Poor Little Birthday Girl

Twas the night after Christmas and all through the house, all the creatures were stirring, except for the mouse. Smart little bugger, too, otherwise the Vampires would've eaten him alive.

My 9 hour shift tonight felt like 18 hours. It was the night that wouldn't end. Nothing major happened, just a typical night full of drunks and dancer drama. I had to inform a female customer that is was not okay to give lap dances and take pictures, my bartender kept sneaking out for unauthorized smoke breaks and one of my dancers was celebrating her 27th birthday.

Birthday Girl started out her shift happy, perfectly coiffed and excited about the prospect of all of her high dollar regulars showing up to shower her with Birthday Cash. I allowed her to take more breaks than usual, as in my state it is illegal for an Entertainer to drink while she is in costume and on shift. As the night progressed, Birthday Girl got drunker and drunker and increasingly more morose. Only 2 of her regulars showed up and she wasn't showered with Birthday Cash the way she had anticipated.

By 1:00 am, Birthday Girl was crying into her drink outside on the smoking patio. Non-smoking laws suck when it's cold out, our propane heater only warms you up when you're standing directly underneath it. So there she was, shivering from the cold, too much alcohol and an enveloping depression, crying about the state of her life. Seems like whenever some women get drunk and emotional they decide to dissect their lives and almost always come to the conclusion that their lives suck out loud. Birthday Girl was no exception.

I sat with her for a while, listening to her rant about the state of her marriage, finances, job, age, school, children, lack of loyal friends, etc., etc., etc. I'm a good listener. I have the rare ability to sit and listen to someone speak, actually hear what they say and not interject with my opinion or try to shift the conversation to myself. I hate it when people offer to listen, then turn around and start talking about themselves. We live in a self-centered, narcissistic world these days.

I have found that just by listening to someone and actually hearing what they say is so much more therapeutic for them than trying to offer up some advice or empty platitude. So, I listened to Birthday Girl until eventually she stopped crying, stopped drinking and went home to her waiting husband. Birthday Girl is one of my favorite Entertainers, one of the few that I actually consider a friend. I felt bad for her, that she allowed alcohol consumption to ruin what would otherwise have been a special day. As far as drama is concerned, this was barely a blip on the radar.

I was short-handed on servers tonight, as one of the girls called in sick. Jane* had to work the floor by herself and she worked her ass off. It was frustrating for me that I couldn't help her, because of my back. She did a kick-ass job and was rewarded with a $56 tip on a $144 tab. I was so happy for her, she deserved it for running her ass off for that table. I am always excited for my servers and bartenders when they make good money on a shift. My bartender managed to make almost $500 even with all her smoke breaks. These girls, Entertainers included, work hard every day just to make a living.

It makes me so sad though, when I see them throwing away their hard earned cash on drugs and low-life men. Not all of them do, thank God, some of them actually lead normal lives and buy houses and support their families. Birthday Girl is one of the "normal" ones, I just wish she didn't drink so much.

As my day winds down to a close and I get ready to head off to bed, I am reflective of my own life......it's a simple life, just the way I like it.