Pour Decisions
The rain is holding off today. It’s a beautiful crisp October afternoon with the falling leaves finally turning different shades of reds, oranges and yellows.
The shops and restaurants have begun to decorate their windows with nostalgic and comforting fall decor.
It feels just like those classic family Halloween movies that you watch when you’re a kid.
The ones where the witches, ghosts, and goblins are the good guys.
The memory of being a kid, sitting in front of the TV in my witch Halloween costume, brings a smile to my face.
Busy people in oversized sweaters and dark boots walk past me on the sidewalk in the overcrowded city.
I quickly move through the sea of people.
My eyes are still glued to my phone. I continue scrolling through the playlist, and I walk in and out of many other people, distracted by technology.
The music moves through my earbuds like the perfect distraction, and it is as I keep up with the traffic of my fellow walkers.
I’ve made it to The Neon Rose with a clear plastic cup filled with my favorite pumpkin coffee order in hand.
It’s an iced pumpkin chai latte with oat milk and pumpkin cold foam.
Everyone deserves to be basic once in a while.
The plastic coffee cup looks aesthetically pleasing as I wrap it in my tattooed fingers and black nail polish.
What a good opportunity for an Instagram story.
While standing in front of The Neon Rose, I snap a quick picture of my dark ink gripping the sweating plastic cup of iced coffee.
A couple of plastic grocery bags hang loosely on the other wrist. I’m sure Janice wouldn’t mind if I stored my groceries in the fridge until my shift is over .
The closer I get to work, Jace’s silhouette shows through the tinted glass doors, prepping the bar by chopping lemons diligently and storing them in a metal container. Such a good little worker he is .
“Why the hell am I always here before you?” He takes a break from his lemons and looks up at me as I come in through the front.
“Because you’re such an overachiever.” My bright red lips turn into a smirk.
“I have to make up for your late ass,” he laughs and quickly adds to his thought.
“How was your night? Did you remember to charge those headphones?” Damn.
Did I? Oh yeah, that’s right. I plugged them right after the latest episode ended.
Okay, the last few episodes. I am officially caught up.
Some nights are lonelier than others, and their voices help. Maybe I have a problem .
“You think I would forget?” I slide the wireless earbuds into their matte, sleek case and place them gingerly into my black leather coffin-shaped purse.
Jace shakes his head, making a tsk-tsk-tsk sound as he grins.
Jace, your overwhelming amount of judging is showing .
He cuts another lemon slice and adds it to the metal container. What a great employee.
I begin my shift routine as I always do, taking off my leather jacket and hanging it on a spare brass hook behind where I usually stand at the bar.
“How was your night?” I ask, grabbing a glass out of the sink in front of me. It looks spotless minus a few fingerprints, which may have been mine now that I think about it.
“Oh, you know, nothing special. Just another night out to the club. Then home at sunrise.” His hips make a slight sway motion. He moves in a rhythm with his cleaning as he wipes up lemon juice.
“How do you even function? The thought of going anywhere after work sounds like complete hell.”
“I have my ways, girl.” His eyes move to the two now-empty clear plastic cups that I assume were once iced coffee. They are neatly tucked away under the glass liquor bottles. Well, that explains it.
“Don’t worry bitch, I got you one too.” I can always count on him.
He sets the full cup next to me on the bar.
Like a magnet to the many silver rings on my fingers, my hand grabs the cold plastic cup.
Being the caffeine addict I am, I pick it up and immediately swirl it around, listening to the ice cubes hitting each other.
What is it with that? Why do we all love that sound?
Is it just the satisfaction of getting something that isn’t a necessity to live, or just bills?
Whatever it is, it’s fucking good. The full cup sits nicely lined up next to my already half-drunk coffee. This should help speed the day along.
“Aw, Jace. You shouldn’t have.”
“Mmm hmm, don’t act like you didn’t expect it.” He laughs while he continues his daily tasks.
“What would I be without you?”
“A bitch without her second cup of coffee.” Such sass from a man who's barely slept .
Our conversation is interrupted by the sound of Janice’s boots hitting the tile in the kitchen.
They sound heavier and faster today. The thumping echoes throughout the bar.
That’s usually her “determined” walk. I can tell just by the speed and the rhythm of her pace.
I'm not sure if I should be excited or worried about what was to come.
“I just got off the phone with a new supplier. His prices aren’t cheap, but it wouldn’t hurt to have more of a variety in this place.
Not to mention, the networking can help spread the word about The Neon Rose.
” Okay, I guess we’re just getting right to the point.
Her accent is coming in thicker today. She’s excited.
It must be a highly reviewed company. Janice has made this bar her own from the time of her divorce.
With the money she received in the settlement, she’s built this place from the ground up.
It is good to see her like this. I’m happy for her. She deserves this.
“What kind of supply are we talking about?” I ask.
The food supply isn’t bad here, but it isn’t great either.
Just your typical bar appetizers you could get from just about anywhere.
Nachos are a popular choice, along with the spinach and artichoke dip.
Occasionally, we’ll get an order for the boneless wings.
People don’t usually come here for the food.
They come here to get drunk and tell me about their shitty lives.
It's almost like I’m their fucking psychologist. I see that a lot, though.
Bartenders should get paid a lot more than we do.
“Liquor,” Janice answers quickly. “It’s our best seller.
The guy on the phone said he’d guarantee we’d sell out of his stuff.
He said people would be begging for more.
Sounds pretentious, but he’s rich. So my guess is, he knows what he’s talking about and to be honest, I’m a bit intrigued.
” Her eyebrows raise from her assumption.
I hope she’s right. She doesn’t need someone to scam her out of money with some trash alcohol.
“What do you get if we don’t sell out of his stuff? What happens if no one likes his shit?” My eyebrows rise at my question.
“You know, I didn’t get that far. His confidence convinced me.” She smiles with her hands on her hips. Her red pointed fingernails tap on the material of her dark blue jeans.
“Don’t go falling for another asshole.” Jace chimes in. He joins me in raising his pink eyebrows in her direction. Since her divorce, we’ve witnessed a fair share of fuck boys. This is his way of saying, “Don’t get your heart broken,” and “We care about you.”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. If anything, owning this place has taught me, it’s not to mix pleasure with business. He said he’ll be in later to have a drink and sign some papers.”
“He sounds like a real gentleman.”I break out of my pause. I fill the empty, awkward silence with my sarcasm. It’s what I am best at. “What is his company called?” I ask.
“Pour Decisions.” Janice answers after pulling up the website on her phone.
“Clever.” I wonder if she can hear my eyes rolling.
“Isn’t it?” Her smile is wide across her tan face. I guess you didn’t catch my sarcastic remark.
“I wonder if his face matches the name?” I am just full of them today.
“Why? Are you looking to get some pleasure out of this business?” Janice’s pitch goes up slightly in question. I can feel my cheeks flush at the idea.
“Hell, it wouldn’t hurt her any.” Jace comments. Thanks Jace. “Maybe she can save a little on her electric bill. She may not have to charge her earbuds and her vibrator at once.” My face has to be red by now. I’m sure it blends in with my hair.
“Aw. Look, Jace, you have her flustered. Don’t be embarrassed, chica. You know we love you and your love for those true crime guys.”
“You both are lucky I love you, too.” The smile on my face will only make the red on my cheeks stand out more.
“I think you’ll like this guy, Thalia. His picture certainly helped me make my decision.” She pulls up the supposed amazing picture, and her eyes go wide as if she just opened a suitcase filled with gold bars.
“I thought we said no mixing business with pleasure.”
“Girl, not for me. But we need to get you laid. How long has it been?” Why is everyone so concerned with my sex life?
“Too damn long,” Jace answers. He isn’t wrong. Have I been too picky? No. Definitely not. Have you seen the men who come in here? One thing I’ve learned from the Manhattan Murders Podcast is never pick up just any strange man from a bar. I wonder if that still applies if I work at one.
Jace looks over Janice’s shoulder. His eyes now look similar to hers. “Oh damn.” He clutches his cheaply made costume pearls that hang around his black T-shirt.
“What is it?” I ask. This time, sounding too eager. I can hear my curiosity rising.
“Honey, this man may be the man of your dreams. Hell, he may make you put away those headphones of yours.”
“Bullshit.” I laugh a little too hard at the idea.
“Bitch, would I lie to you?!” His voice gets louder, and he looks at me like I just drank one of his many iced coffees .