Sky Villa Cafe

Nick gave me a smile that emphasised his boyish charm. 

“Have you gotten anything?” 

Nick asked, nodding towards the files scattered on my bed. I shook my head. 

The files here have the records of luciano’s men but none had enough information that  I could make use off. I stole the file from his office on the very day he let me go. I had been planning for revenge ever since then but the chances of actually getting my revenge on Luciano seems slim.

I know nothing about him or what to use against him. 

He’s like a ghost. Unknown to anybody. I don’t even know where he stays or the place he locked me up at because I was blindfolded the first day he abducted me and the day he released me. Neither do I know any of his clubs even when I know that he owns a fleet of them here in the city. 

All of his operations go by without anyone’s notice. 

His always the monsters who blend with people the most and Luciano is a dangerous monster. 

“It’s going to be fine. It’s only a matter of time.” 

Nick said. Leaning to place a kiss on my forehead. 

“Hey! What’s with the sour mood? Movie date?” Nick said, wiggling his brows. I giggled. 

“Hell yeah!” 

I said and I watch him walk out to my sitting room to set the movie up.

I followed, ensuring and assuring myself that I need to enjoy myself for now. 

Because the nightmares will return again at night. 

And I so wasn’t looking forward to them. 

My favourite moment before the Friday rush hour is the countdown to when the customers all come rushing into the bar. 

5…4….3…2….1….

And then the door bell dings signalling the arrival of a crowd that would leave me drained only to repeat the process the next day. And the moments that follows after the countdown has to be the worst ones of my entire life as a waitress at Sky villa Cafe and night bar. 

“Table two? who the heck is serving table two? Claire!!!!”

And the moments when my boss yells my name like that each time isn’t one of my best moments either. Tying my messy hair into a high bun and a customized apron tightly around my waist, I walked out of the dressing room and over to the counter where my boss was fuming visibly at everyone near his breathing space. When he saw me, his cheeks only flamed hotter. 

“You keep testing me Claire and I swear to God this will be the last time this happens”

I flashed Alex my sweetest smile.  

“You said that the last time too”

“I mean it this time” He gritted. 

“You said that the last three times too” I countered and he exhaled loudly, slapping a palm on his forehead before looking back at me. I still maintained the sweet look that gets him every time. 

“Table two! You know those men wouldn’t let someone else take their orders aside you, get to work before I change my mind!” 

“Yes boss!” I gave a mocking salute that earned me a glare from him before scampering away from him and over to the table where I was meant to serve. 

The whole room was rowdy just like every other Friday night at Sky villa Cafe and night bar. 

The business doubled as a cafe in the morning and a bar at night. Never could I  understand why Alex, my boss decided on such a business venture but I concluded it was either for the extra bucks or his love for baking pastries and experience as a barista.

Either way, the bar seemed to be everybody’s favourite place to rewind every night , most especially Friday nights when businessmen from all over the city converge here to drink out their stress from working all week. And that’s what makes it the busiest and most stressful day for me.

“Ha! Here she comes”

One of the men seated at table 2 said as I approached them.

“Nice to see you too, Mr Clement” I chimed. 

“I have told you countless times without number that it’s okay to call me by my name, how hard could that be?”

The man was the most outspoken of the men I served every Friday night, of all 5 of them.

They worked at a company a few miles from the cafe and were regulars long before I started working here. 

They all took a liking towards me because of a particular time when one of them got so drunk that he couldn’t drive home and I had to take the pain of getting him home In his car since it was my turn to close up the bar that night, not that I wanted to but because my house wasn’t far from where he stayed. 

I’m glad I did though, it earned me a spot at being their favourite waitress and that position comes with bigger tips. And they went on and on about how amazing I was because I didn’t take advantage of his drunken situation to steal from him. I was tempted to, but I guess I wasn’t tempted enough. 

I just wanted to get the drunk man off my back that night so I could go home and wallow in my misery. 

“And I have told you countless times that I am to keep everything professional with my clients inside of this bar” 

His eyes brightened with mischief as his ears perked up. 

“Does that mean we can both be unprofessional outside of these walls?” He licked his lips as he winked at me. 

I on my part only rolled my eyes. The man never fails to make a pass at me each time he comes here. And the fact that he is obviously older than me never seems to faze him.

Balding grey hair is definitely not my style but the man doesn’t seem to care.  

“Leave her alone Clement” one the men said before looking up at me with a smile and I returned his with a grateful one of mine. 

It was the man who got drunk the other night. And thankfully, he did leave me alone but not before sending me another wink. I just had to smile at his childishness. 

“I’ll take your order now”  I said grabbing the pen from my apron and writing out their orders on a paper one after the other. Once I was done, I left the table to get their drinks and snacks and returned to it to them in a jiffy. 

“I’ll be around the corner as usual, call me when you need me”  

“Oh we will” 

They all chorus.

i didn’t need to look to know who it was and so I just walked away ready to get the real thing started. 

From then on, I worked my ass off serving tables and going back and forth just like every other Friday night. By the time I was done and the last customer left, my ankles ached terribly.

“Close it up Claire and good work today” 

My boss said as he packed up and walked out the door leaving me to clean up the mess of the Friday rush hour. 

I was used to being left alone on a day like this to do all the work. The men at table two left a long time ago and my usual tip sat proudly on the empty table. 

This is the only moment from the Friday rush hour that makes me smile genuinely as I dip the dollar bills into my pockets while dumping in the trash and the other piece of paper that always comes with the tips. 

The bald old man never fails to leave his number with the words “Call me” on a paper and leaving it on the table along with their tips for me to see. 

And of course, he gives the bigger tips. 

When my work was finally done and the bar was clean enough to be a pastry and coffee shop the next morning, I closed it up and made my way home. 

And the moments when I walk home are the worst one of the whole day. My apartment was just a few crossings from the bar and the walk to it was the most excruciating and torturing thing to do knowing what was probably waiting for me at my home. 

Every night, there is nothing I dread more than going back home. 

Because I was unsure of what I would come across at home again.