“Grappling for my soul against liquid eyeliner,” I told her. Gesturing to the pile of makeup remover–soaked tissues sitting on the counter, I let out a sigh. “I think it’s winning.”
“You wear makeup all the time,” she said. “Why are you having trouble with it now?”
“I have no idea. It’s like my hands are new, too. Or they’re protesting. It’s like if I can’t get my eyeliner right, then I’m not going to go to work.” My eyes met her reflection. “I can’t actually do that, right? That’s not an excuse that will work?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m certain eyeliner is still considered optional in most situations. But, for a bartender, it might be a little more important.”
“No, I have to do this. It’s awkward as hell, and I have just about no clue what I’m doing. But it is what it is, and I’m going to kick ass at it. And if that doesn’t work out for me, then I’m going to do a perfectly reasonable and acceptable job at it.”
“That’s the spirit,” Stephanie said. “Come on. Get it together, get your face on, and come on out. We’ll have lunch before you go, and I have a surprise for you.”
The pep talk helped, and I managed to get my makeup on and get dressed. It was an odd sensation getting ready for work so late in the day. Being used to going to the office by eight thirty every morning made showing up for work at four seem like the day was already over. But I was going to have to get used to my schedule essentially going in reverse. My hours at the bar would see me working late into the night and getting out of bed when I usually would have already had breakfast and lunch for the day.
When I got out to the front of the apartment, I found Stephanie at the dining table. She’d brought food from my favorite diner in town. The smell of their famous potato salad was enough to make my stomach rumble. Stephanie looked over at me and grinned as she distributed towering sandwiches onto plates.
“That looks amazing,” I said. “Thanks for my first day of work lunch.”
“Absolutely,” she said. “And there’s a bit of a theme going here.”
“A theme?” I asked. “To the food?”
“No,” she said. “Remember, I told you I have a surprise for you.”
“And there’s a theme that has to do with potato salad and sandwiches?” I asked.
Stephanie smiled and scurried into the living room. She came back with something held behind her. After a few seconds to build up anticipation, she whipped it around in front of her. “Taa-daaa.”
“A lunchbox?” I asked.
The pink plastic Barbie lunchbox in her hands was the exact replica of the one I had when we were in the second grade.
“Complete with thermos for all your hot or cold beverage and liquid food needs,” she announced.
I was catching on to the idea that the theme was lunch.
“I don’t think I’ll be packing my lunch to the bar much, but this is pretty awesome. Thank you.”
“It isn’t really about bringing your lunch to work,” Stephanie said. “It’s about what it represents. A new beginning. Like a fresh school year.”
“A temporary new beginning,” I reminded her. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be in town. My parents will probably need me for a while, but when that’s done, I’ll go back to my life in Michigan.”
“What about you saying maybe you would find something that would keep you here?” she asked.
“It was just a thought, an abstract idea.”
“Then I’ll just keep hoping for the abstract,” she said.
We sat down to eat, and before I knew it, it was time to head to the bar. I had no idea what to expect, but like it or not, this was my new reality. I could either dig my heels in and resist it as much as possible just to make a stand. Or I could lean into it and hope for the best.
When I got to The Hollow, Mason was standing behind the bar. He looked up when I came in and offered a tight smile.
“Welcome,” he said. “Let me give you the tour.”
“Oh,” I said. “I figured Tyler would be the one in charge of getting me used to the place. Since he was the one who called to offer me the interview and everything.”
“He won’t be in until a little while later,” Mason said. “I’ll give you the lay of the land and get started showing you how things are done. All of us will kind of help you along the way. This is going to be more of a learn-as-you-go shuffle training. I hope that’s okay with you.”
“It’s fine,” I said with a shrug. “I might as well jump in with both feet.”