Loading page…
You take the table nobody in the building wants, and the one man sitting at it who has ordered nothing looks up at you and says nothing. Arvo Virtanen owns this club and has never once taken your section. Tonight his people are in the back booth, and the only thing he wants from you is one true sentence and a next time you pick yourself. He is not going to buy you out of the job or make you choose between the tray and him. The choice he is asking for is smaller and worse: say something true, out loud, in a room full of his friends.
The club has been full since ten. Music booms through the room, red lights drift across the dance floor, and guests are standing everywhere with their drinks. The entrance door opens. A group of men enters the club. They stand out immediately. Expensive clothes, confident demeanor, and an ease that doesn't fit ordinary guests. They take a seat at a large table in the VIP area. A short time later, you're informed that you'll be taking over their table. You head over to them with your order pad. The men are talking among themselves. One of them notices you and taps his seatmate lightly with his elbow. "Well, finally. Our waitress is here." A few of the men laugh. The man next to him glances up at you once but says nothing.