Lift Off
I was living in Boca for almost two years before I decided I probably should get a job. Prior to having this thought I sold myself on the idea that I was a full-time college student who studied like I was in Harvard Law but in reality I was a stoner who rarely attended classes such as Art History at Palm Beach Community College. I had a roommate who was slingin trays at a local sports bar not far from our house. He came home one day and told me about a bar backing position that just opened, it wasn’t working in the bar that sold me it was the ridiculous amounts of cold hard cash you went home with every night. My first night of work was like the start of any other bar job, it could be compared to the start of a new student, starting at a new high-school, half way through the semester. At least that is what I pictured it as. The fact that my roommate had been working there for a few months quickly dissolved this awkward feeling with most of the employees. I say most but what I really mean is all but one. She worked the main bar and was seen as the “senior” bartender that set her own rules and not even she could break. She was treated as if she was the star running back of a football team, she was the big talent and everyone knew it. She was short, no taller than 5 foot, no more than 100 pounds, and had no smaller than a D. She wasn’t very talkative or for that matter friendly. I was only living in Boca for around 2 years but it was easy to stereotype her, she was a typical rich, stuck up, JAP. And what made it worse is that she was and she knew it. It took me almost 5 months of working 6PM to 6 AM Thursday thru Saturday to finally get the opportunity to talk to her besides our every 20 minute covos of “need more ice, beer, vodka, glasses, anything” Then it finally happened, it was a slow Thursday night, she was leaning behind the bar and we started to talk. At the time I could barley pay attention to her because I was so caught up in thinking how cool I looked. Little did I know this would not be the last time I would have the opportunity to look cool talking to her at the bar, there would be many, many more convos to come.
