Our 'Real' Anniversary - From the Male Point of View

I was feeling pretty good about life. It was pay day, I had finally stashed enough loot to replace the glasses I broke celebrating Liverpool winning the Champions League, and my friend had invited me along to a company drinking session for the school he worked at. With cash burning a hole in my pocket, and a thirst stoked by the daily grind, which at that time was working as a Content Manager for a web development company, we went to the wrong pub.

Pivovarský Klub had only recently opened and not being aware of this fact we went to their sister pub, and one of my favourite places in Prague to eat and drink, Pivovarský dům. A quick taxi ride later and we were sat at a huge table in the brick basement that in a few years time would be the venue for my wedding reception. At some point in the evening the guy sat next to me, who could have bored for the US in the Olympics, went to the toilet. Just as he disappeared one of the girls in the group waved at someone coming down the stairs. I turned, pointed, and said:

"You. Sit here. Now."

That is how I met Mrs Velkyal, as she is known in my all of my blog posts, shortened to Mrs V. I have never been very good at the whole chatting women up malarky, I never know what to say, and as a result of nerves I tend to prattle on and on about some nonsense. Oh and I am terrible at picking up signals. Mrs V and I chatted and chatted, she was clearly a deranged soul as she did insist on listening to me. Must have been the charming British accent.

With the pub closing for the night, an executive decision was made that the group would be decamping to Lucerna. It being a Friday night, it was 80s/90s Video Dance Party, something of a rite of passage for expats living in Prague, and without being cruel, a total meat market. I have always liked going to clubs, not because I like to dance, I hate it, nor yet that I am any good at dancing, two left feet is an understatement, but I like listening to insanely loud music while people watching.

I turned to Mrs V and asked if she would be joining us at Lucerna, to which she replied,

'If you pay for me'

'Sure' was my response.

Stood in the queue to get in, I have a vague recollection that it was pissing down that night, another girl in the group asked if I was going to pay for her as well. When I informed her that my largesse extended only to Mrs V, she asked me why, to which I answered, 'She asked first'. Something of a tangent, but there are few more beautiful places in the world that Prague in the pouring rain, especially in the centre of the city as the reflections of neon signs glisten in the puddled cobble stones. Lucerna is a cavernous space, once owned by the family of my great hero, Vaclav Havel, and it was there that we had our first kiss, and somehow she even got me to dance....well....shuffle indelicately from foot to foot.

We've been together ever since, 8 years now. Not a bad return on investment for 100Kč.

100Kč is about £3.20 or $5.