 |
Some people might say I’m nosey, but I don’t go around asking people about their business, they jus’ tell it to me. See, I been bartendin’ at this club The Beat for almost 20 years. It ain’t always been called The Beat. You know how clubs do—they always getting shut down, lose they liquor license or somethin’ else. They just close down and remodel and then open back up with a new name.
Things been good lately though, even though they done added that Go-Go music a couple nights a week. Some older folks don’t like that music, but for real for real, I don’t mind it all. Matter of fact, I like some of it. Shoot, I used to go see Chuck Brown myself and he damn near a hundred. He the one that created the music.
Like I was saying, I don’t go around asking people no whole bunch of questions; they just start talking to me. You know how you always see people on TV pouring their heart out to the bartender? Well nine times out of ten, that’s what happens. Okay maybe eight times, no make that seven. So, I might be a little nosey, but I get it honest. Shoot, my mama and grandmamma was nosey. But for real for real, all you gotta do is sit back and listen quietly and you’ll hear about all types of shenanigans.
I know everything that goes on at The Beat. We get a lot of regulars and anybody that comes in, I done either heard them talking or heard someone talking about ‘em. I can usually put two and two together and figure the story out. People say I tend to embellish a story, but you don’t have to hear everything to know the whole story. Shoot, some things are just obvious. Anything you wanna know, just ask Lena . Now, I said I ain’t nosey, but I never said I didn’t gossip. I just try not to be messy wit’ it.
Mostly I work the happy hour shift cuz we still got a lot of the older folks that come in to hand dance. Lot of ‘em been coming here for years even when the club had other names. On Tuesday nights they do karaoke. You know I used to do a little somethin’ somethin’ in my day so if the crowd asks nicely, I might come from behind the bar and bless them with a song. Wednesday is all about the hand dancers. Thursday’s crowd comes out early cuz that’s when the band plays. They sound pretty good, but I hate when they play a song for 20 minutes. The younger folks might give you a lot of lip, but they tip way better than those older cats.
On Friday night we get those bourgie folks. They call theyselves professionals, but stuck up is what I call ‘em. And talk about cheap! I do alright though, but you’d think with their good jobs they’d tip better. And let me let you in on a little secret: They might got money, but honey they got as many problems as my hood folks that come in on Saturday to see the band Natural Essence.
Speaking of Natural Essence, that crowd is a mess, but I make the most money cuz they buy all the bottles of that champagne. I don’t understand how they spend $150 on a bottle of that Moët, when it only costs about 40 bucks in the store. And its nasty. Give me some of that moscato. I don’t understand them, but I’m glad they buy it.
And Lena might be a hair past 50, but I ain’t no slouch in the looks department. I ain’t size 10 like I used to be, but I’m a thick size 16 and I look good in my jeans. Well an 18 if I ain’t wearing my Spanx, but I got all my teeth and nice hair that I keep in a nice short cut. If I don’t do nothing else, I get my hair done every Friday morning. First thing so I can make it out by happy hour. Even though everyone thinks I’m in my thirties, people tell me I got an old soul. Been hearing that since I was a child. I always wanted to sit up under my granny and her friends to hear what they were talking about. They were some funny ladies. I miss my granny. I need to take some time off and go down south to visit her. She’s still going strong and if you think I’m a mess, wait until you meet her.
These young chicks “can’t take me,” as my gay neighbor Edwin always say. (I got some stories on him—we’ll gossip about him later.) I still get my flirt on a little bit. Whatever it takes to get the tip. Well let me take that back cuz honey, you should see what some of those younger bartenders be doing. Now, I ain’t the manager even though they wanted me to be, but I like serving drinks and talking to folks so I passed it up. Too much headache. But, I am the head bartender, so sometimes I have to get on those girls. Our dress code is all black and some of them be coming to work with skirts so short you can see they womb if they bend over. Or titties just popping out they shirt. But I guess that’s what they want these days.
Even though I been here for 20 years, it ain’t all been sunshine and roses, so a few times I looked around at others clubs. Figure I got all this experience that anybody would be happy to have me. Boy was I wrong. Seems like now if you ain’t light skinned or exotical, then they don’t want you in a lot of places like some of those bigger clubs. Either that or you got to be someone they want to screw and half the time these chicks are robbing them blind. Bartenders are some big thieves. I’m glad they don’t pull that type of BS here though. All that matters is that you got some type of personality, experience or you willing to work hard and you don’t steal. For real for real, I sell more drinks than all those youngins.
Now Lena get along with most anybody and I ain’t got to steal no customers to get a tip, cuz my customers love me, but you should see how some of these girls will just jump in front of you to try to serve somebody. They tried to keep that from happening by making us split tips, but when the owner’s lazy ass daughter would work here she wouldn’t hardly sell no drinks and then she’d go home with all our tips. That was one of the times I started looking for a new spot, but Angel, the bar manager put her foot down. So, every now and then I got to tell one of these youngins about theyself. One who I don’t have to say much to is Jordan
No comments:
Post a Comment