Page 3 of Chasing Whiskey


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“I’m sorry, miss,” he says. “I’ll just have a beer.”

I look back over at Dale, surprised he’s managing to keep everyone in line so well, surprised everyone seems to be obeying him, and I go to get Bill’s beer. Something tells me that working at this bar isn’t going to be what I’m expecting it to be.

Not at all.

*

My first shift flies by in a blur of drink orders, laughter, and music. A couple of people bring guitars in and jam out for awhile, but then Dale turns on the jukebox and the music goes all night. At 2:30, he flips the lights on and people start filing out of the bar slowly. By 3:00, the doors are locked and we’re cleaning tables, counting tips, and getting ready to go home.

In addition to me and Dale, there are two other people who work at the bar. Kyle is the muscle and Audrey is a waitress. She doesn’t make any drinks, but she’s great at getting orders and filling them. She keeps the customers happy. A people person, Dale calls her, and it seems to suit her.

“Here’s your portion of the tips,” Dale hands me a wad of ones.

“Seriously?” I stare at the money in my hand.

“It was kind of a slow night,” he says. “Don’t worry. Tips will be better tomorrow.”

“No,” I shake my head. “It’s not that. It’s just that…”

“What is it?”

Audrey looks at me and then her jaw drops. “You think it’s too much,” she says. “You weren’t expecting that much.”

“Where are you from?” Kyle asks, leaning against the bar. “A place without a bar?”

?

?I’m from a super small town in Minnesota,” I tell them. It’s not a lie. It’s true, in fact. I don’t really want to talk about my past or where I’m from, but that much I’m comfortable sharing. “Not many people come or go.”

“Kinda like here,” Audrey shrugs. “Guess you’ll fit in well.”

“You left one small town for another,” Kyle shakes his head and chuckles. Then he grabs his keys and heads for the back door. “Crazy girl,” he laughs. “See you guys tomorrow.”

Audrey takes off, too, and then it’s just me and Dale.

“You did well,” he tells me. For a minute, I think he’s going to say something else, but he doesn’t.

“Thanks.” I motion to the shoes. “I’ll go take these off,” I tell him.

“Nah, keep them. Heather’s not coming back anytime soon, and those are name brand. If I’ve got you pinned correctly, I’d say you probably don’t have a whole lot to your name right now. Is that right?”

Too right.

I nod slowly, not ready to give up all of my secrets at once.

“If you ever need a free meal, the Catholic church has sandwiches and soup every day at 11. Completely free. There’s also a food bank around the corner. It’s one of those ‘honor system’ types of deals, but they have canned goods. You can get what you need there. There’s a dollar store, too, so you should be okay. All right? And we’ll get your paychecks coming in as soon as possible.”

“Thanks Dale,” I say, and I mean it.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Oriana,” he says.

You know what’s funny?

I kind of believe him.

Chapter Three

Dale

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