Louis
24 years
Phew, tonight is exhausting. Not necessarily because of the number of guests, but because of this group of young men who think they’re superstars. I’ve never seen them here before; they’re probably visiting the big city for the first time and strongly believe that people behave completely differently here compared to their village. As a small-town kid, I can say that’s bullshit. There are just more people here, but they’re not better, especially not in Karlsruhe, a down-to-earth working-class city. Arrogance and showing off never goes down well here, but these guys haven’t figuredthat out yet.
“If that guy yells ‘Ey, dude’ one more time, I’ll jump over the bar and tape his mouth shut with duct tape.”
David snorts into his glass at Paul’s words. It’s our first interaction tonight, apart from the brief nod when I handed him his gin and tonic.
“Well, I don’t think ‘Ey, dude!’ is as disrespectful as ‘Ey, kid!’”
Paul nods vigorously at David’s objection. “True! Louis, honestly, your boyfriend is right. Why do you put up with this? They’re impossible, and they always pay by card, no tip!”
He’s not my boyfriend, that’s all that sticks in my mind from that sentence. Nothing else.
“Would you like anything else?” Perfect diversion. With nimble fingers, I grab David’s empty glass and look at him expectantly.
“One more, then I’ll switch to water.”
“Deal.” I reach into the small refrigerator behind the bar, pull out the Needle Gin, and pour a generous amount into his glass. No need to measure it out, I bought it myself. Ice, tonic, straw, done. “Here you go, just the way you like it.”
Our eyes meet, we hold each other’s gaze, perhaps a moment too long to avoid being too obvious. We’re becoming more familiar with each other. The last four weeks have ensured that, and we’re more at ease with each other. We talked a lot about university, lectures, everything we have to do. That sounds superficial now, but it’s safe territory.
“I can’t stay too long today. I have a game later.”
“What kind of game?” A cautious grin plays around his lips.
“Handball.”
“Ey, kid!”
“Take a deep breath.” David gently nudges my hand on the counter with his pinky. Such a small touch, but it has exactly the opposite effect. No calming down here, hello heart palpitations.
“What do you think I’m trying to do here?” I turn toward my favorite guest of the night with the friendliest smile I can muster.
“What can I get you?”
“This.” He points to David’s glass with a strong finger.
“This? Are you sure?”
“Ey, you think I can’t handle my alcohol? Yes, this.” Ah, with his body mass, alcohol shouldn’t be the problem, but clearly using specific language is. I grab David’s glass and place it in front of him.
“Ey, are you kidding me? What’s that?”
“This. You wanted this. I even asked twice to be sure.” My voice is as innocent as possible, and both David and Paul turn away to hide their laughter.
“Yes.”
“But that’s it.”
“Ey, dude...”
“Yes, please?” Paul is standing right next to me, and I have to bite my tongue hard to keep myself from laughing.
“Ey, are you guys messing with me?” Hm, maybe a little, but if he “ey”s me one more time, I’ll stuff a napkin down his throat.
“Ey!” My fingers are tingling, and I really want to, but Paul needs this job, and Paul can’t do without me. We’re slowly getting an audience and Ben, one of our security guards, signals his presence on the opposite wall. “I want the same as that guy. In my own glass.”
