It was the first day of March Madness. Normally I would have taken off the first Thursday of the tournament to drink and watch basketball, but money was tight and I needed every shift I could get.
Unfortunately, I was relegated to mostly day shifts and today was no different. It was lunchtime and the bar was emptier than I had hoped with only a scattering of men watching the basketball games.
Bill was at his normal spot at one end of the bar. I stopped and chatted with him for a while but left his side of the bar to Emily after he made a remark asking if I had gained a 'February Fifteen."
My favorite customers today were Chad and Andre. They were in town for a bachelor party. Their group was golfing in Boca today and traveling up to West Palm on Friday for more golf and partying before returning home Sunday. Chad and Andre did not golf so they had decided to party in West Palm and meet up with their friends tomorrow.
Andre was cute. He had beautiful black skin and eyes shaped in a manner that Led me to believe he was part Asian. Chad was white but you could have just called him tan. He had a perfect tan and a thick head of hair which was stylishly spiked upward.
Chad had a price of paper laying on the bar which detailed all games he had placed bets on. The three of us had agreed that we would do a shot for each one of the bets he won. By six o'clock we had taken five shots which was a lot considering Chad had only bet on eight games.
Chad and Andre left to go grab some dinner and rest up for tomorrow but not before I gave Andre my telephone number.
My shift went on for another two hours and as more regulars shuffled in, so did a few people I hadn't seen in a while. Shane had arrived by himself and sat at the bar. I hadn't seen him in nearly two years. Happy hour drinks had turned into sex but I had not heard from him since. As my shift was ending, TJ arrived with a few friends I did not notice. We made eye contact but I made no effort to talk to him.
I wrapped up my shift and as I walked out to my car my phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Kelly. This is Chad. I'm having some drinks in our hotel room. Want to meet up when you get off work?"
"Where's Andre?"
"He's here but he's passed out. Too many shots, not enough food."