Glass Half Full by Rose Katia

Author:Rose, Katia
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-01-07T16:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

Renee

CACOPHONY: A group of strong, harsh sounds within a sentence or phrase that is used to create a sense of unease

“Call me if you need anything, mes chers,” DeeDee sings out as she throws a jean jacket on over her crop top and shoves her phone into her purse. “I will try to answer if my mouth isn’t too busy.”

She says the last part quietly enough that only I can hear and wags her eyebrows at me. She booked a few hours off tonight to see her flavour of the month sing at an open mic night and has been very clear about what she plans to do with him after the show. It’s cute to see her so excited about someone, but like everyone else at the bar, I can’t help wondering why she’s out there looking for love when she’s got a sure-fire shot right here. Zach was trying to hide how gloomy he was before he left for the night, but I know him well enough now to see right through his forced smiles.

“Do you need me to go over the tip out again?” DeeDee asks me and my fellow bartender for the night, a new guy around my age named Sam. It’s the first time either of us will be working without a senior staff member on the bar, but it’s a Monday night and the place has been dead enough that I’m sure I could handle things on my own. With the two of us here, we shouldn’t have any problems.

“I think we’re good,” I answer.

She pats me on the head. “You have a busser here until the end of the night, so they’ll do most of the front of house close for you. It’s just the bar stuff you need to worry about, and you’re very good at that. You too, Sam! I believe in you guys!”

She blows us a trail of kisses as she heads out the door and then knocks on the window outside before flashing a thumbs up.

“She never slows down, does she?” Sam comments.

“No,” I reply. “No, she does not.”

Business for the night does slow down. By midnight, there are only three guys left crowded around a table, finishing the dregs of their beers. The kitchen has been closed since ten, and the busser has subtly been cleaning up the front of house to send the guys a message. It’s only him, Sam, and I left on the clock. We’ve done everything we can to speed the close along without actually closing.

“Come on, come on, come on,” Sam mutters, tapping his fingers against the bar. “How long does it take to drink a beer?”

“You getting sleepy?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “I just have someone to go see.”

I don’t know him well enough to ask what he’s doing meeting someone at midnight, but the answer is pretty clear. If DeeDee was here, she’d be shouting ‘Boooooooty call!’ loud enough to disturb the customers.

“Do you guys need help with anything else?” The busser saunters over and leans across the bar to check the time on the POS system.

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