Nostalgic moments Part 1- Private and confidential



The sunset deck at sunset

 



The pool bar-thatched roof thing on right

 As we step into the festive season of the year, I look back at the most happening moments of my career so far. The busiest season, hotels are flooding with occupancy, restaurants running busy with the loud chatter of guest accompanied with the clatter of the glistening silver (I mean cutlery). As the service door opens from the kitchen to the restaurant there is an aromatic whiff of the food mixed with loud hissing of gas burners and equally vibrant communication of the chef and his cooks. Lively... These sounds keep on resonating in my mind. I have started feeling nostalgic. Talking about nostalgia, I would like to share some interesting incidents I had witnessed. There are many to go ranting about. If I pile these up I can really write another Bible of hospitality or a Just for Laughs series.  We hoteliers get to see so much which neither the press can report nor the paparazzi can capture. Let me take you back to Taj Holiday Village or THV as we called it. This property is Taj’s own hamlet in Goa spread over sprawling 39 acres. Running parallel with the beautiful ocean with open skies and the coconut trees everywhere, you never know when a coconut drops down and the guest would pick it up, get it to be cracked open. There are beautiful sea facing or garden villas divided into luxurious and eloquent rooms. There are restaurants which serve Thai, Goan and Caravela the all day diner with drift bar within it. Caravela is like a boat and right above the beach. People love this place for dinners but believe me having breakfast out here is beyond luxury. It is serenity I would say. There is another bar which is the Pool Bar, a bar sunken in the pool, such that you can swim through the pool and reach the counter and sip on your drink sitting on the bar stool in the pool. Sounds mesmerizing, I have lived it. I used to hang around here throughout the day. My shift... huh!! BLD... Allow me to elaborate, it means breakfast lunch and dinner. Breakfast at Caravela then the pool bar till the evening and then till midnight at Drift Bar. The hotel had a nine hole golf course, also called the moon deck. This was the venue for most extravagant events. Then around 800 metres from it was the sunset deck adjoining Caravela. The sunset ideally looked the best from here. This was the ideal spot for Villa dinner which was private dining concept for the elites only. I have served various VVIPs, celebrities, politicians and who’s who out here. When you are in this profession, the truth of such people lies open in front of you. But, yes all their information and affairs are private and confidential. We never intended to encroach it.

Private and Confidential

It was past 10:00 pm and Drift was operating at a slow pace, ideally because it was a weekday. Even the restaurant had a few guests scattered around. I turned my gaze to the ocean. The moon was at the horizon on a date with the pitch black ocean which looked like a sheet of velvet as it moved with every wave crashing in its arms. The reflection of the moon in the water looked like a fragile bridge tapering towards the moon such that I could walk on it and reach there. The bridge danced a slow waltz with the ocean with the sound of waves as the only beat. In my bar on the LED, played a football match which hardly interested me as it was a repeat telecast. I had drowned into the vivacious beauty of the night. My feet turned towards the deck as I heard a couple conversing at some distance. The sight of the ocean was so addictive, that I hardly noticed the guests approaching me. ” Two Mojito” .Now the person in front of me turned his pitch a little high repeated, “Two Mojito please “. My fluid dream was broken. I looked up at him clearing the thoughts out of my over dramatic mind and answered, “Very well sir”. The gentleman was in loose white pyjamas with a black T-shirt. He had an athletic built with fair complexion, his hair gelled well and held back with a few streak dropping over his forehead.  He looked in mid thirties. He raised his eyebrow as his pointed with his eyeballs towards the card he held between the grip of two finger tips. I pulled it out delicately looking at the lady besides him. She was like a mermaid out of the ocean with the clearest skin now tanned with the Goan sun. Her beautiful curls were let open and amber eyes shone mystically. Her body was voluptuous as if sculpted by Venus and draped with a peacock blue colour gown. As I swiped the AMEX card, I read the name Rajan Khanna. I politely asked him, “Sir, would that be all or may I keep the card as a tab for further orders.” They both were busy in their conversation and he waved his hand at me indicating to keep it with me. It looked as if he hardly wanted to be disturbed. As I was making the mojito, I overheard some conversations about a college in Delhi, the campus talks, the festivals and the affairs then and their current fate. It was pretty evident that they probably went to same graduation school and probably shared the chemistry since then. Everything was so perfect about the couple. Even the way they romanticized. There were two more rounds of Mojito and both of them induced too much affection towards each other (You know what I mean). He could barely take his hands off her and the casual hugs and kisses or holding hands were getting really intoxicating and sensuous.

The drift bar and lounge

 Just then, Mr. Khanna called for another round of mojito and requested me to open the gate to the beach. I was equally fine with their idea of going on the beach to evolve their love further but not my Tom Collin glasses along with them. I requested him to carry the drinks in takeaway glasses. He started promising that he will get the glasses back without any hassle and left his credit card back for assurance. I agreed also because of the fact that he was too convincing to be refused to. So I opened the gate and the gentleman and his damsel walk down carefully. As I latched back the gate, I asked him for his room number. He yelled from the beach, “its 1106 and thank you”. I gave him a smile and walked back thinking to myself that even I should have one of such platonic love stories. So many years after going around also they had so much to share. Wow... what a lovable couple...Picture perfect. I checked my watch. It was almost 11: 15 then. I had some excise books to be completed. I went to the bar, pulled out an open bottle of coke, poured it into a glass full of ice and sat on the bar stool. I opened the heavy register and started making entries.

The sea facing villas

The restaurant was completely vacant by 11:35pm, I noticed. Just then I saw a lady stepping into the restaurant. She had a mixed expression of confusion and anxiety on her face. She walked straight towards the bar. I stepped off the stool and smiled at her as I walked towards her in anticipation. I asked her,” Good evening madam, may I assist you with something?”. She scanned the bar with her searching gaze. Then she turned towards me and said,” Hi, I was in the shower and my husband told me he is heading to the bar to have a drink. I have checked the other two restaurants but I didn’t find him. Is there a bar apart from this one also?” I saw the pearls of sweat developing over her forehead and now rolling down as she spoke. I offered her to sit on one of the sofa. I offered her a glass of water and asked her if she could dial her husband on his mobile. She embarrassingly replied,” I was in a hurry to get out of the room; I forgot the key card and my mobile inside the room”. I advised her not to worry as I could get her key card made immediately. I was about to dial the reception for the same that I asked her, Mam could you please help me with your room number. Wrapping her arms delicately in her Pashmina shawl she said,” 1106”. I put the receiver down and requested her for her husband’s name to which she replied Rajan Khanna. I was so excited that I said, “Bingo, I know where Mr. Khanna is “. My hand already raised in direction of the beach. She was very happy and asked me like a young kid, “You know?”

Stupid, Idiot, You are an ass, you have screwed up, I thought to myself. I was stumped for a fraction of second but quickly gathered my senses. I folded the hand down and said,” Mr. Khanna was here a while before, He just walked back to the room. I think probably he is also searching you. I fixed my expressions as I dialled up to the reception and requested for a duplicate key card. Then I looked at her again. Her state of mind and her hair were in complete despair. I approached her again and asked, “Mrs. Khanna if you allow me to have his number, I will dial up from the landline and let him know you are here. She agreed and I took down the number. While moving away from her table I checked whether she would appreciate a crisp glass of Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc to relax herself. She agreed for one. I asked her whether she had her dinner. She promptly replied not yet. I informed that the kitchen was about to close. She said,” Please order something light for me.” “Spaghetti aglio oglio would be good “

“Perfect”

I picked up the receiver and dialled Mr. Khanna’s number. The call was answered in some fourth ring. The manly voice on the other said, “Raj here, who’s this?”

Sir, this is Asmita from Drift Bar at the Holiday village. Mrs. Khanna has arrived at the bar looking for you.

“Oh..!! Ok I would be there in the next few minutes. Just ask her to wait there and PLEASE...” There was a long pause.

I broke the silence,” Sir, please don’t worry. She is very comfortable here and is been looked after. She has ordered for a glass of wine and pasta to eat. Would you like something for yourself?”

The moon deck- exit to beach from golf course

“No”, and then I heard the sound of click. I placed the phone back on the hook and glanced at the lady. She was looking back at me trying to understand most of the conversation I was making on the phone. I gave an assured eye contact and said,” He will be here in a while.” I got back to my register and calculator. My coke was flat by now. I sipped on the coke syrup. Within few minutes, I heard the screeching sound of the iron gate which opened to the beach. The sound was from far distance. I stared in the dark; I saw two figures coming up from the beach from the golf course side. I could make out that one of that was the lady evidently because of her free flowing gown. The man maintained a slow jogging pace as he reached the bar from the golf course. I made swift exit to the sunset deck to get the glasses he held in his right hand.

“Why did God make women so beautiful and man with such a loving heart?”
― Walker Percy

“Situation was under control”, I sighed to myself. He went in and hugged his wife tightly. She dug her face into his chest and he looked up and winked at me. “Sophisticated Asshole”, I thought and wicked smile developed on my face. He ordered for a wine bottle for the evening, sung for her, danced with her, fed her food, they talked and laughed loudly. He was one of the most outstanding, smart, flirt I had seen ever. Anyways, 1:30 am they packed up. The golf cart arrived at the restaurant to drop them to their room. Mr. Khanna signalled me to swipe his card and get his check. He slipped his right hand into his wife’s waist and escorted her to the cart. He came back to sign the credit card receipt. All he said was Thank you. He slipped out two one thousand rupees bills from wallet and placed it on the counter. I welcomed him for his gesture and pulled the bills off the counter into my pocket.

The next day I was little late for my breakfast shift. I landed around 10 am in the morning. The breakfast buffet closes then. I had a hangover, my head oscillated like a pendulum out of a grandfather’s clock. To worsen the effect, the wavelength was reduced and the frequency was at its peak. I walked to the bar. Allen, the morning bartender was setting up the bar, cleaning it. I asked him to make a fresh lime soda and pick some breakfast from the closing buffet. I switched on the system to check the sales report and emails.  Something was pulling my attention time and again. I looked at the table on the sunset deck. Three musketeers from the last night story and one more person sat chatting. Wow, so everyone knows each other. Who’s the fourth guy now? I logged in the property management software. Two bookings 1105 and 1106 were made together. Two couples, both the men were proprietors of the same company. A single person’s arrival was entered into system today morning at 6:45am. That was the fourth gentleman.

Someone told me the delightful story of the crusader who put a chastity belt on his wife and gave the key to his best friend for safekeeping, in case of his death. He had ridden only a few miles away when his friend, riding hard, caught up with him, saying 'You gave me the wrong key!” - Anaïs Nin..
The lady who was accompanying the stud initially was this late comer’s married wife.

Crazy, isn’t it?  But still it remains PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL