No Ice Cream Allowed at the Crooked Surgeon!

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After our meal at the Italian place, Steph, Gary, Troy, Raeann, and I decide to go have drinks.

Of course, walking around Leceister Square, one is bound to get sidetracked with all the action going on. We stop at a discount ticket shop to check out prices on some West End shows. We browse around the vendors. And...hey, there's that crazy evangelist guy with the "Everything Is OK" sign! He's preaching in front of a Burger King, still on his step ladder, surrounded by laughing teenagers.

We walk on.

Ben and Jerry's! It's like a God-send. Rays of heavenly light descend from above and angels sing of the chocolate wonders within.

Stephanie and I race inside, giggling. Everyone else waits outside.

Once we have our fabulous two-scoops-in-a-cup chocolate fix, we're back to strolling the streets of London. Seriously, I LOVE this city! I could walk around doing nothing all night and still have a great time.

We round the corner, and there it is. THE CROOKED SURGEON. "What is it?" I ask. "It looks like a haunted house."

It's directly in front of us, drawing us in with its bright yellow squwiggly lettering. "You know we have to go there," Stephanie says.

The dark-brick building is tall and narrow, like every other building in this city. As we approach, we see that it's a bar. "Just a moment," the Pakistani doorman says. "You cannot bring your ice cream in here."

In typical fashion, I say, "OK," and turn to leave. And in typical fashion, Stephanie argues with him for a minute or two.

Finally, she finishes arguing, and we walk to the left about half a block. Everyone is talking, but I'm not listening. I'm really absorbed in my ice cream, standing out in the cold December air, completely enjoying myself.

"Earth to Alicia!" Stephanie says, snapping her fingers.

"Huh?" I look up at them. They're all staring at me. "What?"

"Put your spoon in your ice cream right now!"

I stick it in the ice cream, and Steph snatches the cup from my hands and places it carefully into her massive purse. I follow while my friends lead the way back to the Crooked Surgeon. As the doorman eyes us suspiciously, I'm trying to be all casual, saying things like, "Wow, we ate the ice cream so fast! I think I have brain freeze!"

I follow Stephanie to the very back of the bar. At a table for five, Steph reaches into her bag and pulls out our ice cream. We all crack up. I barely have time to put a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth when the doorman is suddenly right in front of me. He's angry and leans toward me and Stephanie, saying, "You two! I told you no ice cream! You are coming with me!"

"What?" I ask, stunned.

"Get up!" He shouts. "I told you no ice cream in here, and you brought it anyway. You are coming with me outside!"

He's so upset, and the way he is talking sounds like we're going to be arrested or something. "Why?" I ask, scared.

"I need to have a word with you!" he says.

I look at Stephanie, who is pretending like she doesn't understand what's going on. "Sir, can't we just throw away the ice cream?" I ask.

"You must throw it away and come with me!"

"No," I say. "I'm not going to come with you. You're scaring me. I'll be happy to throw my ice cream away and leave, but I'm not going anywhere with you."

Troy steps up, "Look, we're leaving OK? Just back off."

When I see that everyone is getting up, I get up, too. I stick close to the guys in the group and stay as far from the doorman as possible while we make our exit. The entire bar is staring at us.

Once outside, we walk down the street, finishing our ice cream and making fun of the doorman. I'm still a little shaken up, though. Remember that I'm a goody-two-shoes, and I always follow the rules. I'm not used to getting in trouble. Still, it was kinda fun. "Stephanie, you're a bad influence!" I laugh.

She laughs too, "Oh yeah, for sneaking ice cream into a bar! Alicia, we're really going to hell now!"

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