The Man on the Steps [On Hold]

t w o

The worst thing about my job is that, well, it's a sucky job.

I work at a bar that seems to only attract the cocky and the drunks. Every night it's the same thing. Take someone's order, act like I care, bring them drinks, and try dodging them once they get drunk. It's not something you get used to easily and can be an intense pain in the you know where.

As usual, I wait at the bar at five o'clock, my starting hour, and sit boredly on a stool in my uniform. It consists of a black pencil skirt and a white long sleeved blouse topped of with a black vest. About and hour later some people begin to arrive. People are sat around sitting with their friends and drinking while others are alone watching the re-runs on t.v.

I take the orders of a few people sitting down and hand them their drinks. It amazes me how someone can drink beer this early in the morning, but I don't know their life.

For the rest of the time, I clean up a few tables and talk with my co-worker, Brandy. Actually, her name is Brenda but she says it just doesn't fit her. She likes alcohol too so the nickname fits her.

The door opens widely and a random man comes in with tight black skinny jeans, holes on the knees, and my thoughts instantly run to the man on the steps. The man on the steps doesn't look familiar by what I can remember so there is no way to pin point an exact name.

"Brandy," I call over. A few men turn their heads in my direction at the mention of the alcohol but then turn back when they realize I wasn't calling them. Brandy laughs, it amuses her when people do that.

"Yeah?" She asks and moves her black bangs out of the way. Her olive skin looks nice with it and before I can tell her anything, some drunk calls her.

"Ay baby. Come over here!" He chuckles and Brandy rolls her eyes.

"Kiss my ass pinche puto! Come miedra!" She hollers and my eyes widen. The guy flicks his hand at her and goes back to nursing his beer.

"Brandy!" I whisper yell. "You can't just curse in Spanish at the customers." She leans against te counter and shrugs.

"Eh. There's not much people here any way and he probably doesn't even know Spanish," She senses my uneasy feeling and waves it off. "Calm down V. You already know Eric and I are like this," She twists her middle and index finger together to show how close our boss, Eric, and her are. They've been long time friends and together for a while so I calm down a bit.

It's a bit odd to me how her boss is her boyfriend but oh well.

"Keep calm and be Mexican," She laughs at her own joke and waves it off too. "Okay okay sorry. So what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh yeah," I try remembering him the best to my ability and try explaining it to her. "Well, yesterday after I came from the place on 53rd street, there was this guy on the steps to the apartment building," She squeals at the mention of a guy and I give her a look. "Woah there woman, You have a boyfriend," I point out before she can get too excited.

"I know that. Eric will always be my papi chulo," I make a gagging noise when she refers to him as her papi and she slaps my shoulder. "Hey, he thinks it's cute when I call him that," She huffs and I lift my eyebrows.

"Cute my ass," I say. "Anyways," I say before she can say something back. "So the guy had this nice long curly hair and it was in this bandana sort of thing."

"Ooh. Keep talking," I shake my head at her and laugh. I start my first sentence before another one of my co-workers comes up to me.

"Hello ladies. What are you talking about?" He asks in his thick irish accent. He's been friends with us since I started working here so I'm used to him by now.