Dumb charades on a Friday night

On the way back from work today, I bumped into Friday-night-no-life-guy. Someone I hadn't seen in a very long time.

Someone I had never spoken to.

And as usual, we completely ignored each other and walked off.

So here's the history of Friday-night-no-life-guy and Friday-night-no-life-girl.

My partying on Friday nights promptly got over as soon as my good friend Sinnerman the party animal left the country last year. My part-time Master's course made it even more difficult for me to go out as after three consecutive days of work+night classes from Tuesday to Thursday, I'd be in no state to go anywhere on Friday nights.

So, instead of going to clubs, I started going to the gym on Friday nights. I figured since I was so exhausted anyway, I might as well royally finish off all the bacha-kucha energy before the weekend begins afresh.

So every Friday night, I used to go work out at my gym. I liked it. The whole world would be partying and I'd have the gym all to myself. I used to get the keys from the security guard and open the gym myself, turn on the aircon, inspect the equipment as if I owned the place. I could use any exercise equipment I wanted, I could watch anything I wanted on the TV, I could even play my hindi songs on the CD-player as I worked out, I could practise a bit of kickboxing (which I definitely can't when others are around). Basically, the gym was my kheti, my own ilaaka.

But it was not meant to last.

A few Fridays ago, as I extended my hand to get the gym keys from the security guy, he said, "No need. Someone's already there."

In my head rang the word "What??" followed by "What the..??!!"

So I grumpily made my way upstairs and stepped in to be greeted by the sight of an Indian guy who had fallen at my feet. Okay fine, he hadn't fallen at my feet, he was doing sit-ups. He paused his sit-ups to sit up just as I entered, and was obviously as surprised as I was, to see another soul in the gym on a Friday night.

And that's how started the non-verbal communication between us, which mostly consisted of giving each other attitude. I was surprised at myself that I was giving him attitude. Usually I greet all gym-goers with a smile. But I wouldn't even look at him. He also made sure he ignored me completely.

For two months, he was always there on Friday nights. No matter whether I went in at 7 or 8 or 9 or even 10 pm! He'd be there! And no, he wasn't stalking me. If anything, it appeared to be the other way round, that I was the stalker. I'd enter the gym and he'd give me the "So you're here again!" look. And I'd give him the "And so are you!" look. And it'd be like a fight for territory.

And each time I'd enter the gym, in my head I'd hear him say, "So back here on a Friday night, huh? No life, huh?"

I hope in his head he heard me say, "Yeah, I have no life. Have you? Oh wait, you don't. Isn't that why you're here at the gym?"

I nicknamed him the 'Friday-night-no-life-guy'. I'm more than sure he had a similar nickname for me.

So it was one of those Fridays again, when I walked in and caught him looking at himself in the mirror. I tried not to laugh, but you know how incredibly funny it is when guys are checking out their own bodies in the gym mirror.

So I bowed my head very very low to suppress my smile and started the treadmill. He was embarrassed. I SO knew it. For a few moments, he did not know what to do next. Then he started fiddling with the radio and switching stations.

And as he put me through the torture of listening to English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil stations in a loop, each for about 5 seconds or so, I gritted my teeth and remained calm.

Suddenly my ears perked up. Hey, wait a minute! Was that a piece of Bollywood kinda music that just flashed by? (Some stations do play Hindi songs for an hour each day.) I made the mistake of looking up towards the radio, and he noticed it. Ah. Sharp. He actually scrolled back to play the song. Yes, the music was unmistakably Bollywood. He let it play and started walking towards the weights.

I went back to staring at the numbers on the treadmill, wondering when the music would stop and the song would begin, cos I was not able to identify the song.

Suddenly the song blasted, and the next thing I know the singer was repeating a million times over, "On the roof! In the rain! On the roof! In the rain! On the roof! In the rain!"

Geez, what song was that?! I was a bit shocked at first.

But soon it became hilarious! I wanted to burst out laughing but I did not. Controlling myself with much difficulty, I walked on. I could see he wanted to laugh too. But he was far away from the radio now and probably did not want to go back to change the station.

So we let it play.

"On the roof! In the rain! On the roof! In the rain! On the roof! In the rain!" went on the moronic song.

And to my utter amazement, after a while, I found myself exercising to the beats of the song. He had gone back to doing his sit-ups and was bobbing his head to the beat too.

It was funny. And strangely comforting. Two strangers who always gave each other attitude exercising to a stupid song about rain on the roof.

And just then, another guy - a Chinese fellow - walked into the gym and did a double-take. He appeared extremely disturbed to hear the song that the two weird Indians were exercising to. And the worst part is - the lyrics were in English, so he understood them. But he did not quite understand them. You know what I mean. And that made him even more puzzled.

He paused near the door for a while, and then took turns to look at Friday-night-no-life guy and then at me. He looked visibly traumatised.

Friday-night-no-life guy strained his neck to give me a "Would you put the fella out of his misery now? I'm lying on the floor for heaven's sake!" look.

I continued to walk on with a "You played it, you stop it. Why should I pause my treadmill?" look.

Outnumbered by the minority (which probably appeared to him to be a couple who had just fought and was letting off steam at the gym), the Chinese guy did not dare to change the station. But he still had the petrified look on his face.

"On the roof! In the rain! On the roof! In the rain! On the roof! In the rain!" The song went on.

Finally Friday-night-no-life guy realised it was too much. He got up and switched the station to an English one.

The Chinese guy was smiling as he got on the exercise cycle.

Friday-night-no-life guy was also smiling.

And I was smiling too.