Page 27 of Coerced
We made it to an office, where Gina knocked on the door. “Yeah. Come in.”
“Hi, Cam. Aria is here to start her first shift,” Gina declared.
Cam stood up from behind his desk and came in our direction. “Thanks, Gina.” As Gina exited the office, Cam returned his attention to me and said, “It’s nice to see you again, Aria. Are you ready for a quick tour before I throw you to the wolves?”
I bit the corner of my lip, shrugged, and ultimately smiled. “I think so. I’m eager to work, so whatever that entails, I’m ready for it. Wolves and all.”
He smiled back at me. “Perfect. I promise it’s not that bad at all. Everyone seems to love it here, so don’t worry about a thing. Anyway, let me show you around the place and give you the lay of the land.”
With that, Cam led me out of his office and gave me the tour. We started in the back of the bar, where nobody but the employees would ever venture. There was a stockroom for the alcohol, a small break room for employees,two bathrooms, and a kitchen, where the food was prepared. I met Ozzie there, as he was the full-time cook on staff. There was another part-time cook who came in on the particularly busy evenings and weekend shifts as well.
When we made it out to the front, Cam gave me a rundown of where things were and how they typically handled patrons. The bartenders would deal directly with anyone who walked up and sat at the bar, while the people in my position—like Gina—would take care of everyone else seated at tables or booths situated throughout the pub. After giving me the lay of the land and the opportunity to observe Gina with two different patrons, Cam declared, “Well, that’s it. Obviously, if you have any questions as you’re settling in for your first few days here, don’t hesitate to ask for help. I’ll introduce you to everyone else that’s here now, and over the course of your next few shifts, you’ll be able to meet the rest of the staff. Do you have any questions for me?”
I shook my head, feeling rather confident about my ability to handle this job. I had experience as a server from years ago, not long after my mom was initially diagnosed with cancer, and I was confident I’d fall right into it here. “I think I’m good so far.”
With a downward jerk of his chin, he waved at me to follow him back toward the bar. The bartender turned her attention toward us, and Cam said, “Hey, Sawyer, I want to introduce you to the newest addition to our team. This is Aria. Aria, this is Sawyer.”
Sawyer smiled brightly at me. “Hey. It’s great to meet you.”
I returned the smile, which required no effort consideringit had been on my face since I walked through the front door. “Likewise.”
Just then, the guy who had been restocking when I first entered the pub strolled up and introduced himself. “Hey, I’m Everett.”
I offered a wave. “Aria. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Everett and Sawyer are both bartenders here. You already met Gina, and within the next thirty minutes, you’ll meet Deanna. The only other members of our staff are Kelly, who is one of the waitresses, and our other bartender, Ernie,” Cam explained.
Nodding, I said, “I hope I can keep everyone straight.”
He shrugged. “If you forget, just ask. Everyone’s pretty laidback here. And as for me, I’ll do it all. I don’t just sit in my office all the time and try to keep that to our downtimes. When it’s busy, I’m out here in the thick of it with everyone.”
“That sounds good.”
“Alright, I’m going to head back and finish up some paperwork that needs to be dealt with, but I’m confident you’re in good hands out here. Do you have any questions before I go?”
I shook my head again. “Nothing yet.”
At that, Cam excused himself and took off toward the back of the pub. I had barely enough time to spin around and face the opposite direction when the door opened a group of three women walked in.
My eyes shifted to Gina, who didn’t hesitate to answer my unasked question. “You take that one. Since my shift is ending soon, I’ll just finish up with my current tables and let you take what comes in now. It doesn’t usually get tooout of control at this time of the day, but if it does, I’ll hop in and grab a table.”
“Okay.”
A few minutes later, I’d successfully gotten the orders for my first table. And no sooner had I delivered their drinks, the door opened again. Four guys had strolled in and settled themselves at another table.
For the next little while, I focused my effort and attention on learning my new job and finding a rhythm. Somewhere in the midst of it, Gina’s shift ended, and Deanna arrived. I was introduced to her, and even though things got busier when it came to patrons entering the pub, I felt a bit of relief being able to balance the load with Deanna.
And when I was walking back and forth from one table to the bar before heading to the next, I felt a wave of happiness and contentment wash over me.
This felt incredible.
I was working and earning an honest living. Sure, I wasn’t making nearly as much money as I had when I was painting, but at least I could feel good about what I was doing now. And the way I saw it, my dignity was worth far more than the cash I could have in the bank.
At some point, when I’d gotten all my tables handled and nobody new had entered the pub, I had the chance to connect with Sawyer.
“How’s it going?” she asked. “Are you enjoying your first day?”
“I am. I’m really enjoying the fast-paced environment here. It’s good to be busy,” I told her.