"When He takes me, I will be dancing"

My friends have left and I am alone and there is a soccer game. Quick poll: Did I stay in? NO WAY! I went to my favorite bar that gives you mounds of tapas for free if you order a drink. I was introduced to it by Manu and Victor and I have gone for every game since. The people are great and lively, the staff is so nice, the drinks are generous and the food is free! So I post-up, smashed against a countertop, "enjoying" the game. I have a couple of beverages and some good eats and the score is still 0-0. I take a break at half-time to gander outside to see if I could get a good story to answer the all-annoying question, "duhh...ummm...how crazy was Madrid during the World Cup?...duhh". It's like coming back from your first year of college and asking, "so how was the first year". I tended to always stare blankly at the inquistor's eyes, trying to pierce into their head through their pupils and take a look around to see if they indeed possessed a brain.

Anyways, the streets were empty and so I panicked. Will I have a story to tell? I head back in and man my post. I keep bumping into these group of girls monitored by one guy. During a close call and a scream from everyone's mouth, I look to the group and one girl says, "you cannot suffer alone, what's your name?" Their names are Leo, Yvette, Boris and Belen and we are now Facebook friends. We have a chat, but one eye always on the game. Back and forth, tapas and a beverage, back and forth...

GOOOOLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!

As if my new friends had attended my briss, we all embrace and high-five and dance around. Screaming, "español, español, español, yo soy español, español, español". Horns erupting, kids screaming (almost child-services like), smiles and cheers! The old-man bartender that has less teeth then I do grandparents, stands up on the bar and rings the bells. Champagne bottles pop as free cups are served around the bar. We wait in anticipation for the remaining minutes to inch by, biting our nails and praying for a victory. The three minutes of injury time pass by like the last minutes of class before graduation. But we did it! VICTORY!

I turn to Leo to bid her and the others adeiu and thank them for their hospitality, when she beats me to it. "Hey, Yvette and Boris are playing a concert down the street, she's a cellist and he sings and plays guitar". Umm...SOLD! We walk outside, and the previously barren street become inundated with what looks like pygmy monkeys that have just come outside for the first time since their 6-month hibernation. The streets were alive, but the concert I mustn't miss.

It turns out to be this little spot but packed tightly and it was amazing. Yvette was classically trained and Boris is the braun of the duo. Together they pack a mean punch. Sing-alongs and dancing and cheersing and more. The vibe was so right and so giving and so encouraging. For every risk, there is reward. Though some might find themselves shut in at the thought of their first night without their group of friends, the Deputy took a chance to put himself out there and watch the game, and the reward was priceless.

When in doubt, go out!