Summer in the City

Chapter 6 - Swallow My Pride

Anna

The night had come when Anna made her way to work. She had arrived 30 minutes earlier to be able to get a head start and gain some trust with Milango. She wanted to get acquainted with other people like Ruth. She seemed to know everybody.

Ruth was just a person who approached people, and despite her intimidating looking nature she could start a conversation with anyone. It was as if it was her entertainment to know other people. 

Milango looked a little intimidating to Anna when they had first met through Ruth. Mostly because he was older than her, and so much taller. But in a strange way his presence reminded her of an uncle. 

Milango had this hint of sympathy in his brown eyes, and by the way he treated his other employees he seemed to really care and tried to give these people an opportunity at something. She seemed to find him giving a bit of a pep talk to his other employees. And Anna was thankful that he let her help tonight.

Anna helped to wipe down and set up the tables for the night. Milango gave her a stack of plates and had sent her to the back of the velvet club. The kitchen area had light blue tiles on the floor and the countertops that surrounded the room with a dim yellow light that wasn't as bright as the rest of the club. 

There was someone else there with a net around their head. It was another man, but he didn't pay much attention to her and continued to make orders for food. Anna just made her way to the sink and placed the plates inside and began to run the water.

 Milango had informed her that the dish boy didn't arrive today, which is why he needed her to step in for tonight. Anna washed the glasses in soap and watched as servers, with their tight clothes taking small plates of greasy food.

Her hands touched the cold water as she scrubbed the glasses gently, trying not to handle them too harshly. Women came in and placed the dirty glasses on a pile next to her as she scrubbed. She never thought that she would be doing this. Washing dishes and actually enjoying it. She liked the sound of the faint music coming from the main stage of the club and being able to do something by herself without someone breathing behind her back, and she was being paid for it.

Anna couldn't wait to see Ruth again, to travel the city in the dark with the shining lights of buildings being their only guide. In the dark because that was when the thrill was higher. Not that Anna felt unsafe, she felt her safest with Ruth. Ruth seemed to know everyone and seemed like the person to really be able to defend herself if a risky situation were to happen.

Ruth promised she would meet her later after her gig. Anna thought about when they went to the arcade together the other night. How she had stuck a quarter with a piece of floss attached to her knee and continued to win tries of the claw machine by pushing the quarter in with her thigh and then taking it out again.

"It's a sensor." Ruth had told her, "It doesn't really know if it really goes inside the machine."By the end of the night, They had won several stuffed animals which now lived around the motel room and soon became their companions. She walked into Ruth talking to them once, it was a funny sight, but Anna didn't bother to bring it up. She now knew Ruth to be very prideful of what she did and what she talked about most of the time.

The sound of a glass being placed beside her shook her out of her thoughts. As she turned her head to meet a brown-haired woman. She looked Middle aged and without moving her eyes Anna could already see the creese from her breasts sticking out from her black T-Shirt shirt. Anna only smiled, as the woman took out the cigarette that was in her mouth,

"Hey," The woman said, Anna turned to her and gave her a nod as she was glad someone had greeted her.

"Are you new? I've never seen you before?" She asked, Anna nodded again,