Devil's Choice

by Graham Wilson

  Julie had never married. But she now shared a nice house with another woman and even though it was not talked about much, Cathy had seen them holding hands and understood they were like a married couple, doing lots of things together, and when she had free time she would sometimes go and stay for a couple nights with them. There was a good feeling in how they were together, like they really loved each other, just the same way her Mum and Dad did.

  She was glad Julie had found someone too. She knew how bad Julie had felt about what had happened to her mother, Lizzie, when the men raped her. It had happened when Lizzie was younger than Cathy was now, and she had got pregnant. That had made Julie hate all men for a long time. Even now it was clear there were very few men that Julie trusted.

  Lizzie was long over it. As she said, without it happening there would have never been her, Cathy, and her Mum would have never met Robbie. So Lizzie would say, “Even though it was bad when it happened and for a while after, she would not change places with anyone, not for all the tea in China,” whatever that meant.

  Cathy had yet to find a man who really interested her, most of the ones at school seemed like boys who had yet to grow up. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like to do it with a man and sometimes she wondered what it would be like with a girl that way instead of a boy, like Julie did. But she was not very curious about it at all and, as her Grandma said, there was plenty of time to find out about that yet and first she had to finish school.

  So she studied away, but not too hard. One day she woke up in the morning and realised that today was the day of her final exam. It was pretty easy and she finished half an hour early, but she waited around outside for her friends to come out, not quite knowing what to do with herself.

  Finally they were all gathered, sitting on the brick wall that ran along the street at the edge of the school grounds. No one seemed to have any good idea what to do with the rest of the day, but they needed to do something to celebrate the end of school. Eventually two of the boys turned up with a whole lot of bottles of beer and everyone went and sat in the local park just down the road and took turns having mouthfuls of beer.

  She was used to having tastes of her Dad’s beer and did not mind the taste. So she found, each time a bottle came her way, she would have a good mouthful. Eventually all the beer was gone.

  It was now mid-afternoon and they were all hungry so they wandered up to the main street of the town where they bought hamburgers, taking ages for everyone to be served. By this time about half the kids had gone home, but Cathy was in a happy mood and not ready to go home so soon. So about twenty of them found themselves in a bar in the main street of the town, most with beers though a couple of the girls had gin and tonics and a couple had glasses of wine.

  It was all good fun, laughing and telling jokes about all the crazy things they had done at school and wondering what the next year would hold. Some already had jobs to go to but most were hoping to make it to University next year, a mix of courses and places.

  Cathy herself had no idea what she wanted to do, she was only half interested in University, but she had no other good ideas either, so she had filled out the enrolment forms for a range of places to make sure that she got offered something.

  As afternoon drifted into evening she found herself talking to the man behind the bar, Mathew. He reminded her of her Dad though he was probably only about thirty to her Dad’s forty five. But he had a slightly weather beaten face and the air of someone who had lived a hard life. He walked with a half shuffle in one leg which again reminded her of her Dad and she found it kind of endearing. He also seemed to like talking to her. At first she thought he just worked there, but after a while it came out that he was actually the owner. She was surprised that the hotel would be owned by someone so young. She found herself asking him if there were any jobs for barmaids at the hotel.

  To her surprise he said “Yes, I am looking for a couple extra people coming up to Christmas. It gets really busy in the next six weeks, lots of parties and other Christmas celebrations and I was thinking of putting a notice in the window to try and find a couple more people who live nearby to help, not fulltime work, but three or four hours a night on busy nights.”

  Next thing she knew she was lined up for a trial the next afternoon, to see if she could manage to pour a beer and a glass of wine without slopping it everywhere. He joked that he could give her the trial tonight but she was sure to fail as she was a bit wobbly on her feet.

  Finally it was closing time and everyone started to drift off. As she walked out the door Mathew was there waiting for her and the other five friends that still remained. His car was parked right outside and he suggested that he drive them all home. None were too sober and he did not want any getting mugged or hit by a car in their current drunken state.

  They all agreed happily. So he got a list of addresses to do the circuit. She said she lived in Smith Street and he said he lived in Rosser Street himself, the next street from her. So it was agreed, he would drop her last as, by then, he would be almost home.

  So, in the end, it was only him and her when they pulled up outside her Grandmas house. When he realised where he was he said, “Well isn’t that funny. David and my younger brother were good friends at school and as they lived in the next street to each other they were in and out of each other’s houses as kids. So a few times I had to come here to collect my brother and got to know David pretty well. I have not seen him since he went off to work but his Mum, Patsy, is a great cook and a couple times she invited me in to dinner as a kid. She was always very good to me. So if it is OK I will just come to the door and say hello, trust that is OK, I would not want to embarrass you.”

  Next thing he was invited in for tea and cake, there was even left over dinner in the oven. So before they knew it they were all sitting around the table and drinking cups of tea and sharing a meal and stories. Then the story of the job trial came out.

  By now Cathy was starting to feel more sober and self conscious that she had been too forward and made a pest of herself. Neither Patsy nor Mathew seemed to notice and both thought it was both funny and nice that she may get a job in a pub owned by a friend of David.

  Patsy said that David would be home for a week over Christmas and she would make sure he visited the hotel and gave her a report on whether her granddaughter was any good at her job, that way she could let her own daughter Lizzie know. Cathy found herself begin to wish that she had looked for a job with someone unknown to her family, but there was no undoing it now.

  As Cathy lay into bed she realised she was feeling quite woozy. She could not remember feeling this way before and realised that, while she had a few tastes of her father’s beer and snuck off with her friends to have a few sips of a shared bottle of beer or wine in the park, she had never sat and drunk the way she had today for hour after hour. At the time it had felt great but now she was not so sure. The bed had a floating sensation and her head felt like it was full of cotton wool. However she sensed today had been one of those significant days in her life, like a birthday but more special. Today she had crossed from one life into another.

  As she thought this Mathew’s face came into her mind, as if he was somehow important in what came next. But then of course he had offered her a job if she could pour a beer without spilling it. The last thing Cathy remembered that night before drifting off to sleep in Sophie’s room, that’s how she named it, was two sets of brown eyes looking at her seriously and talking to her. She could not hear the voices but she realised that one set of eyes belonged to her mother and one to Sophie and they were discussing her and this man Mathew. She had no idea what they were talking about.

  The New Barmaid

  Cathy woke up in the morning with a headache, feeling woozy and really thirsty. She went out to the kitchen for a glass of water and her Grandma was washing up the dishes from last night. She took one look at Cathy, came and put her hand on her forehead, and suggested she go and lie back into bed and she would bring
her a cup of tea.

  As Patsy put her hand to her forehead, Cathy said, Grandma, the world is all spinning.”

  “Don’t worry, it will pass in a couple hours,” her Gran said, laughing. “Not something you want to do every day. But it is a special occasion after all and the good news about a hangover is it always gets better as the day goes by. I can remember a few nights and days after like when I first went out with your Grandad. I always tried to hide it from my own Mum and Dad, they did not much approve of your Grandfather and would have been even worse if they knew what we had been up to. But it is part of being young and growing up, even though I realise now one should not do it too often.”

  Cathy went over and hugged her Grandma. “That’s part of what I like about you so much, you have been there before and understand,” she said.

  Patsy replied, “We all make mistakes in our lives, and I have made more than most. But life is for living and enjoying not hiding in a corner, and now is your time. But go back to bed now for a couple hours and then you will feel much better.”

  Suddenly Cathy remembered she had promised to go in for a trial for her job today, the thought of beer now made her want to puke. Now she also remembered her forward way with this man and wanted to cringe, nice girls did not behave that way.

  She said, “Oh Grandma, was I really that drunk last night? Now I feel I was really silly, asking that man for a job and him offering me a trial today. The thought of beer makes me want to be sick. Do you think I could just not go, ring up and say I am sick and ask to put it off until another day?”

  Her Grandma shook her head. “You could do that but it would be silly. He will know the truth; he has seen plenty of people get drunk and knows you do not make a habit of it. He will have a fair idea you have a hangover today. And a promise is a promise; you said you would go, so you must.

  “Anyway it is not until two this afternoon, now is only eight in the morning, by lunch time you will be feeling much better. So that is why it is back to bed.

  “I will call you at lunch time, then you can have a shower and put on some fresh clothes, that lovely floral dress you got for your eighteenth birthday would be just right. I will cook you a nice lunch and after that I promise you will feel much better. If you still have a headache at lunch time you can take an aspirin but by then I think it will be gone.”

  So Cathy finished her glass of water and went back into bed, thinking she would read for a bit until she felt better. Next thing she knew her Grandma was shaking her. “Time to get up.”

  She sat up. There was the most delicious smell of cooking and her headache was gone. She was starving. She put on a dressing gown and went off to the kitchen.

  “Grandma, that smells so, so good. Can I have some now?”

  “But of course, pet. Just give me five minutes.” So they sat and ate lunch together, savoury mince on toast. Cathy came back for second helpings.

  “I did not realise that any food could taste so good,” Cathy said.

  Her Grandma smiled and patted her hand. Then she made a pot of tea and served them each a slice of fruit cake. It too tasted suddenly wonderful. “Feeling better now?”

  Cathy smiled back, “I feel wonderful, the headache is gone, the food tastes so delicious and I feel like I could walk on air. Is it always like this after one recovers?”

  Patsy replied, “One needs to feel bad to notice how wonderful it is to feel well. Life is like that, if everything was always the same one would never notice the difference. But because you felt so sick this morning this afternoon the sun will shine brighter, the flowers will be prettier and life will be better because you can appreciate it all with fresh eyes.”

  “Grandma, you are so wise. I wonder if I will ever get to be as smart as you,” Cathy replied.

  “You already are, but no time for talking now, your dress is hanging on a coat hanger in the bathroom. Off for a shower and freshen up now.”

  As she walked out of the house and up the street on a perfect summer afternoon, warm but not hot, with a light breeze ruffling her skirt, Cathy felt like skipping. It was as Grandma had said; sky bluer, light brighter; the day was just perfect.

  Then she remembered where she was going, to a job trial with a man who had seen her drunk and wobbling as she walked last night, talking rubbish. She felt like turning straight round and coming home and hiding in the bedroom, it was so embarrassing. However she steadied herself, as her Grandma had said, a promise was a promise. But she no longer felt like dancing, all she felt was terror at seeing this man again after having made a fool of herself last night.

  Now she walked slowly, having to force her feet to take each step forward. At last she was there, outside the front door of the hotel. The clock on the tower, just across the street, showed five to two; at least she was not late. She stood there, her heart pounding, gathering courage to knock.

  The door flew open and there he was, Mathew, standing before her. His face took a spit second to register her. Then, as their eyes locked, she felt something pass between them, it was terror but also more coming from her and there was also something appreciative from him.

  He looked at her, then looked up and then looked again. She felt the blood rise to her face, flushed with embarrassment. She started to stutter out. “I am so sorry about how I was last night.”

  He cut her off with a wave of his hand, “Don’t worry about that, we all do it. I am just trying to get over the transformation, last night a school girl in her uniform, today a gorgeous young lady stands before me. I can’t quite believe the change. I had better watch out to make sure all the men who work here don’t get too many ideas when they see you.”

  Cathy flushed an even brighter red, not knowing what to say.

  Now this man regathered himself, as if realising his own manners needed improvement. “I am sorry, I am Mathew Riley and you are Catherine Renshaw, here for a job trial. I have to go out for half an hour but I have arranged for my senior bar girl, Ella, to show you what the job is and see whether you can master it. Come in and I will introduce you.”

  Catherine felt a flood of relief that this man would not be watching over her. She doubted her ability to hold a steady hand with his eyes looking on. She would be fine with someone else.

  Ella was buxom girl in her twenties, dark hair with pink highlights, a bright smile and a friendly manner. Within a few seconds Mathew was gone and it was just the two of them.

  Ella said, “I gather I am to show you the ropes then see how you go. Next hour should be quiet but after three o’clock the early finishing drinkers arrive. Then it gets busy for about four or five hours before slowing down for the last couple hours before we close. How long can you stay for?”

  Cathy shrugged, “I can stay as long as you like. It is really up to you and Mathew to say whether I am good enough for the job and when I should go home. But I have nothing else I need to do today so I will stay here until I am either not needed or someone tells me to finish.”

  Ella grinned and punched her lightly on the shoulder, “That’s the way, sounds like the job is yours if you want it, at least for a couple days. You can train a monkey to pour a beer, it is really about whether you can give service with a smile, be polite to drunks who want to paw you, but not let them get too forward and keep up with all the orders when it gets really busy but still find time to tidy up and clear away as you go.

  “It will take a day or two until we know that so I reckon you might as well consider yourself signed on for the night and, if after a couple nights, it does not work out Mathew will give you your pay check and that will tell you he does not need you anymore. Otherwise your pay will be made up and waiting for you after lunch on Friday. But if he gives you your pay at the end of a night you know he is not expecting to see you back again.”

  The next few hours flew by, there was lots to remember, names and costs of drinks, where all the different things were kept, how to keep track of three orders at once while the head on the beers were settling.
<
br />   But Cathy found herself loving it, the banter of the old men, young blokes giving her the eye and a wink, orders coming from all directions and her keeping track of who was next, getting out around the tables to collect glasses and wipe up the spills. She and Ella worked well together and a couple time Ella said to her she was so glad Catherine was here today as it would be frantic without her.

  Mathew popped in and out a few times, though usually he was only there for a few minutes at a time. He would say a quick hello to his regulars and check how Cathy and Ella were both getting on before he went off again.

  At last it began to slow down. Catherine looked up at the clock on the wall and realised it was coming up to nine of clock at night. She wondered where the last seven hours had gone. Now she became conscious that her feet were tired and her shoulders ached from all the hours of standing and using her arms, it was unaccustomed exercise for someone who mostly sat at a desk.

  Ella finished serving a customer and turned to her saying. “Well, I think you have done enough for your first night, hard to believe how busy it got and really lucky for me you were here. I am sure Mathew will keep you on, he has been too busy tonight with paperwork and orders to come and talk, but I will talk to him before I close up. So if you write your phone number down I will ring you tomorrow and work out some shifts.

  “I am thinking that, as tomorrow is Wednesday and it is usually quiet, you should have it off. But come in Thursday, Friday and Saturday if you are free. Those are usually busy nights when we need all the help we can get.

  “We have an extra bloke who comes in for the next four nights but, even with him and me, it gets really busy those nights. Monday is usually quiet and tonight, Tuesday, is also usually pretty quiet, though you would not know from tonight. I have Sundays and Mondays off. Mathew tries to do Mondays by himself and then have Tuesdays as his bookwork night, with me doing most of the work and him helping if needed. For the rest of the week we have one or two extras. However, now it is nearly Christmas, I know he is looking for extra help most nights from now until after the New Year when it gets quiet again.