A busy day at work.

I admit, I started getting fairly nervous as we got closer to the opening time. Without Dylan here, Diana and I would have to divide the work between us two instead of three on a buddy Friday night. No, that’s not quite right, either. Since Diana was the only one who could make cocktails, I’d have to cover for everything else, and yet I needed to keep myself from running and doing things in a hurry. Haste makes mistakes, and seeing the waiter running around all stressed out would ruin the atmosphere we’ve built in this place.

I took a deep breath. I was used to working in a busy shop with only two people. I had experience to draw upon. Saturdays at the coffee shop were worse. Here, we’d have a maximum of 20 people at a time. We can do this.

“Oliver,” Diana said. “Depending on the orders, I’d like you to make the simpler drinks. Think you can do it?”

My heart skipped a beat. “When you say simpler…”

“Things like screwdrivers and highballs. You’ve practiced, and so long as you use the jiggers to measure properly, you’ll be fine.”

“...” The thought of serving a customer a sub-par drink… terrified me. Honestly, I wasn’t particularly ashamed of the level I was at at mixing drinks, but the standard here was too high. I wasn’t there yet. A highball with too much water, a screwdriver that was too strong… My heart began to beat faster and my chest began to tighten. Even my hands began to feel numb.

“If it’s too much, don’t worry. I can handle it.”

I shook my head. “No. You already asked. I’ll do it. You’ll have your hands full, too.”

Diana grimaced, and I could tell she was regretting her request. Not that she didn’t trust me, because she did, even if I believed it was misplaced. She regretted putting this pressure on me, and after what we’d just talked about, I could understand it. But if Diana said she wanted to give me her best, how could I not reciprocate? Sure, this was work, but I’ve always known how much this type of work means to her.

It didn’t take two minutes after we opened the bar for customers to start coming in. We started the evening with two couples, both of which sat at different tables.

I went to take their orders. One negroni, two martinis and… one screwdriver.

“Starting immediately, huh?” I muttered to her with a wry smile.

“You’ll do great.”

I’m not so sure, but even if I doubt myself, I can’t let it slow me down. Diana got to work immediately and so did I. Again, a deep breath.

The screwdriver really is simple. Vodka and orange juice in a highball glass with ice. Ice first, stir it to chill the glass, drain the melted water, add 45ml of vodka and top with the orange juice I’d squeezed and bottled just a couple of hours ago.

Compared to Diana, I moved with less confidence around the bar. I knew where the vodka was, but the moment I had to get it my head went blank. Hell, even when I had it in my hand, I had to double and triple check that it was indeed vodka before I poured it. Diana had already finished two martinis by the time I finished one screwdriver.

The screwdriver and one of those martinis were for one table, so I got them on a tray and took them to the customers.

“Please, enjoy, and if you need anything else, just let me know,” I told the couple with a smile and a short bow.

Diana was already finishing the negroni when I went back, but another couple came in. They sat at the counter, however, right in front of Diana, so they ordered directly from her. I took the negroni and the martini to the other couple.

“Um, waiter,” the woman from the previous table called me, and I felt a chill run down my whole body.

“Yes, ma’am?” I asked, approaching.

“This screwdriver is a bit too sweet. Can you make it stronger?” she asked.

“Yes, of course. My apologies.”

I took the glass from her and took it back to the counter, every step heavy with shame. It was the first time since I started working here that a customer had returned a drink, and of course it had to be my first.

My lip quivered and I felt a knot in my throat, but I continued moving.

“Do I pour it back on a mixing glass and add more vodka?” I asked Diana as I moved to do exactly that.

“Yes, and add more ice,” she said without looking away from her own work.

I did that. Poured the screwdriver back in a mixing glass, added 15ml more of vodka and a bit more ice. I stirred gently with a bar spoon and poured it back into the highball glass. I took it back to the woman and this time waited for her to try it.

“How is it?” I asked politely.

“Mmm, yes, this is better. Thank you very much, young man,” she told me, smiling.

“It’s no problem. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience.”

The moment I turned around to return to the counter, I saw two more couples coming in and Diana was in the middle of making a more complex drink for one of the people sitting in front of her. In barely 15 minutes we already had ten people. This was par for the course for a Friday, but without Dylan to help…

I went to take the orders of the two new couples, but as I did, two more people came in. I almost let out a groan, but kept it inside. Diana’s face was immutable, but I could tell she was doing the math in her head and knew she’d be behind depending on what they ordered.

I needed to buy us time.

I went over to the new couple and greeted them with the usual smile.

“Good evening. Today things are a bit busier than usual, so there might be a slight delay in the drinks,” I said. “Would you like to order some snacks from the restaurant? I can bring them to you here.”

“Oh, we can do that?” the man asked, pleasantly surprised. “What’s there to eat?”

“The charcuterie board comes with cheese, ham and fruit, or you could also have a board of different cheese to try.”

“Oh, if we’re having cheese we could just have some wine,” the lady said, grinning. “I’d prefer that, since you have trouble… performing when you drink too much.”

The man grumbled, clearly embarrassed. “We’ll have the cheese board, please. And a bottle of wine. Merlot.”

“Of course, sir.”

I went back to the counter and whispered to Diana. “One negroni, one daiquiri, one highball and one whiskey on the rocks. I’ll make those two when I get back. I need to run to the kitchen.”

Before I could do that, though, one of the couples waiting for their drinks called for me, so I went there.

“Yes?”

“We heard we could order some snacks here?” the lady said. “Could we have a cheese board while we wait?”

“Yes, of course. It’ll only be a moment.”

“You seem in a good mood today, Diana,” the lady sitting across from Diana told her, smirking. “I don’t normally see you smiling. What’s the occasion?"

Diana chuckled. “No, it’s nothing.”

I rushed to the kitchen with quick but calm and careful steps. It’d be a long night…

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