Champagne Toast (3 page)

Evan

October 6, 2007

“
Hey man, you wanna grab something to eat?
”  Patrick, my roommate,
asks as he pulls on his hooded sweatshirt.

“
I can
’
t,
”
I reply, placing my leather watch on my wrist and straightening out my wool sweater so no creases show,
“
I have an in
terview this afternoon.”

“
Oh, yeah, at the bar, right?
”

“
Yep,
”
I nod.

“
Perfect place for you to work. You
’
ll get a lot of tips, dude.
”

“
I hope so, this school is so expensive.  I really need to make some money so I don
’
t end up in a huge amount of debt when I graduate.
”

“
I hear ya,
”
he nods.

“
Yeah, sure you do, Mr. Scholarship,
”
I tease, raising an eyebrow.

“
Whatever, man,
”
Patrick shrugs
.
“
It doesn
’
t pay for everything.  In fact, I
’
ve been thinking of getting a job, too.  Then, maybe this place won
’
t look like such a dump.  I can hire a cleaning service or something.
”

I laugh to myself, shaking my head.  Patrick is one of my favorite people
,
and frankly, I
’
m lucky that we were paired up as roommates when we first came to campus. But,
seriously, what college student
can afford to hire a maid for their apartment?  Were we any dirtier than the
average j
uniors at Northwestern?  No, I
’
m pretty sure our level of filth is normal.  But, Patrick comes from one of the wealthiest suburbs in the state. He
’
s used to being catered to, and I am the polar opposite.  I
’
m used to working
. . .
hard.  My family has always struggled and I know just how difficult it was for my parents to put food on the table while I was growing up.

“
Host a few less parties at our place and it
’
ll start looking a hell of a lot better, man
.” 
I smile at Patrick.  Aside from resembling a younger Brad Pitt, Patrick is also a standard genius.  His IQ is so high that Northwestern was banging on his door, begging him to attend their prestigious Un
iversity.  He’s what they call ‘
book smart
’
, acing his classes even when he skips them for weeks at a time
. 
Incredibly intelligent, yet lacking when it comes to basic common sense.  I
’
m the exact opposite.  I see right through the bullshit, I understand the basics on how to get by, but when it comes to intellect, I
’
m not exactly known for my grades.  I work hard to maintain my 3.0 here. In fact, I
’
m pretty proud of it.

Despite being so different, Patrick has become my best friend over the past two years here in Evanston.  I should hate the kid since he
’
s lived such a life of privilege and is oblivious to just how spoiled he is.  But, I don
’
t hate him, not at all.  We
’
re a good balance.  Even when I come home after working my ass off at the library and there are forty people in my apartment drinking all of my beer.  I know Patrick will replace it and I know he
’
ll kick everyone out if I
’
m in no mood to deal with it.  He
’
s a good guy.

And I
’
m not perfect either.  I
’
m headstrong and stubborn, moody and sarcastic.  I
’
m also guessing I can be a pretty big
buzzkill
for my carefree roommate.
I study a lot
,
and I
’
m not as spontaneous as he is
, because
my desire to go far in life hinges on the fact that I know I have to work hard for it.  Believe it or not, though, the only thing Patrick really hates about me is my love for the Pack.
Even though I reside in Illinois, my football team will always be the Packers.  I
’
m originally from Wisconsin
,
and this is simply something that Illinois cannot take from me.   Thank God, we can agree on our college team. We are both tried and true Northwestern Wildcats fans. 

“
So, wanna meet up after your interview?
”
Patrick asks.
He doesn
’
t really like to hang out by himself.
He bores easily.

“
Sure, I
’
ll call your cell
.” 
I respond, placing my wallet in my pocket and checking my watch one last time,
“
I
’d better go, man.
I
’
ll
check in later.  Wish me luck!”

“
Luck!
”
Patrick yells after me as I close the apartment door behind me.

Walking the five blocks to Molly
’
s Tavern, I
’m glad I dressed warm
.  The October weather has begun and the signature Midwest chill is now upon the campus.  I cup my hands together and blow into them, just as I round the corner and see the sign hanging from the tavern. 

The bell rings as I step inside.  It
’
s only noon on a Saturday, but it
’
s football season and th
e bar is already busy.  Wall-to-
wall college students fill the large Irish pub.  Can
’
t imagine why the manager chose this time to meet with me.  I walk up to the bar
,
and I
’
m struck by the young woman behind it.  She looks about my age
,
with a pale complexion and gorgeous deep brown hair.  She smiles at patrons as she takes their orders and quickly fills their beer glasses.  I sit down at the bar and wait for her to have a break before asking for the manager.  I glance up at the TV above the bar, distracted by a car commercial.

“
What can I get ya?
”
Oh man, that voice.  It
’
s gorgeous and right away I know it belongs to the beautiful bartender.  She has a tiny dimple on her right cheek and her eyes are a fascinating shade of hazel.  Her skin is flawless
,
with just a few freckles adorning the bridge of her nose and cheeks.  She
’
s stunning.

“
I
’
m actually looking for Vince.  My name is Evan Maxwell.  I
’
m here to interview for the opening that was posted in the paper last week
.” 
The young woman looks me up and down with a suspicious glance.
I can
’
t tell if she
’
s about to flirt with me or laugh her ass off.

“
Vince asked you to come down here on a
Saturday afternoon
in the middle of football season?
”
  Her tone is sarcastic.  I like her already.

“
I know, I thought it was kinda weird myself,
”
I shrug. 
“
Is he around?
”

“
He was, but I think he stepped out for a bit.
My name
’
s Kate.  Let me get someone to take over for me and I
’
ll show you to his office, okay?
”

“That’d be great, thanks
,
”
I nod, rubbing my hands along the oak of the bar.

“
Can I get you anything while you wait
,
a beer or something?
”
she asks, raising an eyebrow flirtatiously.

“
I think I
’
m smart enough to know it
’
d be very bad form to order a beer right before an interview,
”
I reply with a laugh,
“
although it
is
tempting.
”

“
It
’
ll be our little secret?
”
Kate asks, her words sounding almost seductive.  Suddenly
,
I feel I
’
m being tested, like I
’
m in the middle of a strange screening process.  Order the drink and you
’
re don
e — no
job for you.

“
That
’
s okay,
”
I grin,
“
I
’
ll just hang around here until you
’
re ready.
”

“Suit yourself.”
Kate looks relieved
,
and somehow I
’
m confident that I have, indeed, passed her test.

About ten minutes later, Kate walks around the bar and stands beside me.  Her slight build is curvy yet petite
,
and I
’
m drawn to her even more now that I can see all of her.  Immediately, I
’
m turned on by this woman and want to know more about her.  Is she single?  Does she go to NU?  Is she as into me as I
’
m into her?

“
Hey, sorry that took so long.  I
’
ll take you back to Vince
’
s office.  If he
’
s still not there, I can ask you the basic questions and let him know how you did.
I
’
ve done that before and he doesn
’
t seem to mind
,
”
Kate says, running her fingers through her thick hair.

“
Sure, that
’
s fine,
”
I say.  Kate smiles and leads me through the kitchen and the storeroom area of the bar. 

“Obviously, this is the kitchen
.  If you work here, you
’
ll be trained to know the ins and outs of everything, not just the bar out there.  Be ready to wash dishes and empty the trash. We all have to do it.
”

“
I get it,
”
I nod. 
“
I
’
m not above doing stuff like that.
”

“
Well, Vince gets pissed because he
’
s hired a few students who refuse to pitch in.  All they wanna do is pour drinks and hit on girls.  But, not every guy can be Tom Cruise in Cocktail.  There
’
s actually work to be done, ya know?  It
’
s not as glamorous as it seems
.” 
I can hear the sarcasm dripping off of her words, and I
’
m instantly smitten with this girl.

“
Understood,
”
I reply.
“
Are you a student, too?
”

“
Yeah, but not here.  I can
’t afford Northwestern.
  I go to Oakton.  Go ahead, tell me it
’
s crap,
”
she says defensively.  Her cheeks redden in embarrassment
,
and I regret the question immediately.

“
No shame in going to Oakton.  I
’
ve heard they have some really great programs,
”
I smile widely, trying to reassure her.  She lifts her head just a bit, tilting it slightly as she peers into my eyes.

“
Seriously, the world does not begin and end with Northwestern,
”
I say in my most serious voice.  Kate smiles, and suddenly, it feels like all the air in my chest has been compressed. 
Holy shit.