After I was invited to Ireland by a couple of strangers and went all internet-stalker boy crazy, I may have fucked everything up with the handsome Grown Up. I was dating…a couple of guys. Although I should probably mention that I use the term, “dating” loosely. Based on your knowledge of my bad-ass stalking skills, and my penchant for crushing fast and hard, you can probably guess how well that was going for me. If not, let me make it abundantly clear: I was something bordering on pathetic.
One Saturday afternoon in mid-January, while working at the bar, my manager asked me to stay on and work a double. He promised that I’d be the first cut at around 9 pm. I didn’t typically work Saturday nights, so I wasn’t sure what to expect (but I did know there was a lot of money to be had). There was a band playing that started around 9 pm, and the bar didn’t get any less busy as the evening went on. It seemed as though several of my tables were there for the band. Fuckballs. I had planned to meet up with my friends at our favorite local karaoke dive for booze and tunes as soon as I left work. Apparently that “as soon as” was going to become “if.”
Around 7 pm, I was delivering food to one of the other server’s tables when I looked up and the two people sitting there recognized me. And said hi. And I COMPLETELY blanked.
Ughhblughhderrr…
I smiled and looked back and forth between the two of them…and realized it was Bright & Shiny and The Grown Up. Whose real names had completely escaped me.
And then I got excited.
Because I was on the prowl for some new man blood in my life, considering the two guys I was quasi-dating were quasi sucking…(probably because I was bat-shit crazy)…and I remembered The Grown Up had a way with words that was really fucking sexy.
I was feeling especially good about myself that night. I was skinnier then, and my work uniform was a fitted black tee shirt, a plaid pleated kilt, and black knee-high socks. My hair was probably a disaster having worked all day, and there were probably 15 or so mysterious stains on my shirt, but I like to think I still looked fucking adorable.
Throughout the rest of the evening, I made my way over to their table, convincing them to order dessert so I could bring it out to them. I flirted terribly, smiling and stalking their table, even though it wasn’t in my section.
As the band started playing a little after 9, the bar got dark and loud. The boys were ready to roll out. Bright and Shiny asked when I was getting off work. I told him I was supposed to leave around 9, so it shouldn’t be too long. He then asked what I was doing after work and if I wanted to join them at another bar they were heading to.
I explained my karaoke bar, and Bright & Shiny looked optimistic. He yelled over the music that it sounded like fun and that maybe they would join me. I told them where the bar was and how to get there…I really wanted them to join me. I pretty much told them as much in that clingy, crazy style I seem to be so very good at.
I imagined my night ending with kisses from The Grown Up outside my regular watering hole…even though I had long-ago established rules against that sort of shenanigans.
I would sing some sultry song and he would be so impressed by my skill and style that he would become instantly smitten with me and never want me to go away. We would snuggle in a booth at the bar, with Bright & Shiny telling us how cute we were together. He would be my advocate in this potential relationship. The Grown Up would walk me to my car and kiss me good night, planning a real date sometime soon. He’d give me his phone number instead of just e-mailing me. I’d make him love me.
There I was…planning my future wedding again.
They stayed for at least an hour longer (as I occasionally stopped by their table to smile and offer my assistance), but I was still running around the bar like a chicken with no head. Slinging drinks, running food and diving through crowds of people begging me to take their orders. Madhouse didn’t begin to describe it.
Around midnight, 14 hours after I started my shift, the lead server finally let me go home. Frazzled, I walked over to the table where the boys had been sitting. But they were gone.
I made my way out of the bar and stopped at my karaoke spot on the way home. A few of my friends were there, but there was no sign of the two boys that I was dying to run into again.
When has your job hindered the possibility of something magical and wonderful (even if you just imagined it in your head)? What lengths would you go to in order to see someone you had only met twice and chatted with for a few days on Gchat? How would you respond next?
What crazy shit did I do next? Did I find another way to pester The Grown Up? Did he come into the bar again? Are Bright & Shiny and The Grown Up gone for good?
I Was Working as a Waitress in a Cocktail Bar…That Much is True
Once upon a time, many years ago, there was a girl who waited tables at an Irish bar where people were mostly dicks. She also
Desperately Seeking Something: How to Fuck Everything Up
After I met two cool guys at the bar at which I was working and stalked the shit out of the handsome one, I went
Riding in Cars with Boys
I FINALLY. Had. A date. With. The Grown Up. On Thursday, we scheduled our date for Tuesday, as The Grown Up’s weekend was already booked,
Tonight and the Rest of My Life
As our date was coming to a close, I walked a little closer to The Grown Up, briefly grazing his hand with mine. We made
Things I Did to Make The Grown Up Dump Me
It took me a while to figure out how to tell you guys this part of the story. Because I was a hot mess when
How to Make Your Boyfriend Hate You
If you’re new around here, you may want to start The Grown Up Story from the beginning. But you may not, and that’s okay too.
7 Responses
Ohhhh DAMNIT! That’s a sucky cliffhanger! I WANTED IT TO BE OKAYYYYY!
I wish I could tell you what happens! (Actually, I’m having quite a bit of fun dragging this story out.)
I CAN TELL! Loving it 🙂 But also very frustrated about not knowing the next bit.
All in good time, my pretty. All in good time 😀
*pretends to growl* 😉
That was like watching a drama on TV – love it!
Thank you Jamie!