Celtic Night Read online

  “Hey, Jack!”

  “Hello Sarah. How was your day at school?” he asked, staying focused on the telly as usual.

  “It was great. Actually, Kiara asked me if I would go to Dublin with her and two other girls and stay with her aunt for a night. Would you let me go?”

  “I guess I have no problem with that,” he said. I was worried. He said yes so quickly and calmly without asking any questions. Was this to good to be true? I decided to go with it.

  “Really? Thanks you so much. I really want to go but I was worried you wouldn’t want me to travel to Dublin. Thank you!” I said jumping off the couch to give him a hug.

  “I mean we will have to figure a few things out but that sounds all right with me,” he said. “Oh wait, there’s one more thing. How do you plan on paying for your train ticket?”

  “I’m one step ahead of ya. Eugene offered me a job at the restaurant. Isn’t that great?” I said ecstatically. I left the room and shut the door behind me. I couldn’t believe he said yes, and I couldn’t wait till school the next day to tell the girls that I could go. I fell asleep that night with a smile planted on my face.

  I practically sped through my morning routine and ran all the way to the bank where I met the girls in the morning. I stood there fidgeting and antsy waiting for their bus to arrive. As soon as the girls were off the bus they could tell I had news.

  “I can go! I’m going to Dublin! Jack said yes, and my Uncle Eugene is giving me a job at his restaurant.”

  “Yay!” they screamed in unison. They jumped off the bus and we had a big group hug before heading off to school. Throughout the day the girls told me all the different places they were going to take me to in Dublin and about all the great shops. I was so excited to start working in the restaurant and to finally have some money.

  When Wednesday rolled around, I couldn’t wait to go to work. I changed into black pants, a black shirt, and black shoes at Biddy’s and arrived at the restaurant around four o’clock. I walked through the shop and in the back entrance to the restaurant. A man who I assumed to be the chef was standing in the kitchen getting organized for the night.

  “Hi, I’m Sarah, Eugene’s niece. I’m starting work tonight.”

  “Oh great. Welcome. Nice to meet you,” he said as I continued on through the kitchen and into the bar area of the restaurant.

  “My name’s Aiden by the way.” He was not too tall but not too short. He had short dark hair and was in bad need of a shave. He wore black cotton pants and a white chef’s jacket. He had a round figure and a large belly, but who could blame him, he did cook food all day. The restaurant was decorated with green and yellow walls, light wooden tables and chairs, and large potted plants about every five feet. The bar was fully stocked with liquor, beers, and wines. There was a coffee maker, two beers taps, and a mini fridge, which contained sodas and beers. Just in front of the bar was the waiting area, which had cushioned benches and chairs. I stood back to admire my new work place when two girls pushed open the sliding doors and entered the restaurant. They were wearing similar outfits to mine and I assumed them to be the other two waitresses.

  “Hi, I’m Sarah, Eugene’s niece-“

  “No need for introductions. He told us all about you,” the girl on the right said.

  “We’ll take care of you and show you the ropes. It’s a piece of cake,” the other one said.

  “Great! Thanks,” I said happy to be able to skip the explanation of who I was and what I was doing there.

  “I’m Catriona and this is Carolyn.” She was short and chubby and had a very friendly and inviting smile; however, she didn’t have the greatest teeth. Carolyn was about the same height and weight as Catriona and was very well groomed.

  “We’d better get started right away,” Carolyn said. First they showed me how to set the tables and properly fold the napkins. They showed me the key to the door and how to correctly clean the glasses. We also had to sweep and mop the floors. It was five o’clock by the time we had finished all that. They then showed me how to use the coffee maker and make proper breadbaskets for the tables. I learned the various drinks and I was told to study the menu and wine list. Unfortunately, since I was the rookie, I cleaned the bathrooms, but I didn’t mind. I was just thankful I had a job. Just before people were starting to arrive, they filled me in on last minute details like the music, the beer taps, and the flower/candle centerpieces that were placed on each table. I was extremely nervous and I knew I would forget something, but they assured me I would be fine. When the first couple came through the door, Carolyn handed me a pen and an order booklet and sent me to get drink orders. I happily greeted the couple and asked them to sit down while they browsed through the menu, and just as Catriona had taught me, I asked them if they were interested in having a drink before dinner. I headed back to the bar with an order for vodka and tonic and a pint of Guinness. I let the two girls make the drinks and I watched closely. As more parties came in, Catriona and Carolyn said that the first couple was the only table I had to worry about for the night. At times I was confused and slightly disheveled, but I made it through the night without dropping anything or messing up an order. It was a quiet night and everyone left by ten o’clock. The three of us cleaned up, locked the door and headed home. I decided to walk even though it was dark because I was hot from rushing around the restaurant. I slept soundly, exhausted from the first night of work; however, I could hardly wait until the next day.

  On Thursday and Friday night at the restaurant, I began to notice customers more than I noticed the work. I wasn’t slacking on being a good waitress, but I started to really observe the mannerisms of different people who dined at the restaurant. One man caught my attention. Judging by his hair color and the look of his skin, about sixty. He came in with three other men on Thursday night, the other three all much younger. They sat in front of the bar for some time, drinking and having a laugh. I first took their drink orders. After that, each time I went back to check on them, I noticed that Dr. Spain’s hands were shaking slightly. I watched him pick his glass of whiskey off the table and as he lifted it to his lips the ice in the glass rattled as his hand shook uncontrollably. When I came again at the table to take their orders, I noted that they picked and chose from the menu one by one. Dr. Spain ordered the duck.

  “Darlin’, Will you ask the chef in there to cut it up into little pieces for me,” he said like a mother would ask of their child’s dinner. As the other three men laughed, I thought he was playing a joke on me and I stood there, perplexed. I assumed they’d begin to notice my bewilderment, but they still continued to joke. I eventually showed them to their seats and brought them their meals.

  “Now Darlin’, will you please stay and feed it to me?” he said chuckling with the other men. I was again baffled and just laughed along with them. Later, I asked Carolyn and Catriona about Mr. Spain’s character. They explained that he was a doctor but he had had a stroke. “He comes in often with his friends,” Catriona explained.

  “Ya, but he is always making jokes as if he takes his condition ever so lightly,” Carolyn said. I was beginning to see what it was like serving the food as opposed to eating it. As a waitress, you do just as the customer says and must be polite and respectable at all times, no matter what.

  On Friday night, I waited on another regular, one who again struck me as very interesting. When he stepped into the restaurant I handed him and the man accompanying him menus and brought them drinks. As I mixed a glass of campari and orange, I studied him. Carolyn informed me that he was a very well known jeweler in town. Just as I had done with Mr. Spain, I also watched ‘Matty the Jeweler’ take the first sip of his drink. He slowly lifted the glass toward his extremely tanned and slightly wrinkled face and pouty lips, and with his lavishly jeweled pinky finger sticking straight up into the air, he took a small sip and set the glass back on the table. Every couple of minutes he would push a strand of his beautiful bleached blond hair out of his face and swing his head back d
ramatically. I enjoyed waiting on him that night because he was such a character. He too was a regular and Catriona noted that each time he came in he was with a different and younger man.

  Later in the evening, Eugene checked on me to make sure things were going smoothly.

  “I’m really getting the hang of this,” I assured him. “I will definitely be ready for the wedding tomorrow.”

  By the night’s end, I was exhausted and begged Paul to give me a ride home. If he hadn’t, I would have slept in the restaurant.

  When I arrived home, Aisling, Grainne, and Grainne’s boyfriend Martin were in the bedroom watching a movie. Both of them had come home from school and had left their bags on the floor. The three of them sat in a line on the double bed staring at the T.V., devouring bags of popcorn, bars of chocolate, and cans of coke. Martin was a tall and skinny guy with longish, dark brown hair that fell just over his eyes and he was constantly brushing it out of his face. They happily greeted me and we reviewed our week apart from one another. I hopped onto the bed right next to Aisling and finished watching the movie with them, also finishing off the bags of popcorn and bars of chocolate. They both worked in the restaurant on weekends and I informed them that we had to be down there at ten thirty in the morning to help set up for the big wedding.

  The next morning, we didn’t leave the house till ten forty five and we rushed out of the house down the road to the restaurant. It was all commotion as trucks arrived with the centerpieces, consisting of pink, white, and yellow flowers. Bottles of our house red and white wine flowed in, as did fresh kegs and bottles of beer, and someone had also purchased two new bottles of vodka. The tables were aligned in a shape that allowed room for people to dance, but they were still bare and were to be covered with fresh, crisp white linen. On the floor near the bar sat three brooms, three mops and three buckets. There was also a note, which read:

  Make those floor, and glasses shine so vibrantly that they could possibly blind somebody! I’ll be back to check on you later.

  -Eugene

  The restaurant would be filled with close to one hundred people that night and we had our work cut out for us. The chef was frantically preparing plates of beef, chicken, and salmon as James and Eoghan helped prepare bowls of potatoes and vegetables. A beautifully crafted three-tier wedding cake had been delivered earlier that morning and was elegantly sitting in the refrigerator.

  As I began to polish each glass in the restaurant one by one, Grainne and Aisling slaved over the floors, sweeping, mopping, and then waxing them. After we were done, we could see our reflections in every piece of crystal in the house and every inch of wood floor. Next we worked on the bathrooms, scrubbing toilets, shining mirrors and floors, and stocking up on toilet paper. Just as we had finished the bathrooms Eugene waltzed into the restaurant with his hand folded over his chest.

  “Not bad, ladies. Not bad at all,” he said. “Carolyn and Catriona are coming in at two o’clock and all the guests are arriving at four o’clock. You should probably start setting the tables now,” he said, turning around to leave. A second later he peeked his head back in. “And make sure that silverware is polished!”

  We didn’t respond and I began to wipe down all the knives, forks, and spoons, as Aisling and Grainne put a tablecloth on every table. We set the tables in only an hour and thankfully had a little bit of time to relax before people arrived. Aisling and Grainne grabbed lunch and sat at the bar. I went across the street to the house to say hello to Biddy and Mary. The house was quiet. Mary had gone downtown with Bill and Eimear and Biddy had just woken up from her afternoon rest. She sat at the table eating some of her very own brown bread and drinking a cup of tea. I joined her at the table and gave her an overview of the work at Eugene’s.

  “There’s a big wedding on today, so five of us are working. It’s going to be crazy at the restaurant.”

  “I’d say it will be crazy,” she replied.

  “I love cake though so I’m definitely going to steal a piece,” I told her jokingly.

  “Well, actually,” she said, ‘there are lots of old myths about weddings.’

  “Ooo, really?” I said in excitement because I knew she was about to tell me.

  “You won’t see this one tonight but in the old days, I remember seeing this at my auntie’s wedding, the bride and groom each took three mouthfuls of salt and oatmeal to protect themselves against the power of the evil eye.”

  “Wow, that’s strange! Where did they come up with that?” I asked. “It seems so phony, it’s just not possible that it worked.”

  “Okay. Well, how about this one?” she began. “It is said that if a single woman puts a piece of wedding cake under her pillow when she sleeps, she will dream about her future husband.”

  “All right Biddy, I’ve had enough of your myths. I don’t know about these notions!” I said getting up from the table. “I’m sorry but I’d better get back to work.”

  I laughed to myself on the way back to the restaurant. Biddy was always telling me about these different myths and stories. I wondered about their origins and what makes people believe in them. They couldn’t be true. I just knew it.

  Chapter 10

  The wedding party, excluding the bride and groom, were the first guests to arrive. Four bridesmaids, the maid of honor, four groomsmen, the best man and the bride and groom’s parents arrived around four fifteen, talking and laughing with large smiles on their faces. The five of us greeted them as they rushed to order drinks. People in groups began to rush through the doorway demanding drink and a good time. The music was loud enough to dance to, but quiet enough to talk over. So far about fifty people had arrived, and after the first round of drinks everyone loosened up and danced away. By five o’clock, the bride and the groom were in front of the restaurant. The guests stood silently surrounding the door as a man quietly played a song on the bagpipes. The couple entered and people began to cheer and shout and clap. The pile on the table that held all the presents grew larger and larger as more and more people arrived. I went into the kitchen to see how Aiden was doing. Well, let’s just say it wasn’t so good. He was rushing around the kitchen, lettuce flew through the air as he quickly made a couple of last minute salads, James was running around following Aiden’s hysterical orders, and Eoghan was stirring the soup which was beginning to boil over. I was too afraid to ask if they needed help, so without them noticing, I slipped back out the door and into the bar.

  At six, we urged everyone to find their seats so we could begin to serve dinner. At each table, depending on how many people it had, there were bottles of red and white wine and jugs of water along with a camera to randomly snap pictures. As soon as the salads were placed at each setting, people were in their seats. The bar was always crowded and the drinks were flowing. Clearly, everyone was having a good time.

  “Vodka and tonic please!” a woman shouted.

  “Three pints of Guinness and two glasses of Budweiser,” a man demanded after her.

  “Two more bottles of white at table three,” Carolyn told me as she whisked past the bar back into the kitchen. After salad came the soup and then the main course.

  “Since Paddy and Joe are staying in the pub, can I get their dinner?” one man asked me as I was serving. He had already finished his own.

  “Can I have more spuds please?” two men at the other end of the table shouted just as I was heading into the kitchen.

  Around seven o’clock, about half of the guests were considerably drunk and the lines to the bathrooms weren’t getting any shorter. As people ate their meals, Grainne, Aisling, Carolyn, Catriona, and I had a chance to sit down and breathe for no more than ten minutes, before we had to fill more water jugs, make more drinks, bring out more potatoes and vegetables, make chips for the children, and start whipping cream for the cake. It was hectic and tiring.

  “We better be getting one fat tip for this!” Catriona exclaimed before hopping out of her chair to go make chips. I laughed, but agreed and followed her into
the kitchen to make whipped cream. I went to find Aiden, to ask where the cream was kept. I found him behind the kitchen having a cigarette break on an old stool and was sitting breathing heavily out of exhaustion. He didn’t notice me standing near him.

  “The worst is over now,” I said getting his attention.

  “Hah! Thank God!” he said. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with a cloth he pulled out of his pants’ pocket.

  “I just wanted to know where the cream is stored. We’re going to serve the cake in about thirty minutes.”

  “All right, I’ll be inside in a second to show you,” he said taking a drag on his cigarette.

  Finally, after all the plates were cleared and James and Eoghan had washed and dried the dishes, Aisling and I carried the cake out into the restaurant and set it down on a table in front of the bride and groom. Suddenly everyone had their dancing shoes on and couples were jumping around the dance floor. I stood in front of the cake and whenever someone wanted a piece they danced on over. There were also pots of tea and coffee at each table for those who were not in the dancing mood. The newly married couple danced together slowly no matter the beat of the song, looking into each other’s eyes as though it was the first time they had danced. Secretly I put five pieces of cake onto a plate and hid them behind the bar for us to enjoy as soon as the guests were distracted by the music. I took a bite into my piece and quickly spit it out.

  “What the hell is this?” I asked the girls who were devouring their pieces. “Do you four have the same cake I do, because I’m having quite a different reaction to my first bite.”

  “It’s wedding cake. I betcha the two mothers made it,” Carolyn said.