Well, I drank my first pint, perfectly refreshing and the balls were being potted rather convincingly on the pool table. No sooner had I finished the first pint, another one was bought to fill its place, then another, and one final one � four pints in total!
Now, I�m not a hardened drinker by any stretch of the imagination. At that tender age of twenty-one, I was even less so than I am today (I am now, of course, a veteran at such things!) Two pints would have been more than sufficient for my lunch, I can assure you! Yet it was my birthday, and my colleagues were being incredibly pleasant and forthcoming in buying me drinks; well, I couldn�t say no, could I? I�d only been in the job three months � this was one of the first bonding sessions I�d had with my new work mates.
By the fourth pint, my aim on the pool table was rather erratic to say the least. We left the table and sat down in one of the many seating areas in the tavern. By this time I was feeling a bit queasy; I�d not had much to eat up to this point (I think I had nibbled on one of my marmite sandwiches back at the office), and the fourth pint was taking an age to drink. We had already had an extended lunch break of close to two hours; which was the maximum limit we could have before we had to go back to work, so I was under a bit of pressure. In order to help myself a bit, I decided to visit the tavern�s toilets.
A respite, I thought, as I passed water and stared at the mirror in front of the sink in the toilet. I felt a bit tipsy, it had to be said. I took some long breaths, calming myself and my body. It seemed to work, although I was dreading going back to the pub to finish off the pint. I supposed we were running out of time, anyhow. If I could delay for a few more minutes, I�d have to leave it there anyway to walk back to the office.
My plan set, I headed back to the lounge area. To my dismay, the remains of the fourth pint had been replaced by a large wine glass, which seemed by first look to have coca-cola in it.
My colleagues cheered as I came back, presenting me with this new drink. �It�s got Malibu in it,� exclaimed one of my colleagues with a big grin on his features. �Down this quick, it will put fire in your belly!�
