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Chapter Fourteen
It seemed like they had just started planning it, and now it was here. Terri bent to fasten the straps on her patent leather heels that were a shade of green that reminded her too much of the bottles of beer Randy used to favor.
Righting herself, she pushed open the locker room door and shoved her way through the thick mass of bodies that had accumulated at the mouth of the hallway. Once behind the bar, a sea of green met her. Each member of the wait staff was dressed in a skimpy halter/skirt combo and wore a little top hat with a springy clover bouncing spastically on top. The customers all wore something festive and green, as well, and mixed with the laughter, music, and lively conversations, it was sheer bedlam.
Yes, St. Patty’s day had finally arrived.
Drink orders came left and right, and Terri, Cathie, and Marianne worked feverishly to keep up, while Sara, Rose, and a couple of part-timers hired for the season worked the floor. Sunday, Bloody Sunday played in her ears and Terri could feel herself smiling as she filled glasses with green tinted beers and liquor specially ordered for the event. She was actually having fun.
“How we doing?” Luke shouted over the noise as he stepped between her and Cathie, accepting cash from a couple of men across the counter.
“Freaking awesome,” Cathie said brightly, popping her bubble gum and winking at a man a few feet away. “I’ve already made my rent in tips alone.”
“Sounds like you won’t need me to cut you that check, then,” Luke said with a teasing grin.
Cathie slapped him on his rear as she reached for a bottle from the shelf behind them. “Don’t even think about it, mister.”
As she settled her attention back on work, Luke glanced at Terri. “How are you doing?”
Terri slid a couple their drinks and made change before answering him. “I look like a giant leprechaun, but I’m having fun, actually.” She slid a look in his direction. “How are you enjoying the new uniform?”
Luke looked down at the outfit she had forced him to wear. It was green like everyone else’s, but the similarities stopped there. He wore silk dress pants, and Chippendale green silk vest and a little green bowtie. She wanted to laugh, but he shot her a look of warning, so she bit it back, smiling widely as she filled another drink order.
“I don’t know how I let you talk me into this,” he complained.
“Faced with a roomful of women who wear skimpy clothes everyday of their life, I don’t think you had much hope of getting out of it,” Terri said. “Most of these women want payback. Besides, I think you look great.” She blushed the minute the words left her mouth, but the quick change in music drowned her out.
House of Pain screamed through the speakers and the crowd went insane, whooping and hollering, hands raised to the ceiling as they jumped in the air excitedly. “What,” Luke shouted, leaning in closer.
Terri chewed her bottom lip and waved him on. Nothing important. “She said she thinks you’re hot,” Cathie shouted ever so helpfully as she returned to the bar. She pinched his rear end as she passed, and Terri suspected that maybe she’d been sipping the special brew too.
Luke’s only reaction was to smile brazenly. He said, “You don’t look too shabby yourself.”
Terri feigned offense. “Well, gee, thanks so much.” She stuck out her tongue at him and hit the floor, filling in for Sara while she took her break.
The night flowed smoothly, and so did the booze. As the evening wore on, the feel of the room grew more relaxed as its occupants grew increasingly inebriated. Taking advantage of the lull, Terri decided to take her break. The incredible relief of slipping out of the toe-pinching shoes was indescribable. She sighed, slumping down on the old, battered couch and closing her eyes. With the door to the locker room closed, the persistent thumping beats of the music became a soothing backdrop to the sounds of her steady breathing. She could feel exhaustion creeping over every muscle and fiber of her body and knew that she would have to force herself to get up soon before she couldn’t get up at all.
Cranking her neck around, she checked the clock hanging over the door. Only one more hour, she promised herself, then forced her aching muscles into action. Talking her body into moving was nearly impossible, however, and when she finally managed to get to her feet, she could have sworn she’d aged twenty years.
Retrieving her purse, she dug around in the bottom, past lipstick and little bottles of hairspray and lotion, until she finally felt the soft fabric of the small change purse. Luke had two vending machines installed earlier last year, one for drinks and one for snacks. Counting out two dollars in change, since the machine tended to malfunction and eat her dollars, she punched the buttons for a diet Coke and a bag of Sunchips. For the most part, her appetite was pretty nonexistent, but she thought it was better to eat something than nothing at all.
When she was finished, she crumpled the bag and waited out the clock, enjoying the rare moment of silence. Then it was back to work again.
It was nearing three in the morning, closing time for the Sunset, when she arrived back on the floor. Numerous patrons had already left, leaving a few stragglers behind weaving their own pattern of dance out on the floor. Luke was closing down the bar alongside Sara, while Cathie and Marianne, who had seniority, were preparing to leave. That left the seasonal help out on the floor to clean the tables and tidy up.
Terri grabbed a rag and got to work wiping glasses and arranging them neatly on the shelves. Occasionally, she would take a head count, willing the feeble drunkards to leave so they could lock the doors. Luke’s personal code of conduct was to be as nice and generous as possible, which meant he didn’t so much as shove people out the door as he gently nudged them in the right direction. Eventually, he abandoned the bar, approaching the DJ. They exchanged words she couldn’t hear but understood nonetheless. When he turned back, the music died down to a low murmur and Luke spoke to those who remained.
“Alright, everyone! Bar is closed for the night. Please collect your belongings. If you still have drinks to pay for, you can settle your tab with Terri.” He pointed in her direction and she moved behind the register to await the flow of traffic. “Ray will be checking everyone at the door on the way out. Anyone who appears to need it will be leaving in a cab, which is waiting in the parking lot.”
There were a few grumbles, but the people who frequented the club often knew the policy well, and those who didn’t would find out soon enough. Terri spent the next fifteen minutes ringing people out. When the last person passed through the exit door, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“I am so glad this night is over,” she said, bracing her hands on the counter.
Luke was busy turning chairs and placing them on the tables to make room for the staff to clean the floors. “Ditto. Why did I let you talk me into this again?”
“Because I am a genius,” Terri said haughtily.
“Can’t argue with that. I think we made more money tonight than we have all month.”
