Neon

“Jade! Haul that box of glasses and get moving!”

“Ben’s out there. I’m on break, Jim,” she yelled back, taking a sip of her water.

“It’s Friday night. Get back out there before all hell breaks loose!”

“Yeah, because God forbid they go two seconds without a drink,” Jade mumbled to herself.

She sighed, fixing her ponytail, her long black hair cascading over her shoulder as she tied it up.

Lifting the box, she carried it out to the bar, wishing she didn’t have to work tonight. As she continued her night of mixing drinks, she longed for a break.

As the rush began to dwindle, she grabbed a cloth and started cleaning the bar, savoring the quiet before groaning as a group of rowdy guys stumbled in.

Clearly, this wasn’t their first stop.

“Heeeey!” one of them yelled toward the bar.

Jade forced a smile. “Hey, what can I get you?”

“Oh, there’s lots of things you can get me, babe,” he winked, leaning onto the bar.

“Beers for all of us,” he shouted, earning a chorus of cheers from his buddies in the corner.

“Okay,” she replied with her best customer service smile, taking his card and swiping it on the machine, only to hear an angry beep.

She turned back to the man, placing the card on the bar. “Sorry, it says declined.”

“Just give me my beers,” he grumbled.

“No money, no beer,” she retorted.

“What the hell is your problem?” he yelled, his drunkenness fueling his anger.

“Absolutely nothing, sir,” she smiled. “I’ll be happy to get you a drink as soon as you pay for one.”

“What’s going on here?” her manager, Jim, asked as he approached Jade.

“Your bartender won’t serve us any drinks!” the man bellowed, drawing the attention of the room.

Jade turned to her manager with an annoyed look. “His card was declined. I told him I’d be more than happy to serve him once he paid.”

Jim turned back to the man, shaking his head. “What kind of place do you think I’m running? This isn’t a charity, asshole. Pay for your drinks like everyone else here or get out.”

Jade smiled. Jim wasn’t the best boss ever, but he always had his employees’ backs. Especially when it came to money.

The man grumbled under his breath before pulling some cash from his pocket. Jade took it from him with a smug grin. “Thank you, sir. Six drinks coming right up.”

“What…where’s my change?”

“Oh, I’m sure you just told me to put the rest of that cash in the tip jar. As an apology for all of the trouble, right?”

The man opened his mouth to argue before shutting it and walking away.

Jade turned to get his drinks, a smile on her face.

She served them their drinks and returned to the bar. She walked to the end where an old man had been sitting all night, slowly sipping his drink.

“Can I get you another?” she asked, looking at the tiny amount of whiskey left in his glass.

He looked up at her with a smile before nodding toward the group of men. “Real pieces of work, huh?”

“There’s always a few every night,” she shrugged. “I’m used to it.”

“You seemed to handle yourself pretty well.”

“Eh. Like I said, I’m used to it,” she replied with a smile, taking his glass.

“I’ll do one more,” he replied, offering some cash.

“Don’t worry about it,” she responded, waving her hand at him. “Those guys just bought your drink for you.”

The man chuckled lightly. “Thank you.”

“No problem. I’d give drinks out to everyone if they were all like you,” she replied with a wink.

He reached over the bar, extending his hand to her. “I’m Davis.”

“Jade,” she replied, shaking his hand gently.

“Nice to meet you, Jade,” he grinned, his face wrinkling as he smiled up at her. He was older, maybe in his late seventies.

His gray hair was styled nicely, and he was wearing what she could tell was an expensive suit. She saw those often around here.

Businessmen would come in every night from the skyscrapers across the street to unwind and have some drinks.

But they were always snobbish and acted as if they owned the place. Davis was nice in a grandfatherly sort of way.

“Nice to meet you too, Davis,” she replied. “Do you work around here or are you one of the ones who just wandered in?”

“A little of both,” he said, nodding as he spoke. “I don’t put in as much time as I used to, but I had to go into the office today. Always saw this place across the street but never came in.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” she said, placing his drink on the bar in front of him.

“Me too,” he replied, taking a sip of his drink. “Do you work here every day?”

“Yep, every day. I usually work the closing shift, but tomorrow I’m working in the afternoon,” she answered as she wiped down the bar.

“You going to come visit me again?” she teased.

“Perhaps,” he said, taking another sip. “I’ll probably have to work again tomorrow, clean up the mess he…” Davis trailed off as irritation grew in his eyes. “Anyway, we’ll see.”

Jade was about to ask him about his work when she heard someone calling her from the other end of the bar.

“Excuse me…” she muttered before walking to the other customer.

When she returned, she frowned as she looked at his empty seat. She picked up his glass and the hundred-dollar bill beneath it.

She stared at the exceptionally generous tip with surprise before looking up to argue with him, only to catch one last glimpse of him as he passed the large front window before disappearing.

Her smile was a quiet thank you for his kindness. She tucked the bill into her pocket and continued with her evening.