The Curtis Sister

First Day On The Job

     The diner looked better when it was dark, which was around 5 because it was the winter. The red hue had now become a completely red atmosphere. Gloria was walking around the diner with an empty tray in her hand and empty glasses in the other. She saw me and smiled. I smiled back and waved. She went in the back and put the tray and the glasses in the sink. When she walked out she wandered over to me.
"You're early."
"I am?"
"Just a little. Did you walk here?"
"With my friend Johnny. He came for a milkshake.", I said.
"Oh okay. I thought you had a car."
"My older brother does."
She lead me over to the bar and greeted some people. I took off my jacket and put it in a shelf near where I was standing.
     We walked over to the drink menu and observed it. Most of it was generic beers and whiskeys. But there were many other types of alcohol, some I'd never even seen the guys drink.
        We'd made our way to the mixed drink menu this time. They'd all been simple ones that I seen the guys carry around a few times or order at bars.
      "They're all self explanatory, just fill 3 quarters with the non-alcohol drink and the other quarter with the alcohol?", I asked.
     "Aren't you in high school?", she asked.
     "Yeah.", I replied.
      "Do you drink?"
      "No. I tried once. I'm not aloud to drink for at most another year anyway."
       "Why not? It isn't illegal."
       "Medical reasons."
       She nodded.
       I examined the mixed drink menu.
      1. Coke & Rum
      2. Pina Colada
      3. Screwdriver
      4. Bloody Mary
      5. Lemon Drop
       Only 5? I thought. But I supposed that they only needed five compared to the many selections of regular beers that they can combine, too.
       "Alright. Make me some mixed drinks."
       "Which one?", I asked.
       "A...Pina Colada."
       I searched threw the taps. I found pineapple juice and grabbed a clear plastic cup. I filled the cup up with 3 parts pineapple juice, 1 part rum, and 1 part coconut cream using a measuring jigger. I put a straw in it and mixed it around.
        Sodapop loves mixed drinks and checked out a book from the library just to know how to make it. I took the book and taught myself how to make every drink recipe that was in the book.
         When I finished it I gave it over to her. She tried a sip of it and seemed surprised,
        "Wow. You did it.", she said.
       "Do you know how to make the others?"
       "About the same measurement all around. Use the jigger for measurements. Coke and rum is self explanatory. Screwdriver is orange juice and rum. Bloody Mary is on tap. Lemon drop is on tap, sugar on the rims."
       She laughed again.
      "Where'd you learn all this?"
"I stole a recipe book my twin brother got on how to make mixed drinks.", I explained.
"How many brothers do you have?", she asked.
"I have three. My older brother Darry, my twin brother Sodapop, and my little brother Ponyboy."
"Your siblings have some interesting names."
"I know."
"How old is your little brother?"
"Oh Ponyboy? He's fourteen.", I said.
"Huh. That's the same age as my son, Eddie."
"I didn't know you had a son."
"I had him when I was 20 years old."
Wow. 20. That's how old Darry was. That how old Soda and me will be in a couple of years. Only 20.
"Do you have a husband?"
"No. We were only dating but then we broke up when he found out I was pregnant with Eddie."
"I already hate him."
She laughed.
"Let's start this shift. If anyone bothers you just be sarcastic with them and they'll leave you alone."
"Noted."
We went behind the bar and started serving people. From 5 till 7 it was pretty normal, some business men. Maybe some friends. But when 8pm rolled around the drunks started to roll in. Other than the bar, the diner was empty towards this time of day. I was serving drinks almost all the time, seemingly without any breaks. My arms started to become tired. But at the same time, I felt comfortable. The drunks were all friends, they would holler at each other from across the bar, they would laugh with each other. Like one big family, like me and the gang. Gloria seemed to be friends with all of them, too. I talked to a few of them, and learned a few names.
One was named Rob, he was 53 and bald, but he loved Bloody Marys. Another was Andy, he was a little younger, maybe late 20s, and he was mostly silent except for laughing along. Then there was Maggie, she was 42 and she didn't have a husband or kids, but she loved to take shots. The others didn't tell me their names, but they were just the same, mostly middle-aged, but some were young. Once everyone had left I was nearly dead from exhaustion. By the end of the night I had about $3 in tips.
I checked the clock. 10:57. I leaned on the back of the bar.
"Tiring, huh?", Gloria asked.
I turned and she had a foam box in her hand.
"What's this?"
"Steak and fries, fresh out of the oven so they're about ready when you get home. I supposing you didn't eat dinner?"
"Not really."
She went over to the cash register and pulled out $5.
"Here's your paycheck for the day."
"Thanks, Gloria. Have a nice night."
"You, too."
I walked out the front door and Dally was standing outside smoking a cigarette.
"What are you doing here?", I questioned.
"The last time you walked home along you got pummeled. I'm walking you back to the house."
I smiled at him and we started walking back to my house. I grabbed onto his hand when the wind started blowing harshly. He laughed at me and untangled our hands. I looked up at him confused until he put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him.
"I got steak and fries in my box, do you want to have an actual good late night date?", I asked.
"Why not?", he said.
(Shoutout to my mom who was a bartender in the early 2000's and helped me write this chapter)