Chapter 1
"Alex!!" Ben shouted for the 10th time today.
Yes, I already know that's my name, there's no need to remind me every 5 minutes.
Nevertheless, I say nothing and just go to take another tray, already full and waiting on the kitchen counter for me to pick it up.
Today is extra stressful, because behind the door leading to the ball room, we have close to one hundred mouths to feed, but we just had to get short staffed right before the event.
Megg called earlier today saying she wasn't feeling well enough to help us today, Pat decided to resign a few days ago and Liz just happens to be studying for an exam.
It may seem like three people missing isn't a big deal, but it is actually half of our squad.
We managed to find one part-timer to fill the position for this evening, but we are still short handed.
I nudge the new girl while carrying the tray to the ball room, and tell her to take the other tray and do a round at the opposite side of the room.
She's nice and all, but it's clear that she's never worked at such an event before, so she needs a little push here and there.
I'm doing a few rounds through the room giving out the appetisers and drinks, coming back to the kitchen to take a new full tray, and once again to the ball room.
From time to time I feel somebody's gaze on my behind and have to make detours to omit unwanted advances of some of the guests, but I'm already used to this.
That's a given in this line of work. Those men clad in elegant suits and smelling like they used up the whole bottle of cologne in one go, see waitresses as easy prey.
Girls that need money will do anything to lack onto some big thigh, at least some of them, and they know it.
But there are also girls like me who do this only because they need to, because the job pays more money than sitting at the register.
Since the beginning of the banquet I've been feeling a particular pair of eyes drilling a hole in the back of my head. I've tried to locate the stalker, but with no luck.
There is also this one man, chatting in the corner with a few others in tuxedos, and each time I'm doing a round near this group, he intently stares at me, but does nothing more.
Maybe because there's a woman standing next to him. He has enough decency to not try to chat me up.
I'm just hoping I won't have any issues with any of the guests today. I still remember Pat getting in trouble with a man's date a few banquets ago. The woman was mad that her date kept stopping Pat over to ask for a drink, an appetizer, or way to the bathroom.
I don't understand why they don't see that we are all women, and if the man really has the audacity to ignore his date over a waitress, she should dump him as soon as possible. Once a cheater, always a cheater.
The only fun part of this job are the gossips. You knever know who you may meet or what you may hear on one of these parties.
Each member of the staff was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement before taking on this job.
Of course, it's not that we see or hear something we shouldn't every time we're working in a setting like this, but from time to time some big fishes drop by.
Today we're waiting on some fancy charity banquet, where they raise the funds to help children of the third-world or something like that.
I said 'or something like that' not because I don't care, but because it's the nth banquet like that this month and I just can't remember what each of them was about. I'm here to earn money.
I'm in the middle of doing another round between the guests, when someone pats me on the shoulder.
I turn around, and as I'm turning I feel my leg caching onto something and I already know what's happening.
It's the leecher that's been stalking me, he finaly decided to act and very maturely put his leg ou to trip me.There are cameras, but with so many people, it'll be impossible to proof anything to him.
I feel like I'm falling in a slow motion, but still can do nothing about it. My knees hit the floor hard, and all the wine I had on my tray, splashes onto me.
I feel like, and I know I look like a drenched cat.
