บท 29: Frustrated
"For the tenth time," Sophia said to the annoying man on the phone, "It's ten bottles of Chardonnay and five bottles of four cousins."
"Then why does it say-- Oh"
Sophia felt her jaw from how much she was clenching it. These people always messed up her orders. She was thinking that she'd have to change suppliers soon because this couldn't continue to go on like this.
Yes, Sophia had a bar called Starlight. She opened it not long after she moved to Chicago, this place was like her baby, that she had nurtured from the very beginning. It was a place that gave her purpose and a whole new meaning to life. She loved every part of the business, she most especially loved the open mic night.
Since the halt in her career, she decided that she might as well be singing in an open bar.
"Oh what?" Sophia asked
"I was okay.... ten bottles of Chardonnay and five bottles of four cousins."
"My order sheet was made out correctly, wasn't it?"
The man cleared his throat "Well...."
Sitting at the desk in her small office, Sophia rubbed at the headache even worse now starting to act like it might turn into a migraine if she didn't somehow handle it quick and fast. She stared blankly at the wall.
"I might have been reading it incorrectly," the man finally admitted.
"You're always reading my orders incorrectly and it's affecting my business here," Sophia said with a loud voice.
"You do realize you've wasted an hour of my time right?"
"Yes well it was a mis-"
"Even after I repeatedly told you over and over again? Do you have a problem with your eyes? Is that it? You really need to get them checked."
"I am very sorry ma'am"
Sophia gave a tight shake of her head and rubbed it once more, "If this issue comes up again, I'm going to have to change suppliers. Have a good day sir."
She cradled the phone on the base and sighed.
"All sorted out then?"
Sophia did all she could not to roll her at at David. He post it from where he stood leaning at the doorway of her office, clearly he had been standing there listening for a while. She really needed to start closing the door.
"It's fine," she said.
"Ah."
At his tone, she glanced up from her desk to look at him frowning , but not looking directly at her. "What, David?"
The brown-eyed, dark hair man was tall, lanky and by all means handsome if you asked any of the girls working in the bar. David didn't lack where female attention was concerned. He also worked as the manager of her bar.
He just....didn't interest Sophia.
"You're still pissed about the fact that I asked you out, huh?" he asked.
"Sorry Sophie I don't really know how to take no for an answer and uhh since it's making you uncomfortable I'm just going to stop. so we good?"
Sophia softened up a bit, "It's not you.."
"Really?" he asked
Sophia laughed softly, "Really it's not you. It's just work, David. I'm not interested in it being anything else and how much more do I have to reject you before you finally take no for an answer, it's like you're a glutton for punishment."
David grinned, "You know what they say, no pain, no gain."
Sophia cocked a brow. "And you're not my type."
"Then what exactly is your type?" he asked.
Tall.
Dark.
Mysterious.
Handsome.
A guy who prefers to walk his dog down a beach.
Not at all related to work.
Sophia settled on saying, "Not you, David."
David held a hand to his heart and mockingly said "Ouch"
"Yep"
The man shrugged, "Your loss then."
Sophia highly doubted that.
The ringing of her phone saved her from needing to reply to David. With a flick of her wrist she told him to go.
"Before I go, the man said he would be here tonight"
Great.
Sophia wasn't entirely sure how she felt about her manager giving an okay to one of the people from a gang to run their business once in a while in her bar. Chicago had always been notorious for their crimes and the underworld. She wasn't stupid, she heard the whispers about the mafia. Sophia thought that so far she turned the other cheek and mind her business then she would be okay.
The plus side was that since they used her bar to run their dealings once in a while, they offered her bar protection, no one had robbed from this place since they started using here. Although she couldn't say the same for other establishments that were around her. Also, the guy did keep a low profile not to cause any trouble.
"Ok thanks for letting me know and please close the door." she told David as he turned around to leave.
She picked up the phone and answered, "Yeah, Sophia here. What can I do for you?"
Her office phone was a different number from the main club—it was used for business purposes, and the employees. Nothing more, and nothing less. She didn't have to answer the phone with an introduction to the club first, which she liked. And yet, she could still have main calls to the club transferred straight through to her number if needed. It all worked.
"Sophia, shit. I am so sorry"
Sophia frowned at the sound of Emma's voice at the other end of the call. This was not who she expected to call and her worry picked up a notch.
"Emma, aren't you supposed to be rehearsing. You got a special tonight."
"Yeah....about that."
Oh, no.
Haven knew what was coming and she also knew it was sometimes unavoidable. Things came up- unexpected stuff.
But it sometimes made for a rough night.
"I got a call from my daughter's school that she was suddenly running a fever." Emma said. "And then before I got to the school she had started puking all over, so I decided to bring her to the clinic"
"I'm sorry" Emma apologized again. "I know you've been running ads for my special all week and that it's supposed to be a big night for the bar but I don't think I would be getting out of the clinic anytime soon."
"That doesn't matter, I'll handle it. Just focus on your daughter and make sure she gets better. Alright?" Sophia said.
After a quick goodbye to Emma, she thought about how she would be able to handle it. She really did pay a lot of money for those ads and a lot of people were coming to see Emma perform this evening.
She couldn't just send people back especially when they've paid a great deal for tickets.
She knew she had no choice.
She would have to sing tonight.
Sophia glanced back at the guitar that sat behind her shelf that hasn't been touched for a few months.
It had been a while since she performed for a little crowd.
Probably for the best, It ws probably the best way to get rid of a headache.
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