirror I adjusted my hat one more time, it had to be just so. I set off for Toni’s Bar. Nic was already there and when he saw me come in the door, he poured two whiskeys out of the Johnnie Walker bottle.
“There you go Steve.”
I sat and picked up my glass.
“Cheers Nic.”
We chinked glasses and I said nothing about my disappointment that Johnnie Walker was man of the match....again.
 
 
 
It was 2.30am and there was only vapours left in our bottle, and Nic had lost yet again.
“Can’t you try a little harder?” I asked Nic.
“Bit harder for what?”
“Bit harder to win a bloody game!” I said abruptly and nearly sliding off my chair.
“Itshh only a game mate.”
“Yeah, but I want shum shhhivers!”
Nic started to laugh hysterically.
“What’s so fecking funny?” I asked beginning to lose my cool.
“Come with me Steve, jusht come with me.”
Nic struggled to get up and he grabbed me by the arm and led me to the bar where Toni was standing polishing glasses.
“Show thish whishkey connoisseur, go on show him.”
Toni reached under the bar and took out 3 empty bottles of Chivas Regal 12 year old and lined them up on the bar, followed by a......funnel!
 
“For the pasht 3 weeks connoisseur, thatsh what you’ve been drinking......!”
 
END
Chris Christodoulou
2017-08-22

Until next month lovely people. Keep well. xx