A returning customer from back in the day

Not everyone who comes as a customer to Orchid Karaoke Studios needs a hostess and they are quite comfortable with themselves locked in a room. Even with their machines blaring loud music that prevents them from hearing anything else, whenever their food or drink order is delivered, a silent doorbell is rung, which turns on a light by their room's door, signaling to them someone is at the door.

On any given shift, both Raymond and I are at the front desk. Our duties include taking calls for future reservations, managing which customer goes to which room, and delivering orders. Sometimes we are asked to fix something, but mostly it's Steve who volunteers for the job and he is done quickly after a few minutes.

But today was different. A customer comes in that both Raymond and I recognize. I wonder if he is thinking the same thing as I am thinking. That this customer was a regular of the studio and was the one who asked for my cousin Roxanne by name. Most of the time, she was here and available to tend to him. Most times she'd stay in his room, since he was the only one here who asked for a hostess.

The man dressed like a gangster, but in actuality he was very wealthy and chose to dress as such. It made him look more intimidating and caused those he met to be intimidated by him. He had another person with him who acted as a bodyguard of sorts and also dressed in a similar fashion. The customer was always addressed by the name Uncle Aaron, regardless if he was actually your uncle or not. I personally called him Tito, since it's the Filipino translation for uncle.

He approached the front desk and upon seeing our familiar faces, he smiles. “Good evening, Tito,” I greet him.

“Charles! How are you?” he answered back.

“Doing fine,” I reply. “Did you want your usual room?”

“Yes, please,” he says.

Before I start to lead him to his favored room, Raymond chimes in, “Anything to drink, sir?”

“I'll have wine and my friend will take a beer,” Uncle Aaron says and turns to follow me to the room. He has personally selected this room because it is towards the back of the property, away from the noise of the street and the more popular loud rooms that visitors usually use. We keep it locked, never renting it to anyone but Uncle Aaron and his guests. As far as I know, he never uses the karaoke machines, but when he does, he rarely bothers any of the neighboring rooms. And he is usually here until closing.

“I'll prepare the machine for you,” I say as I unlock the door and open it for Uncle Aaron and his bodyguard to enter. He takes a seat opposite the screen while his bodyguard sits on the couch nearest the door.

“Your father says he has hired a hostess or two. Are they working tonight?” he asks with no delay.

I make a plan to discuss with Raymond on which one of us would take a X-Change Classic pill to become a hostess for Uncle Aaron. “I'll have to check first Tito Aaron,” I tell him after turning on the karaoke machine.

Raymond enters with a pair of ice buckets, wine in the first and four beers in the second, which he sets down on the table. We leave Uncle Aaron in the room and return to the front desk.

“Hey Raymond, I gotta tell you something,” I mention. He turns and gives me his attention. “So, Uncle Aaron mentioned that my father told him he hired hostesses and now he's asking for one.”

“Oh yeah? Which one of us should go?” Raymond asks.