A legen…wait for it…dary Day

As soon as I entered the MacLaren’s Bar, he shouted out ‘Carl’ and just pointed one finger up in the air with a head nod. Carl, the bartender, imitated the nod and proceeded to make the drink. Glenn McKenna, Scotch neat. We made our way to the table where he introduced me to the rest of the gang: Lily, Robin, Ted, and Marshall. Before I even sat down, Ted asked me to settle a debate for them. “What is more romantic, one grand gesture like standing with a boombox outside the window in the pouring rain or little small gestures every day?”

Before I could even answer, Marshall turned towards me and said, “Tell him it is obviously the small gestures that matter more.” Robin rolled her eyes and said, “All of this is stupid, just go get a beer together.” Barney slammed his hands on the counter and said, “Wrong, wrong, wrong. The most romantic thing you could do is suit up, get out there and make the day legen…wait for it…dary.” By this time, Carl came around with the drinks. I looked at Barney and said, “It is 9 AM,” staring pointedly at the scotch in his hand. He just shrugged and took a sip, continuing the conversation. Ted looked at me and said, “So, how long are you here for?” To which I replied, “For a day.” Everyone looked at me and exclaimed, “So why are we wasting time here? Come on, let’s make your time here worthwhile.” Everyone downed their drink and headed outside the pub. 

Barney called Ranjit, and the Limo pulled up. While we were inside, Ted said, “You have not explored New York City until you have seen all the great architecture.” He went on a rant about the culture and lost art, but before he could finish, Robin groaned, “Oh God, not another architecture tour by Ted. Another story about Corinthian columns and I’ll move back to Canada, I swear.” Marshall came up with the idea of going to GNB, but Lily scolded him, pointing out that we were not going to his office. By this time, Barney told Ranjit to pull up to the tailor. The entire group looked at him questioningly, to which he responded, “We obviously have to suit up before we go and play laser tag.” That idea sounded the best to me, and before I knew it, we were standing outside the tailor’s shop. Once everyone was looking crisp in their tailor-made suits, we headed towards the laser tag place, where we divided ourselves into two teams. I was obviously on Barney’s team along with Robin. Tensions were running high after an exciting game that felt like it was straight out of an action movie, and my team won.

 Barney clapped his hands and said it was phase 2 of his plan, the Empire State Building. Ted beamed as he thought there would finally be some architecture to this city tour. Before he could say anything, Barney went on, “And no, Ted, it is not about the architecture, but rather the view. Plus, the champagne tastes better when you are looking down at the city, some 1000 feet up in the air.” Moments later, we were clinking glasses and drinking the bubbly champagne, looking down at the city laid out beneath us. I was soaking in the breathtaking view when Marshall said, “You know what would make this day even better? Some karaoke.” As we went down and entered the Limo, it had already been converted into nothing less than a karaoke bar. Flashing lights, a karaoke machine, and, unexpectedly, a smoke machine had been arranged for.

While Barney tried a loud and off-key version of “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” Marshall and Lily shouted out Elton John. Robin shoved the mic to me with a grin on her face, which said there was no escaping. I took the mic and did my best not to sound like a broken radio. After hours of driving around, we all headed towards Lily and Marshall’s apartment. Lily served around appetizers, Robin sipped whiskey, Ted pointed out stars, and Marshall strummed a guitar horribly. Barney lifted his glass with a smug smirk. “You see? Told you. The most legendary day ever.” He was right. It was exactly how I imagined it would be.

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