The Sweet Edge Read Free

customers stopped coming in, the job was done.
    "How do you think tonight went?" Kelly looked flushed.
    "Everything went smoothly. Why?"
    "Heard from a source that Jessica might be taking some leave. Some medical disorder."
    Jessica was the stern manager who liked to hustle even more than Kelly. "You planning on taking her spot?"
    "Planning. Hoping." Kelly smiled ruefully.
    "Well, hope you get it. If that's what you want."
    "It's what I want. Running a restaurant. That's what the fancy degree is for." Stella knew Kelly had attended Cornell. Stella was doubtful that an Ivy League education was needed to run a restaurant but in Manhattan you needed any edge you could get to survive.
    "Well, I'm done. There's a party to go to but I'm ready for bed."
    "You look frazzled. Get a drink why don't you. Can't beat half price drinks." Every employee at Lola's was allowed to drink at a discount.
    "Not a bad idea."
    Stella headed to the long, softly lit bar. "Hey, Carlos. Can I get a vodka and grapefruit?"
    "Stella!" Carlos held his arms out and yelled.
    "Very funny. If I had a nickel for every Street Car Named Desire reference…"
    "I know. You would have ten cents."
    "Ha. Try five bucks. Give or take." Stella smiled.
    "You look beat. What kind of vodka do you want?"
    "Doesn't matter." Stella nudged herself into the high, modern bar stool.
    "The kind of vodka always matters."
    Stella turned. "Oh, it's you. Mr. Vodka Tonic."
    Campbell bristled slightly. "Yes, that was me. I'm working on Midori Sours now. But may I suggest a good vodka for your drink?"
    Stella pursed her lips. "Hey Carlos."
    "Yeah?"
    "What's the cheapest vodka?"
"Smirnoff."
    "Is it good?"
    "Mediocre."
    "I'll have that."
    "One Smirnoff and grapefruit coming up." Carlos started whistling Singin' in the Rain.
    "You're making a mistake." Campbell was staring into his glass.
    "Well, I'm poor. Struggling writer. Cheap is good because it means I can pay my overpriced rent."
    "I'm not poor." Campbell looked up and looked momentarily youthful.
    “Good for you.” Stella ran her hands through her hair and took off the oversized earrings. Carlos set a squat glass in front of her, bottle green. Stella took a sip.
    “How is it?” Campbell was still staring at her and Stella suddenly felt self-conscious.
    “Perfect.” Stella took another sip and swiveled her body to the left, away from Campbell and his dagger eyes.
    “No it’s not.”
    Stella sighed. “I like it.”
    “No you don’t.”
    Stella felt her weariness and impatience snapping. “Who the hell are you and why are you sticking your nose in my business? I’m off work so I don’t have to be nice to you anymore.”
    Carlos looked up, smiled and continued stacking silver shakers. Campbell looked back down at his drink. He looked chastised.
    Campbell held up his glass. “Another one please.”
    “It was last call 15 minutes ago.” Carlos looked at Campbell with a small smile.
    “You served her.” Campbell jerked his thumb at Stella.
    “She works here.”
    “Double standards.” Campbell gulped the rest of the liquid in his glass.
    “Just how many have you had?” Stella was curious.
    “I don’t know. Eight, nine or ten.”
    “Nine.” Carlos sat the bill in front of Campbell.
    “What a bargain! It only cost me $146.00 dollars to get kind of drunk.” Campbell handed a black American Express to Carlos. “I suppose you’re going to want a nice big tip.”
    Carlos slid the card on the cash register. “That would be nice. Yes.”
    “Do you think you’ve earned it?”
    Carlos hesitated. “Ye…Yes.”
    “That doesn’t sound confident. Tell you what. I’ll leave what you think you are worth. How much should I leave you?”
    “This is crazy.” Stella could feel anger rising in her.
    “Tell me how much you’re worth?”
    “Twen…”
    “I couldn’t quite hear that…did you say twenty? So you’re worth twenty percent? You could have had fifty percent. If you had asked.” Campbell pulls a twenty out