How to save the day in Office..

Yea baby...good mood is is contagious. And if u didn't notice the first statement carefully..it makes u say things twice sometimes.
Well, I was the latest recipient of the contagious rocker and hummed 'Baby baby' by Amy Grant, as I entered the place where I usually acted like I was king - La Office.

We had a visiting soft rock band in our office for 2 days. Wot with guitars and drums rollin' out at el. They turned out to be kool dudes and gelled pretty well with everyone around, especially with me - since I was the one who had shown them the way to the loo and the cafeteria - the 2 places of priority, one needs to check out anytime one goes to a new place.

So we had kinda jammed a bit and it turns out the band members and me had a few songs we commonly liked...lyrics and video, both.

Anyways, so as I entered the office, it seemed kinda quite. No one stirred. A few hours passed by with everybody doing their own stuff. It had become downright boring.
Finally, it was hog time - lunch hour. One of those pretty colleagues of mine came over to my desk, took hold of my hand aggressively and made me go with her for lunch in the cafeteria. Uh..we are just friends...

The stillness in the office had affected her into making her go into a romantic mode and talk 'bout things that gave one that dreamy look. Know wot I mean?
So we sat on the table for some chow...when she looked at me and said, "U know, I love my guy actually but I wish he did something kool for me. He never does. Hey, If YOU had a girlfriend and u had to do something like... really really nice for her....wot wud u do?"

My mouth stopped it's chewing motion. The effect was immediate. My face was still down on the food plate somewhere but my eyes looked up...to where she was. THIS was ALL I needed. Another perfect question for me to boggle over on. As if the riddle asked by those pesky, bike riding kids wasn't enuff, this was another one of the googlies thrown at me.

But as usual, since I'm turned on by things that make me think, I got my face on the same level as hers....thought for a minute with one of my eye brows goin' up in a 'twang' and my lips twisting into a crooked smile..

I had noticed that the band members were in the cafeteria too, sitting at one far corner, engrossed within themselves, hogging their own ordered food. I had got an idea.

I told her..."Know wot I'll do??" She looked at me curiously. She had no idea wot I was about to say or do. I said, "hold on", got up and went over to the band. Spoke to them for a minute and came back, all of them following me. My friend's eyes twinkled and she smilingly lifted her shoulders and hands in a 'wot????' look.

I had told the band about her question and my answer was READY. And THEY were gonna help me tell it to her.

The band and me were absolutely mum but kept our SMILES on. Smilingly, the Guitarist slung his Guitar over his shoulder (ya, he takes it everywhere). The guy with the Mouth-Organ readied himself and the lead singer and me put our hands over each other's shoulders. I looked at my colleague and said,"IF I had a girlfriend and if I had to do something really really nice for her.....I wud SING to her. THAT wud be my gift...the BEST that I cud give. And THIS is wot I wud sing...."

The lead singer and me looked at each other and smiled jus' as I said, "let's hit it."

The Guitarist's fingers gently rolled over the cords. As the strings came together in a chorus, the room LIT with enthusiasm. There musta been around 12 or so colleagues of mine in the cafeteria, minding their own business but the guitar arrested their attention.

And on the right cue of the guitar..we both belted out together -- "Baby babyy..."

THAT WAS THE MAGIC MOMENT. EVERYTHING ERUPTED TO L.I.F.E. Our voices boomed in the small enclosure.

We sang...

"Baby, baby, I'm taken with the notion....
To love you with the sweetest of devotion,
Baby, baby.... my tender love will flow from...
The bluest sky to the deepest ocean.....
Stop for a minute.
Baby, I'm so glad you're mine, yeah, You're mine.....

The Guitar, the mouth-organ and our voices blended into ONE. The cafeteria had suddenly turned into a performing stage.
Somebody had informed everybody in the world outside the cafe and slowly by twos and threes and fours...people gathered.

We carried on....a bit louder..the guitar in perfect sync..

"Baby, baby.. the stars are shinin' for you.....
And just like me, I'm sure that they adore you,
Baby, baby, go walkin' through the forest...
The birds above a-singin' you a chorus.
Stop for a minute.
Baby, they're so...glad you're mine, oh yeah..."

Our BOSS had been informed. Someone had made him come here in a hurry. For a moment everyone thought...That's it, the end of today. The music stopped just as suddenly. SILENCE FOLLOWED.

Everyone tensed. People were about to leave in a hurry.

But wonders never cease to happen. As things wud have it, he looked at the band and me and everybody and gave us the 'kool dude in his 20s' look, crossed his hands, twisted his fingers and said "YO...why ya all stop, yo?? That a mah fav song. YO".
That was a bit too much 'YO' in there but who the hell cared....everybody cheered loudly and clapped. Someone shouted "woooohooooohoooooo".

The guitar broke the silence as it twanged loudly back into it's cheerful, capturing rhythm. The mouth-organ went crazy. And everybody clapped. Our boss let out a "Woopiiieeeeeeeee" and we started it again..

"And ever since the day,
You....put my heart in motion....
Baby, I realize that there's,
Just no getting over you....."

Almost everybody was singing along with us now. It had become a chorus.

"Baby, baby, in any kind of weather.....
I'm here for you always and forever,
Baby, baby, no muscle man could sever,
My love for you is true and it will never..
Stop for a minute.
Baby, I'm so glad you're mine..."

Girls had come over and swayed their bodies side by side. My friend was estatic. She was completely involved.

The Cafeteria had turned into Churchgate station at 7 in the evening - hell crowded. My boss suddenly thot he was fit for some lyrics too and he joined in as well. Surprisingly, he knew his stuff. We all sang together...

"And ever since the day,
You.... put my heart in motion....
Baby, I realize,
There's jus no getting over you....."oooooooooo"... my boss shouted in his own sur.

The Guitar played. The mouth-organ let it's melody known. The lead singer gave in his professional touch..


"Baby, baby, be mine..
Baby, I'm so...oooo glad...
Don't stop giving laa-hve...
Don't stop, no...no no nowayss..no.....
Baby, I'm so glad you're maaa haienn..
Baby, I'm so glad....

The guitarist let the last few minutes into a FRENZY OF CORDS. Some guys played their own invisible air-guitars. With the last 5 twangs...the song ended. And when it did....the roar was DEAFNING. The CLAPS threatened to continue till the night. The laughter and general talk was PRICELESS.

The band and me high fived each other and everyone. Work had taken 2nd priority. Music had rescued the day.

The lady in queston hugged me, held my hand tight, her nails digging into my flesh and whispered something in my ear. Something quite little. She had whispered, "You are nice." ;-)

Confessions:
a) I can't sing. The lead dude was the one who sang 80% of the song. I pretended like I cud.
b) My boss CANNOT sing either. Period !
c) My cafeteria now serves better food.
d) IF YOU WANNA SAVE THE DAY IN OFFICE....CALL MUSIC TO RESCUE. Works BIG TIME.
e) We ALL LOVE Amy Grant.

ON behalf of everyone in my office - this is to Amy Grant :--

"Amy, if you ever happen to read this post.....
I want you to know that I thank you for giving this absolutely fantastic, lovable and a super sexy song to the world at large. We all completely love it and we all LOVE YOU."

Click on Amy to check out the song we sang. Be a part of us.