It's not like Andrea had never had a job like this before. She was a waitress during high school, in her early marriage before Mike Jr. was born and then a bit after he was in his teens. The fact that this was more of a function venue than a restaurant was new to her but she knew she could handle it.
Plus, they needed the money and there wasn't much to do at home. Mike Jr. was old enough to be going out with his friends, working part time and going to school (college in the fall) and her husband, Mike, was always doing his own thing. Monday night football, Thursday night football, Sunday football, ATV'ing with his friends on the weekends. Andrea found herself sitting at home alone more often than not. So a job not only provided her with some extra money but also got her out of the house.
It was also in the back of her mind that, sooner or later, she would be on her own. She had thought there had been some infidelity in her marriage. She never had proof but that nagging feeling never left her. So, if and when that time came, she would have some money to fall back on.
The club manager went over the paperwork with her and reviewed the schedule. Usually Friday nights, Saturday and Sunday afternoons and/or nights, depending on the functions they had lined up. She was handed her "uniforms" (slacks and white blouses) and followed the manager to the locker room where the manager introduced her to the team.
Gloria was the team leader. A middle-aged black woman, Gloria looked like she could take care of herself but when she shook Andrea's hand she did so with a gentle touch. She then met Maria, a small Hispanic woman in her 20's who seems shy and reserved. Janet was in her 30's, smiled warmly and welcomed Andrea to the team.
She then was introduced to Stix. Actually her name was Mary but no one called her Mary. Stix had been a drummer in a rock band for a while and that's where her nickname came from. She was late 30's like Andrea, slim, black hair and eyes that lit up when she smiled. Andrea grabbed a locker next to Stix and got ready.
"Welcome to the team," Stix said while they got dressed. "Let me explain something. We're all a team here. We watch out for each other. If someone needs help on the floor, we jump in. If you see someone needs help, jump in to help her. We work hard and get the job done and it will pay off in tips. Sometimes we get nothing, sometimes we get good tips. But since we work well together, we get the best assignments. And it pays off."
Andrea nodded. She told Stix she felt she was a team player and Stix smiled at her.
When she finished dressing Andrea asked if she should head out to the floor.
"No until the fat lady sings," Stix answered.
"I heard that," Gloria responded.
A few minutes later Andrea heard singing. It was Gloria quietly singing a gospel song. Maria and Janet were listening intently and the locker room was quiet. When she was finished Gloria looked up and said "Let's go ladies," Stix turned to Andrea.
"The fat lady has sung."
"I heard that," Gloria said over her shoulder.
The rest of the night was a blur. Everyone worked like a team, moving in circles, delivering food, clearing tables and making everything right. Gloria worked hard as well as supervising. When Maria seems to have some issue with a guest, Gloria was there is a heartbeat, removed the gentleman's plate and had another plate out within 30 seconds. Meantime, Maria didn't miss a beat. And then they were done.
They all ended up in the locker room, exhausted but happy they had a good shift. The manager walked in and asked them to meet at the bar when they were ready and Andrea turned to Stix.
"Are we in trouble?" she asked.
Stix just smiled. "No way. We're the best team she has."
Andrea couldn't help notice that when Stix removed her blouse she had plenty of tattoos. She hadn't notice before since Stix was already dressed when she first arrived. She could also tell through the sheer fabric of her bra her nipples were pierced. She wondered what that was like, the pain of a needle going through your nipple. She guessed that Stix could take it since she proceeded to put a number of rings in her ears and lip. She turned to Andrea and smiled.
What was it about Stix's smile? Her face lit up when she smiled. Her eyes sparkled. She was cute and hard at the same time. Stix rested her hand on Andrea's arm.
"C'mon. We're wanted upstairs."
With that all of them headed upstairs and grabbed some chairs near the bar. The manager walked over and addressed them.
"Good job, ladies," she started. "The father of the bride wanted you to have this." and she handed each an envelope. "He also said the bar is still open until you're ready to leave."
The team all nodded and opened the envelopes. In each was five $20 bills. The girls tucked the envelopes in their pocketbooks or pockets, grabbed their favorite drinks from the bartender and sat back down.
"Really?" Andrea said, turning to Stix. "We get tips?"
"Yeah," Stix responded. That's why I said we work like a team. Sometimes we get nothing, sometimes we do all right. Sometimes you do VERY well. We had a biotech guy who held a party here who had just sold some miracle drug. Cured baldness or he common cold or something. Each of our envelopes contained ten $100 bills."
"You all got a $1,000 tip?" Andrea asked incredulously.
"Yep," Stix replied. She lifted her glass towards the rest of the girls and said "To the biotech guy." They all lifted their glasses.
"BIOTECH GUY," they yelled.
Even though it was clear Gloria was the team leader, you could tell Stix was the ringleader.
"Maria," she called out. "How is your boyfriend doing? What's his name? Rooster, right?"
Everyone chuckled. It was a running joke.
"Raoul," Maria replied.
"Right. Rooster," Stix shot back. "How is he?"
"He's fine," Maria answered, and then added "He got that promotion. We're going house hunting this week."
Everyone seemed pleased. Janet patted Maria's back and Stix raised her glass.
"To Maria and Rooster."
"MARIA AND ROOSTER!" everyone called out in the toast.
