up to once a week. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep it up, but we are going to go as long as I can.”
“Why don’t you talk to Ralph? You earn this place more money than the rest of us combined. I bet he would give you an advance on your checks.”
I cringed. The idea had crossed my mind. Ralph was the owner of the bar. During the slow months, he’d stick me in the kitchen, guaranteeing me the minimum wage he paid the other hourly staff, with a little extra on top. I hated the idea of asking him for an advance, though. That money got us through the winter months, just as the tips got us by in the summer.
If I’d stuck with college, my income now would be more than enough to cover all of it and then some. The thought was one I frequently had. Yet my mother never would have survived in the awful care of the government. I’d fought for her care the second we’d learned about the disease but working through the system proved too slow.
The bills kept coming, and the financial aid ran out. I started working nights while my mother was still mobile. When she’d lost almost all of her ability to run a house, I’d made the fateful decision to quit school. It was an ultimatum that required no consideration. My mother had worked her entire life to give me the best childhood I could imagine.
As a single mother, she’d pulled every shift she could get at the factory that was now responsible for her fate. I balled my hands into fists as I thought about it, wondering if I could take the cattle prod, I’d snatched up from my assailant against the owner of the corporation. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that revenge wasn’t always the answer.
“Finally, “Natalee groaned.
The bachelorette party was standing, obviously ready to move on to their next venue. It was late Sunday night, I couldn’t imagine them finding another place open at this late hour, but that didn’t cause me to stop them as they left. Natalee dashed to clear the table. I could see from the angry look as she cleared shot glasses the woman hadn’t been generous.
With the amusement for the evening gone, the few lingering patrons shuffled back to the bar. A few of them made for the exit, their money for the weekend and most of the week already spent in the hopes of scoring with one of the young ladies. Several of the men I knew had families; how they were expected to survive was lost on me.
It gave me a healthy distaste for marriage. Every night I’d watch a few of the same men come in, hitting on and sometimes picking up local women. How they managed to hide things from their wives, I would never know. The women couldn’t all be daft, though. How did a woman become complacent in letting the man she’d married seek out the company of others?
“This is awful,” Natalee grumbled.
“Why don’t you take the rest of the bar for the night? I can work on cleaning up and start on the fall cleaning.”
She shook her head. “With everything you’ve got going on? No way, you need these tips more than I do. I’ll take the cleaning.”
I smiled. “Thank you, Natalee. I’ll split whatever I make with you.”
Natalee nodded and made her way back to the kitchen. I would have a better chance of getting tips than she would. Plus, with one of us clocked in on kitchen time, we’d both still be making decent money. It wasn’t a trick that would always work, but for the night, I didn’t think that Ralph would mind.
I poured another round of shots for the men who requested, ignoring the lewd proposals that came along with a few drinks too many. With a burst of flirty laughter, I did my best to recover what was left of the night. When the four remaining patrons were satisfied, I slipped to the corner to check my messages.
It was much of the same—bill collectors threatening shut-offs and debt collections wondering if I wanted my wages garnished. Between my mother’s care and my own student loan debt, they couldn’t come within a thousand yards of my paycheck. It was a cruel twist of fate. I was too poor for the debtors to make money.
As I often did when I had a second to spare, I