Page 4 of Halloween Hottie
“See ya tomorrow,” I say, waving as she goes. I take the twenty and put it into my tip jar.
“You know,” Paul says. “It’s not required to tip the proprietor of an establishment.”
I laugh. “Don’t worry, Paul. I don’t expect a tip from you.”
“As long as we’re clear,” he says.
“I’ll give ya a tip,” Wayne says. “Don’t eat yellow snow.” He laughs long and hard at his usual joke.
I laugh and shake my head. “Thanks for that wisdom, Wayne. That’s something I’ll pass down to my kids,” I tease.
Two o’clock rolls out and Step comes in. She immediately gets to work by counting down the register. “Where’s Lisa?” she asks over her shoulder.
“Got a call from the school. Her son was sick,” I answer, as I wash the glasses used on my shift.
She nods and goes back to counting. We’ve got everything changed over within minutes, and I take the bag back to my office to finalize things on my end. The register I ran today was in Lisa’s name, so I count the money, write the amount on a slip, and then drop it all into the safe. Before removing the money from the safe, keeping up with the books, and making the deposit at the bank, I sit and work on next week’s schedule and start on payroll for the week.
My cell rings around four. I answer it to find Lisa on the other end of the line.
“I’m going to need a few days off, Jake. Tommy tested positive for the flu.”
Damn. I own a small bar. I have a morning bartender, an afternoon bartender, and a night bartender. I can’t afford to keep extra employees on the payroll just to have someone to fall back on. If someone can’t make their shift, it’s me who fills it in. “How many days you think?” I ask, looking at the schedule.
“At least two for now. I’ll get ahold of his dad and see if he can watch him later this week. I can’t afford to lose a week of work.”
“Alright, I’ll cover the shifts. Just keep me updated, and I hope he gets to feeling better soon.”
“Thanks, Jake. And me too. Just pray to God that I don’t end up with it.”
“From your lips to God’s ears,” I reply, hanging up.
I finish with the schedule and move onto payroll. I’m halfway through when my phone rings again. “Hello?”
“Hey, Jake. What’s up? It’s Margo.”
“Oh, hey Margo. What’s going on.”
“I was just calling to see if you got my invite to the Halloween party this weekend.”
“Ugh, yeah. I got it.”
“Well, are you planning on RSVP’ing?”
I laugh. “I’ve been thinking about it.”
She scoffs. “I swear, what is it with everyone this year? You’re coming, and that’s final. You do nothing but work anymore. I haven’t seen you in months. Please come,” she begs.
“This a costume party, I’m assuming.”
“Of course.”
“Fine, but I’m not buying a new costume. I’ll come in whatever I have laying around. Got that?”
“Fine, good. I’ll see you Saturday night!”
She hangs up, and I toss the phone onto my desk with a laugh, shaking my head. My eyes seem to glaze over as I think about the last time I went to Margo’s Halloween party. It was two years ago, before my wife had passed. She hadn’t been feeling well since her breast cancer diagnosis earlier in the year, but she was determined to go and have a good time after being in and out of the hospital. We dressed as a vampire couple—she thought it was fitting because she had grown so pale after spending so much time in the hospital. Plus, I think she liked the idea of living forever when she knew she’d be lucky to last another year.
The diagnosis came fast and unexpected.Veryunexpected. Nobody expects to get diagnosed with cancer when you’re so young. Turned out, by the time we knew about it, it was too late to do anything. She had a rare form, and there wasn’t anything but trials when it came to treatment. All we could do was enjoy what little time we had left and try to keep her as healthy and as comfortable as possible. We ended up selling our house—the house we planned on raising our family in—so we could afford her medications. The two of us moved into the apartment above the bar for her final months, and it’s where I still stay. I never thought of moving. I feel close to her here. The bathroom is still only partially painted. It was a task she started before getting too sick to continue. I didn’t have the heart to finish it.
