Dream Date

Life has a habit of teaching you lessons when you least expect it. What can appear to be slight and insignificant can have lasting effects. As a bartender in Los Angeles I could have sworn that there was nothing I have not done and seen both on the job and off. Wild brawls and late night romps while working behind the bar proved to be great for tips which helped me make rent and splurge on extras. I love my job and the people and experiences it has brought me. Each night is a new adventure and last Friday night was no exception. I work at the “Love Boat”, a trendy hipster bar in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. Originally, I had applied to a security position, however once I showed up to the interview the manager took one look and me with exploitation in his eyes and decided my six foot three inch self might do better behind the bar. I can’t complain, as a single man in my mid twenties I am not about to turn down any opportunity to meet women.

My Friday shift starts at six in the evening and once there I immediately began my routine of taking inventory of items we will need throughout the course of the night. From restocking the refrigerator and shelves, to making sure there is enough fruit and garnishes cut to last the night. I then checked keg levels and made sure the entire area was cleaned and sanitized. I always bring an extra set of clothes to change into just before the start of the shift. Setting up will get me sweaty and the employee bathroom has a shower and small dressing room area. As soon as the servers began showing up, that was my cue to run to the back and get ready. Realizing I left my duffle bag in my car, I ran out the back door and hurried to haphazardly grab my bag and back the bar in time to get ready and open the doors to let our patrons in.

There is a flow in the clientele that takes place on a Friday night at the bar. Groups of individuals come in and out throughout the course of the night. There are the watering hole regulars who show up daily, rain or shine and post up in the same exact spot and assume a territorial position in the bar. There are the happy hour heros who have made it through a whole week of putting up with the supervisors nonsense and endless demands, choosing to celebrate that no bodily harm was done to said supervisor over a few drinks and inappropriate behavior among one another during these precious few hours before having to head home for the entirely different headache that is their lives. There are the customers who make this their meeting spot before heading out to the clubs downtown and give us the privilege of being their pre game location of choice. The bar also greets a handful of people who start their date with us. All those online love matches as a result from swiping right that may lead to that sought after morning after uncomfortable silence despite having already seen each others wobbly bits and pieces drunken hours earlier. Last but most certainly not least are the Sports Junkies who never miss a game. In a mega city like L.A. there is no shortage of sports to watch all year long. There are two of everything here, from baseball to basketball, as well as both football, soccer and hockey. Audible conversation can be thrown out the window during playoffs since nothing can be heard over the screaming and argumentative commentary with the referees and umpires on screen. Each of these groups give off an energy that breathes a life into this place that can be felt and craved.

This particular night was going to be a bit tighter than others since we were down one server. The night began no different than any other busy and bustling Friday night, with the usual suspects in attendance and the happy hour heroes filtering in. A large group at the bar had just paid for their drinks and were making their way to an available table when I noticed there was a nervous and anxious looking woman behind the large group. She approached the bar and I asked her what she wanted to drink. The woman said she had no clue what to order because she was nervous. She went on to explain that she was there to meet someone she had been talking to online. I smiled and told her I had the perfect drink for her. Joking, that if she put herself in my experienced hands as her bartender for the night, I would not dare steer her in the wrong. I wiggled my brows which finally brought a smile to her face and she agreed. I walked over to the other end of the bar where we had our wine rack and chose a Merlot from our wine selection. The Mojave Rain 2019 from Bright Cellars was a popular choice, often chosen for its hint of black cherry and touch of chocolate. I was more than confident with my choice and hoped it would give this mystery woman the right amount of liquid courage to put her at ease. She was absorbed in her phone as I walked back toward her with her glass and noticed the rush of customers was about to renew itself so I just placed the wine in front of her and gave all my attention to the incoming crowd of thirsty patrons. I would glance over at her every now and again making sure she was getting along okay. I tend to keep an eye on those who are alone at the bar. I have a sister who is absolutely addicted to true crime podcasts. She often regals me with whatever weekly horror serial killer or crime based tragedy that she hears about on any given day. Her enthusiastic recaps have a way of staying with me, therefore I try to make an effort to watch out for all our patrons who show up and stay by themselves, man or woman. We are living in dangerous and uncertain times and we should all be watching out for one another.

During another pause in the rush, I did a quick scan of the bar in search of her. I turned to the stool she had been sitting in and she was not there. Had the mystery man shown up? Grabbing a towel on my way to wipe the surface of the area she had been. From the corner of my eye I saw her way back to the stool from the ladies room. Getting a better look at her he took careful notice of the shy woman waiting for her date to arrive. She was small in stature with mid length wavy hair that resembled the caramel inside a Twix candy bar. I was attempting to disguise the fact that I was studying her but her eyes were so dark they were almost black and her beautiful peaches and cream skin tone that I could not help but stare. It soon became clear that she had been stood up. I felt so bad for her and I made it a point to give her extra attention and build her up. She was visibly disappointed and refused to look up for a while keeping her head low. I continued to make small talk and tell her not to let this one bad experience scar her from putting herself out there again. She looked up at me with watery eyes and admitted to me that it was the third time she had been stood up and added that the guy likely did show up, took one look at her and left. I felt a flash of rage for a split second as I wondered what was wrong with superficial men. The common claim on these sites is looking for the right woman to come along. What they forget to add is they are only interested in the right one for the night. I poured her another glass of the Bright Cellars Mojave Rain and decided right then and there that I was going to take it upon myself to turn her night around. I told her that tonight was our first date. She looked skeptical at me and I could see she was ready to refuse. I joked with her that it was not a good idea to leave the bar when she was this upset and unfocused at night in this day and age with all the crazies out in the streets eager to come upon an unsuspecting individual. She had come to the bar with the intent of meeting someone and that is exactly what was going to happen. I added that no one was allowed to be sad on my shift and only positive experiences were allowed. This made her smile and she finally agreed. For the rest of the night in between serving drinks and making sure the bar was running smoothly, I was on a first date and as the time passed and I became familiar with this woman I realized she was intelligent and easy to talk to with a wicked and witty sense of humor. As first dates went, this was one of the better ones I had ever been on, real or fake. In what felt like the blink of an eye, I realized it was nearly time for last call. I excused myself to make the announcement and take all those final drink orders and when I returned and she was gone. A note held down by the wine glass that read, “Thank you for the wonderful evening. You completely turned my night around and I’ll be forever grateful. I ordered a Lyft while you were tending to customers and it arrived before I could say a proper goodbye. This is a cool spot and I’ll definitely be back. Sincerely, Amanda.”

I experienced a feeling of loss due to the unexpected connection to this mysterious woman. My plan had been to ask her to hang out after the bar closed down for late night breakfast at The Pantry. Instead, I went through the routine of cleaning, locking up the bar and walked towards my car. I sat in my car for a minute to think about the events of the night for a moment lost in thought. Deciding to grab something from the drive thru on the way home I reached in my pockets for my keys and in that brief moment my vision went black and what felt like thick material pulled me back and rather than be tied around my head went around to the back of the headrest. I panicked, feeling my heart begin to pound and fear take over. I foolishly began feeling around for my keys which had fallen out when my eyes were covered and in those precious lost seconds when I should have been fighting were someone else's gain when I felt thick material go around my chest just above my ribs and like my blind fold was wrapped around the back of the seat. I struggled and fought for what felt like hours instead of the minutes it probably was and when I could no longer struggle I suddenly something cold and moist drag from the side of my neck to my earlobe and in that moment I caught the strangely familiar scent of rose oil and in the moment I made the connection, I felt lips against my ear whisper, “Allow me to introduce myself. I am one of the crazies.” Smiling I knew then without a doubt this first date was a dream come true.