𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 - 𝗩𝗢

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫

8 p.m.

Here we go again, 8 p.m., the beginning of the rush. Gin tonic, Mojito, Sex on the Beach... too much classic, please be original. Let see with this new guy, who is approach.

     'a Margarita.'

     Come on, I said 'be ORIGINAL', and a 'please' is too much for you. Anyway, we are paid, that's essential, I suppose... So, tequila, green lemon juice, triple sec curaçao, we shake all of these with shaker, little show - threw the shaker in the air - and we receive, and that's worth ₤2, yeah, I look at you right in the eye. Salt on the top of the glass, pour and the piece of green lemon, and that is for you, you know the price uh, plus the tip, of course.
     'Hm.'
     With pleasure sir...
     I have been working here for five years now, and it's always the same, no hello, not please, no thank you, no tip, nothing except the order and sometimes, some who talk to you about their life, and/or drunk, must of the time both. I knew that when I started, but I don't know, I hoped that things can change. But no, it's getting worse every year.
A new customer at the counter.
     'Hello, may I have a Vodka Martini, please.'

     A big smile on my face. Oh god, what happened tonight, is she okay? Actually, I said that no one were polite, but there are exceptions, like her, but they are generally sad people. Why people have to be sad to be polite in a bar? Really how the world is going? Here we are a case, she starts crying, just the time to make her Vodka Martini and a note:
     'Are you okay?'
     She reads twice and looks at me.
     'Yeah, I'm fine...'
     I look at her like she isn't, and she starts drinking and crying. I still look at her, waiting her to says something, but she stays silent.
     'Eh! The bar guy, stop looking at her and give me another drink!'
     Damn it, he seems drunk only with one Margarita, I'm going to reduce the amount of tequila in his cocktail. We are not supposed to do that, but I don't want drunk people to take care tonight. I leave the lady for a moment, just the time to prepare the Less-Tequila-Margarita. But another guy at the opposite at the bar table call me. I check the lady on the way, she has the head down.
'a Malibu Sunrise, please.'
Not that original - again, but anyway, just make it and do your show, tonight I've got a special client, sadly to say. I give him what he demands, with my fake smiling face, we work on tips.

     Just before the lady finished her cocktail, I make a lemonade, for her, on me, I don't want her to be drunk, and such more, I don't want her to be sad and drunk, so I just leave her the drink with another note:
   'If you want to talk, please do, if you don't want to, please don't be drunk.'
   PS: the lemonade is on me.
     She looks at me and a slight smile appears on her face.

9 p.m.

We've got one drunk guy under control, one passive-aggressive, an impatient one and the lady. The problem is that the only original cocktail asks, is for the impatient one, a cocktail old fashioned, it takes 5 minutes to crush the sugar. Can he wait just for that long? His face says that the answer is a 'no'.

     The extra staff only arrive at 10 p.m., and I am the only one at the bar, there are two in the kitchen for the restaurant and one waiter for a room of 45 chairs, everything is all right. We've got a big rush at 10 p.m. because of the stadium not far from the bar and all of the tourists who visit the city, but want a 'calm' place for dinner, they better go to their hotel-restaurant, but they say that 'we prefer discover the city by a noisy bar-restaurant instead of a boring hotel-restaurant', something like that.

     'Eh, oh, you, yeah, you with the bow tie, and the black suit, and the horrible face...' guess it's me, '... I know you have added water at me drink, but I am not drunk or an alcoholic, I want another drink full of tequila, and if I notice that you've change anything in the drink I pr...' and he hits his head on the counter, knocked out by the alcohol. He is drunk, just with 3 margaritas, two of them with less alcohol. I don't judge, I never will. I'm just a bartender, and I know I am not supposed to reduce the amount of alcohol in drinks, but when you know how it can turn, you save life in doing that. Really.
     I lift his head slightly and put a wet cloth on his forehead. I let him like he is, I've got a call by the passive-aggressive one.

9.30 p.m.

The lady is still here, I've served her some of our non-alcohol-drinks. She seems to be feeling better. Until a guy approach her, and asks for her name, and number, and be very close to her, too much. She doesn't react, probably too tired of everything. Hopefully, one of his friends, I suppose, tells him to stop and get him apart.

     I drop a bowl of peanuts in front of her as I pass to see the customer who has just moved in.
     'a Monaco, please'
     No sooner said than done, with all that goes with it. I've got a direct tip, a première! A little motivation for the rush that will take place in twenty minutes.

10 p.m.

People who were arrived at 8p.m. leave the bar, to let it at the new who just arrive. The drunk one has put himself - with difficulty - on a sofa. The passive-aggressive one just leaves. And still the impatient who makes friends and the lady.

     The rush starts, but no one of the extra staff arrive. The room is almost full. I improvise as a waiter, but there are too many people. It's not until 10.15 p.m. that the extra staff arrive. Now, we are two at the bar, three in the room and five in the kitchen. And that is largely better. We review all the cocktail of the menu, Cosmopolitan, Bora bora, Royal Mint... and one virgin mojito for the lady. Everyone is chatting, laughing, drinking and/or eating. The stress has died down, there are still a few tables to be served, but the atmosphere is much more laid-back.

     We've got only two drunk people on fifteen at the counter. A record.

11 p.m.

The people from the restaurant are almost on the dessert, and the people at the bar, not even drunk - except 2 plus one who is still on the sofa.

     The lady is here too, I offer her a dinner, she still looking sad, and at the same time, happy to be in this place, somewhere pretty cosy.

     Some people are leaving, from the bar and the restaurant. I serve the last drinks, and two aspirin. One of the bar customers starts talking to me and asks for a bowl of peanuts. He lost his dog. Hit by a lorry. Yeah, everything was perfect, and you arrive with your sadness-mood, thank you. I'm sorry for the dog anyway. He continues for a while. I'm listening and I wash the bar dishes. The other bartender needed to go, he doesn't say why, just that it was important.

     The bar closes in 18 minutes, the last people of the restaurant pay, and the ones from the bar leave - and give tips for some of us. Thank you. I'm not on money, but we aren't paid well here, to make savings, so each tip is more than a bonus for all of the employees.

12 a.m.

     The lady is still here, and one of the employees is going to demand her to leave, but I stop her, and demand by myself, by a note:
   'Are you feeling better?'
   PS: the bar is closing.
     I'm about to let her alone, but she stops me.
     'Yes, I'm feeling better, thank you. May we talk, outside?'

     I nod my head, leave my apron, take my coat on, and sign that I'm done for the night. We leave together, and she starts talking.

     'I have a question, but I don't know if I can ask it...'
     I tap her on the shoulder and nod that she can ask her question.
     'O.K., uhm, are you mute?'
     I nod, yes.

     And then she signs: I have learnt some words in BSL (British Sign Language)
     I sign that is great, and you doing well. May you tell me what it is going, why are you sad?
     She stops, then looks at me, and starts speaking:
     'It's, It is about my girlfriend,' she looks down, 'she died, she had a cancer.' She starts crying but trying not to.

     You can cry, there is no shame. I sign.

     She takes me in her arms, and then we walk all the night, talking signing about how great her girlfriend was.

The End.