Just A Bartender

 Just a bartender. 

She’s just a bartender. She’s also a wife. A mother. A sister. A friend. A therapist. A cheerleader. A confidante. A physical presence when you can’t be alone, but there’s no one else. She’s a human being, but she operates like a robot—machine like to push through. 

She works from open to close. She covers her coworkers because they do the same for her. Chiefs of hospitality. So much so, that you don’t know her husband left her, her dad is dying or her kid skipped school and warranted a visit by the truant officer. In spite of her life circumstances, she will do the job. She may cry in the walk in to get through it, but she’ll persevere. 

Your drink is made to memory every time. She knows your kid is graduating this year and it’s really difficult for you. She knows you’re expecting your 8th grandchild. She knows Bob is crotchety, but he’s truly a big teddy bear who really just needs love. He’d throttle anyone who crossed her. She knows ____ doesn’t tip (yes, we remember that), and she treats him well in spite of that. She knows the Anderson’s winter in Arizona and the Carlson’s in Texas. They’ll both be back in March.

She remembers your birthday and brings you treats and balloons to decorate “Your Chair”. She offers a witty one liner at shocking speed, reminding you, quickly, why she’s not the one sitting at the bar—she’s the one directing it. 

“The Industry” as it is lovingly referred to, houses the most broken, complicated loving individuals you will ever encounter. She can be prickly, foul mouthed and angry. In the very same shift, she will be the most beautiful, welcoming soul you’ll ever meet. 

You see what you need to see. Every guest gets a different experience. Because every guest needs a different experience. She reads the room to figure out where you land. She sees subtle nuances and can register your character before you’ve ever sat down. It’s not snap judgment. It’s a 6th sense. She just knows. 

She will push on through hunger, blisters and the need to use the bathroom. She will (or has) worked when she’s not feeling good—because the industry is never not short handed. She will host her child’s birthday party on a Monday, because Saturday is the bars busiest day. 

She is the entertainment, the music director and the babysitter all rolled into one. She breaks up fights. She plays Cupid. She puts her own needs dead last, time and time again. She’s a stage actress. She’s your best friend. She’s your worst nightmare. All depending on you. 

She calls some of you sir and some of you bruh, depending on how well you know each other and your age. It’s a matter of respect. 

She’s a girls girl and a guys guy. She has to be. 

She doesn’t have an end time. She leaves after you do. Every drink, every meal. 

Her mistakes are public. She forgot your ranch. Her only mistake all week—100’s of satisfied guests. 

She will count pulltabs, do magician like math while music is blasting and her head is throbbing. She will work through a 5 day migraine. 

In 20+ years, she’s seen the best of the best, and the worst of the worst. Some of you are lessons, many more though, are blessings. 

Remember, though, she’s just a bartender.