I just got home from my shift at work and after being an avid reader here, my first thought was to post what happened tonight. I have no idea who else I could speak about this to anyway. They’d think I was telling them a story, but I’m not. I’m sorry if I make any spelling mistakes, my fingers are shaking against the keyboard.
When I arrived at work 8 hours ago, I was introduced to a new staff member named Pete. We shook hands and said hello. Nothing out of the ordinary. Tonight, I was going to be on waiting tables as usual, our regular staff were all there - Kevin our chef, Sarah, and Mason were working at the bar and my boss Gerald was at the door. The new guy Pete was our new security. That did surprise me a bit. He was shorter than me and didn’t look like much. But, hey, these days you don’t know who trains in jujitsu or any other form of self-defense. Gerald had let me know after a few incidents we had at work with drunk customers that he was looking into getting someone in.
It was a normal night at work for the first few hours. We get our larger crowds usually start coming in after 10 pm. And per normal, they did. By 10:30 pm the bar was packed out and I think they must have been making a killing because Sarah and Mason were in good spirits. And Gerald was smiling in his spot at the door. I started smiling too, because it was time for my cigarette break. I only take one 15-minute break in my shifts. I prefer to get paid through my break.
Out the front, I noticed how busy the streets were. Cars coming back and forth. All sorts of people were out tonight, walking the strip. I set my cigarette ablaze with the timeless charm of a matchstick waltz. And boy when I breathed that sucker in, I felt myself dancing on the spot. Yeah, it was time to quit these little shits. But the nicotine was gripped away from my lungs as a juxtaposition to my awareness being pulled to the noise at the front of our bar. I counted four guys eyeing up Pete. They did not look happy. I could hear yelling but I wasn’t sure what they were saying. I couldn’t fight but I walked towards the crowd. Pete was new to the crew but hey, he was one of us so maybe I could ease the situation. It became clear what was going on. The biggest guy said, “##$# you bro, let us in. We’ve only had a few.” His friend next to him spat out, “We’ll go in anyway, what are you gonna do?”
That’s when things changed from just talk to physical. Pete took a step toward the group. Then they pounced on him. It was a roaring sea of fists and elbows. Pete disappeared beneath the bodies. I began to yell out for them to stop but it continued. Gerald appeared from the front door of the bar with his baseball bat calling for an end to the raucous. One by one, the men stood up and backtracked.”Get Pete out the back and get some ice on him.”, Gerald ordered me.
Pete sat down next to the freezer and I grabbed the ice. “Pass it here brother”, he asked. Pete placed the ice over both of his eyes for a full minute. During that time I tried to explain to him that I came straight over to the incident but by the time I got there, Gerald was already there with the bat. “No problems bro. You did what you could.” “Sorry man, I should have moved faster but I didn’t know what to d……” That’s when Pete pulled away the ice. Nothing. Not a mark. Not a scratch. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I know the force of the punches that were being thrown down on him. Maybe he had been able to cover up the whole time but I doubted it. Pete passed me the ice back and made his way back out to the front. How the hell was this guy still walking?
The rest of the night was normal except for the main thought in my mind twirling back and forth over what had happened to Pete and how he looked the same as when I met him that evening. The next few hours ticked by until everyone began to leave at close up. We didn’t have too much to clean up luckily so we would be able to shoot home not long after. Sarah and Mason took off first after cleaning up the rest of the mess in the bar. Kevin who I hadn’t seen much of this shift had already jumped on his bike and melted into the night. That’s when Gerald took Pete and me out the front of the building. Pulling out three cigars, he thanked us both for sorting out the trouble that came to the bar tonight. Although, I don’t know why he thanked me. We all stood there in silence, I’m sure all of us were relieved at what was the end of an adventurous night at work.
“What’s up mother f%$#$@?”, a voice called out from the other side of the road. The same four guys emerged from their car. But now there was another car with them and another three guys jumped out. Two of them carrying their own bats. But one of them, one of them had a gun. I felt my body freeze in fear. I wasn’t one for confrontation. But a gun? I was a statue of anxiety. The collective advanced in our direction, a looming presence growing larger with every step. But before my fear could even imagine what would happen, the sound of two gunshots filled up the night. Pete dropped to the floor. The men scurried to their cars and sped off. I was the first to move. I placed my hands over the holes in Pete’s shirt that sat over where his heart was. Gerald instantly ran inside to call 911. I was sweating like a track runner. Then I puked my guts out. But I still pressed on over the wounds. Until I felt my will leaving me. I passed out.
I woke up to the sound of sirens in the air. Once I was sat up by the paramedics, the cops were instantly asking me all sorts of questions. Asking me what had gone on and where my friend was. I told them that Gerald was inside making sure we had help coming. But it wasn’t Gerald they were asking about. They were asking for Pete. And he was nowhere to be found. Once I came to properly, the cops pointed out that there was no blood anywhere near the supposed fight scene or where Pete had lay shot. I couldn’t explain any of it. Neither could Gerald. I was in shock and felt lost in my thinking.
But now as I’m sitting at home writing this, a news alert has jumped onto the TV. Two cars about 5 miles from our bar had been wrecked in an accident.