Club Noir

It was a brisk Friday night when my girlfriend of three years, Becky Walsh, decided to take me to the most secretive club in town. Three hours later, in a drunken stupor, she spilled her cosmo all over the head waitress.

Waitress: Ugh, seriously? Get out of our club before you get hurt, babe.

Becky: Excuse me? I paid to be here, and you don’t get to talk to me like that. Where’s your manager, you stupid—

Waitress: Shut your mouth! It’s never easy with you white bitches, is it? Security! Come on and earn your pay.

The moment I heard her call for the bouncer, I rushed forward, hands up, trying to calm things down.

Me: Hey, we don’t need to do this. We’ll just leave and be on our way.

Waitress: Too late for that. I’m feeling pretty annoyed, and technically spilling a drink on someone is ****. So if you don’t want me pressing charges, you’d better listen. I’m feeling generous tonight—if your girl here works for us as a waitress, I’ll reconsider.

Becky: No way I’m working here, you stupid—

Me: Becky, please, just sit down, okay? I can do it instead. I’m really sorry for her.

Naomi looked me over, then smirked.

Waitress: Well, I wanted to punish her, but I guess punishing her boyfriend works just as well. Besides, I’m sure we can make good use of you. Follow me to the back—and call your girl an Uber before she redecorates the floor.

I did as I was told and followed her into the back, where a few unfamiliar faces were waiting.

Waitress: Listen up, boy. I’m only explaining this once. The names Naomi, I’m the head waitress here. This is my umm friend Zoey.

I took her in: Zoey, a light-skinned Black girl in a cute dress, who you recognized as the girl playing at the piano.

Zoey: Nice to meet you! I’m glad we’ve got another waiter. I’m the resident musician here, so I’m sure we’ll see each other around. Why don’t you go see the boss—Aaliyah can explain the rules.

Still trying to process what was happening, I headed to the office. Inside, an unusually tall woman sat behind the desk, dressed in a sharp white power suit that contrasted perfectly with her dark skin.

Aaliyah: Ah, I heard what happened on the floor. It was very noble of you to take the punishment for your little girlfriend. But there’s no easy way out—you’ll have to serve this establishment with devotion if you want to be… freed.

She leaned back, studying me.

Aaliyah: As I’m sure you’ve noticed, this is no ordinary club. We have something special here—a social hierarchy, so to speak. Put bluntly, within these walls, Black women rule and whites obey. That’s why all the waiters are white, and their superiors are Black. I think a cutie like you will fit in just fine. So go ahead, grab your collar, get dressed in your uniform.

She smiled.

Aaliyah: It’s time to pay up. But I’ll give you one courtesy, you can pick your superior: Naomi, Zoey, myself, or anyone else at Club Noir.