Chapter 13: Chuck; the bartender

Third person's pov

— Bar —

Dara arrived safely at the bar where she worked. She entered through the back door and went to the locker room to change clothes.

There are a few staff already here and some are still coming one by one.

Dara proceeded to her designated locker and began to change. While putting on her apron, Ms. A entered the staff room and greeted them. They greeted her back, including Dara.

"Good evening ladies, gentlemen, are you ready for today's event?" Ms. A greeted, asking.

[ In context, the bar where Dara was working is actually a mix bar of Resto bar where customers can eat or drink at the same time and dance club where there's a huge dance floor. 

Because of the birthday party, the dance club is closed for tonight and all the staff is working at the resto bar. ]

"Good evening/Yes!" all the staff answered.

"Like I said last week, Our VIP customer Mr. Earlyseven chose to celebrate his 34th birthday with us. He is one of our loyal customers so be sure to make this night unforgettable. Just remember that some of his friends who are attending the party are also VIPs from the business and political industry. I expect your cooperation to make this event a success. Is that ok?" Ms. A confidently said.

"Leave it to us Ms. A, right guys?" one of the male staff shouted, encouraging his workmates.

They all shouted yes and prayed before beginning to prepare for the event.

Some staff prepared the tables and chairs needed while the others were in charge of preparing food and beverages.

Dara was putting the table napkin in each place when one of her co-workers approached her to check the table.

"Hmmm, can you move the napkin a little bit to the left?" she instructed.

"Sure," Dara answered and moved the napkin on the table to the left. "How about this?" she asked.

"Perfect," her co-worker said in satisfied.

They both smile and continue what they were doing before.

While working, Dara felt a little hot and lost balance. She stops for a while to hold on the table. Her head starts to hurt and her eyes become blurry.

"Ughh" she groaned, shaking her head. Thinking it would help but it didn't.

She suffered for several more minutes before he could move again. She ignored the pain and continued setting the table.

The bar was rented by one of their VIPs for a whole night to celebrate his 34th birthday at the bar. There aren't many expected guests but some of them are famous people so everyone is busy.

The preparation went smoothly and they still had time before the guesses arrived. Some staff eat, prepare themselves physically and some rest for a minute.

On the other side, Dara went to the bathroom to wake herself up. She's now feeling the effect of alcohol on her system.

She aggressively shook her head and washed her face.

"Wake up Dara! This is not the right time for you to sleep!" She said to herself.

After a minute, she finally came out and went to the staff room to get a glass of water. Happily, there is Chuck (one of the bartenders) resting.

"Hi men." Dara greeted him.

Note: Inside their workplace. They are using 'men' as a call sign or a nice name for everyone, regardless of gender or age.

Chuck flinched for a second because of it.

"Hello, do you need anything?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine, I'm just gonna grab a glass of water real quick," Dara replied, heading to their mini counter.

"Wait, lemme do it for you," Chuck immediately stood up to stop her. "You're tipsy. Oh, No! No! No! You're drunk to be exact".

"How did you know?" Dara was amazed to know that he noticed it. She is a hundred percent sure that she doesn't look like one.

"As a bartender, such things are easy for us to determine who is drunk and who's not," he amazingly said while checking the mini fridge.

"That's amazing" Dara's compliment.

"Thank you. Now, sit on the sofa and I'll make the drinks to get rid of your hangover" he gently said and picked up some tea and lemon.

"Fine! If you insist then I won't stop you anymore," Dara replied and headed to the sofa.

She leaned on the sofa, closing her eyes and feeling relaxed.

A moment later, Chuck walked towards her and put the drink he made on the table. He sat beside her to wake her up yet Dara didn't move or flick.

She felt comfortable and fell asleep.

Chuck picks up the drinks and moves it closely to Dara's cheek causing her to feel the cold and wake up.

"Hey! Don't do that. You surprised me" she stated, a little frustrated.

"Sorry, mine. You slept so well to the point that you didn't feel that I was sitting next to you" he answered, laughing in secret.

Chuck found Dara's reaction cute.

"Sorry too. I'm drowsy and feel comfortable sitting here. It feels like she is calling me to lay down and rest" she said happily burying her back to the sofa.

"Whatever. Anyways, here's your drink. Drink it to remove your hangover. We have a big event today. Don't let your hangover ruin it" he advised, calmly.

Dara doesn't feel anything at all about this. She finds Chuck's words a reminder.

Dara took a sip of what Chuck made and tasted lemon in it. 'It's refreshing' she thought.

"I've never seen you come to work in such bad shape before. I am now curious about the deep reason why you drank and got drunk like that?" he asked curiously.

Dara took another sip before answering.

"Hmm, there is no deep reason. It's just a normal celebration and I got a little excited until I didn't notice that I already drank too much," she explained, lowering the glass.

"Is that so? Haha what if I tell Ms. A about this? I'm sure, when she found out you came in drunk, for sure she will scold you! Moreover, we have an important event today. Should I report you?" He said, making silly jokes.

"Don't joke like that! Don't report me. I-I'm not totally drunk. I swear!" she immediately answered, raising her right hand while the left hard is placed on his biceps.

"Hahaha, fine. If you say so," he replied, feeling twisted by her touch.

"Thanks, I can't lose my job here," Dara said, bubbling something. She removes her hand on his arm and grabs the glass of juice.

"Drink it all and fix it yourself. The event is about to begin" Chuck said, remind her that the event is about to begin.

"Thank you," Dara replied, rushing to finish her drink. "Are you going to the venue too?" She asked after drinking it all.

"Nope, I still have things to do here, you can go first," he answered.

"Ow, ok. I'm going to head first. Thanks again for the juice, bye," Dara said, feeling better before she leaves.

On the other hand, Dara and Chuck didn't notice that someone was spying on them. She heard their conversation including the joke of telling something to Ms. A.

Dara reached the entrance of the bar. She and her other co-workers were in charge of greeting and assisting the guests.

Most of the guests are well-known politicians, celebrities and business people. You can see on their faces that they are not here to celebrate the celebrant's birthday; instead some are here to socialize and find business partners for their own good.

"Good evening, this way please," Dara assisted the couple who just arrived.

Dara was greeting them with a smile even though she's not feeling good. For her, they are all the same people with high positions somewhere.

After an hour, the birthday celebrant finally arrived. Everyone gathered for the toast.

"Thank you so much for coming today, I hope all of you enjoy this party," he said, raising his glass of wine.

The cake arrived and all the guests and staff sang him a Happy birthday.

"Thank you, please enjoy," the celebrant lastly said.

Dara is peacefully assisting the guests while Chuck and other bartenders are at the bar counter. The party started pretty smoothly when something happened.

~

Author's Note

Hello sunshine 🧡.