PHOTO PROMPT © Ted Strutz
Faster than a Speeding Bullet…
“A round of schnapps for me and the boys!”
Nicky’s stomach lurched at the smell as she poured, but it masked the stench that seemed to have soaked into the velveteen-flocked wallpaper of The Pickle.
Billy was so amped that his dart tinked off of the fun house mirror and into Rollo’s gimlet.
“Oops, Rollo. Give him one on me, Nicks!”
Nicky mixed while Rollo pulled out the dart and chugged. A drink’s a drink, he thought.
In the doorway, Big snapped a picture and texted the photo to Nicky.
Nicky’s phone dinged; she looked up and smiled. Her shift was over.
[102 words]
I couldn’t help but notice that the bartender in the photo is moving so fast that she’s blurry. She also looks stressed and/or tired. My mom was a bartender for many years, and I know how hard she worked.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields is the host of Friday Fictioneers.
Tao Talk 
Delightful read. Nothing feels quite as good as a shifts end.
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Thanks, Violet! I had to whittle 175 words down to 102 and hoped it still made sense.
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At least nobody got a glass in the face during that shift
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lol true dat, Neil.
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Some shifts seem to last longer than others.
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Indeed, James (if you are Someone)
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I worked in a pub once, folk kept buying me drinks and the till didn’t balance at the end of the night, that was the end of my barman career!
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If the till don’t balance… Plenty of other outrageously difficult, underpaying jobs out there though. My mom was a natural for it.
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It’s a tough job for sure. (K)
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I don’t know how she did it for all of those years.
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There are many, many jobs like that. Those billionaires ought to be forced to try it for a few months (and live on the salary) before they are allowed to run for office.
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Amen
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I’ve never worked with the public for one reason…assault…lol. I don’t see how anyone does it.
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My mom was a natural for it. She had a personality that was very charming in public. She worked her ass off also. She also had to have to guts to cut drunks off who had had enough. She was a tough lady.
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My mom worked out with people as well…a dental assistant and waitress… her son would be fired/killed.
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?!
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Oh…I would end up getting killed by a customer
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Protecting her? My mom started bartending when she was still married to my dad, after she became friends with the door-to-door Avon sales lady. My dad used to go and watch my mom work and it drove him bonkers seeing other men looking at her. It was the beginning of the end of their marriage. Nobody ever seemed to give my mom any trouble that I saw. She built solid relationships with the regulars and they looked out for her.
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Oh no…because peoople get on my nerves and I would say something smart ass and get killed working in public lol.
My mom handled herself pretty well also. I can’t even imagine selling things.
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Oh ok, gotcha!
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Working as a bartender has to be a tough job. While some guests might leave nice tips, I’m sure they encounter many nasty folks, especially nowadays when aggression seems to be at an all-time high and people get into fights over the smallest of things!
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Christian, I think she knew how to keep order and civility in the bars she worked. She was really good at her job. She worked some tough places too! Many of them were places railroad men frequented, as my stepdad worked for the railroad and loved his drinks. There were his friends/co-workers.
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A charming story Li
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Thank you, Sadje.
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My pleasure
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I’m glad I never worked that particular shift.
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me too, Sandra!
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Yes, had friends who bar tended, hellish work. Well portrayed Li
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Hellish for some but she seemed to like it as it suited her personality. She got to spend more time with my stepdad that way also as he spent a lot of time in the bar :(
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Bartenders do work long hours! Great read! :D
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Thank you <3
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i feel the shift at the end. timing is everything. :)
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Thanks much, Plaridel. Nice double use of shift (at the) end :)
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That job would kill me. :-O
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In my younger days maybe, but never now.
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I can safely say NEVER — my tolerance level has never been that good.
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I think both my folks new how to mix drinks. One gramps had a bar set up in his basement. I never got into mixed drinks. I’ll have spiked cider, beer or white wine though. But not often. :)
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Such a clear picture you’ve drawn here! I noticed, too, that the lady behind the bar seemed worn to a thread. Good one, Lisa.
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Linda, thanks much.
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A tough and exhausting job. They all seem to know each other well. You created a great visual image here. Well done
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Laura thanks much for the feedback and kind words.
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Dear Lisa,
You’ve captured the atmospere, sight, sound and scent. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, thanks much.
Shalom,
Lisa
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Saved by the ding. She doesn’t have to go home, but she doesn’t have to stay there either.
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S
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