When Astrid had told her mother she had a part-time job she had been pleased. The family weren't well off and putting their daughter through University was going to make the next three years even tougher but they knew it would be worth it as once she'd graduated the world would be her lobster. She'd then told her Mum it was at Red Door and the look on her face had changed to one of deep concern, Astrid hadn't considered how that would be interpreted and quickly added that she would be serving cocktails, and remaining fully dressed. It wasn't that her family were prudes, far from it being devout worshippers of Sessifet they had little issue with a more libertine outlook on life, just not perhaps when it involved their beloved daughter. Mum was now much happier and wished her luck for her first shift which would be tomorrow.
When the day came Astrid was nervous. She'd been given some very strict conditions in her contract and was nervous that she would accidently break on and lose this job before she'd even started. As she exited the bus at the end of the street she double checked her backpack and pulled out the list she'd laminated for herself. She'd written a summary of the key bits to remember and then sealed them in plastic to ensure she didn't lose it. "1. You must arrive via the rear door and not in uniform." She walked past the iconic Red Door, turned right between two buildings and found a iron wire fence halting her progress with a swipe card reader attached. Signs confirmed it was the staff entrance. "2. When reporting for your first shift use the intercom" She read from her card. She pressed the button and then when the polite voice came through she gave her name and almost instantly heard the door buzz open. She stepped through and then could see another door which said "Staff Only" and made her way to it, she tried the handle and it pulled open with ease. She entered a room where she was essentially penned in by a series of desks.
"Good evening Astrid" the man on one of the desks said and she recognised his voice from the intercom. "I'm Pavel, one of the security team here. We're going to get you set up and next time it'll be quicker. You bring the documents we needed." Astrid confirmed she had and pulled from her bag copies of her passport, ID card and the personal information form she'd been given." She handed them over to Pavel who inspected them and seemed happy with them. He placed them in a brown folder. "Excellent." He handed her an envelope of her own. "Empty it and check you had two ID cards." Astrid did, "That one stays in your locker during your shift, that's what you use to get in here. Its also what you can use to get your staff discounts, you know we get 15% of at the cinema?" He seemed genuinely thrilled by that. "This other one" he pointed to one that was held in a small clip on case, "That goes on your uniform while your on shift, it opens only the internal doors that are staff only most of the waitresses clip it to the waistband of their skirt" He next handed over a plain white blouse, black skirt and red scarf. "They should all be your size" he waited for her to check. "If they don't look good or feel right there is a storeroom next to the changing room and you'll find literally everysize going in there. You bring your own heels right?" Again Astrid confirmed that she had. "Nice, then you should be all set." He lifted one end of his desk which broke the entrapment Astrid had effectively been in until now. "Come on through" he held the leavered arm open while Astrid stepped through. "Your changing room is 2nd door on the right, a few other new starters are here already. Good luck." He said warmly. Astrid walked down the corridor and past a door that said "Male Changing and Lockers" and then as had been instructed the 2nd door was for the women. She pushed the door open. It looked almost like a school PE changing room only with much more comfortable looking benches. There were a host of metal lockers and Astrid checked them out, each was numbered and had a swipe card stuffed in a plastic pocket in the front. There were three others getting changed and apart from a polite "Hello" little conversation took place. She quickly put her uniform on and checked herself in one of the many full length mirrors that dotted the changing room. She looked fine but she wasn't sure the scarf was done correctly but that could be sorted later. She put her things in a locker and grabbed the swipe card and put it in the same holder as her ID which as suggested she'd clipped to her belt. She wondered where to go next and was about to ask when the door opened and a head appeared round it. A woman in her 50's with dark hair flecked by grey entered. She was wearing a trouser suit, red blouse and had on thick rimmed black glasses. "Astrid? Vanna? Ewe? Jana?" She named each of the girls checking their faces against a page held on her black clipboard. "I'm Helena, I'm from HR, any problems with anything my office is two down. I'm going to help you get to your department. Follow me." She held the door allowing them to exit, Astrid brought up the rear following the girl who had been named as Jana. The group made their way to the lobby of the building all the time Helena was pointing out little things to them like where the staff toilets where, how they could get a coffee during a break and such. Once in the lobby Red Door was a hive of activity. They had 30 minutes until the evening shift began at 4pm. Each day was split into two, 7am to 2:30pm and then 4pm til 5am. It gave staff on duty chance to just have a quick reset and tidy up and Astrid could already sense that the job may be more manic than she had imagined. Helena had them line up with their backs to the locked iconic red door. There was a clip clap of heels on marble as another woman joined them.
"Hello" Astrid recognised her from the interview, it was Harriet Morris the big boss. "I try and meet all new staff regardless of their role. I want you to enjoy working here but I also want you to remember you're the latest addition to a reputation that goes back 60 or so years. We have high standards and while we accept your learning it is important that you reach those standards quickly. Ewe you'll be one of our upstairs girls" Astrid could see Helena casting her eyes over Ewe, she was a tall long legged girl who would be one of the brotels sex workers. She was wearing a black corset with matching underwear and stockings. "Very nice, but maybe some kind of gown to put over, it will look more elegant on your visits downstaris. Speak to the girls and they'll help you. If you pop along to reception they'll get you up to speed." Harriet pointed to where several similarly suggestively clad ladies were gathering. "Jana and Vanna....oh that rhymes" Harriet beamed a smile at her own revelation. "You'll be in the restaurant. If you pop in and see Timo he'll tell you how he runs things........stop" she held an arm across Jana and quickly straightened her name tag that restaurant staff wore pinned to their shirt or blouse. "Better" Harriet stepped aside letting the girl proceed. "Astrid, you're over here, follow me." They walked without talking a short distance to where a long polished wood bar topped in marble was located. Already four black shirted barmen were busy filling ice bins, restocking fridges, chopping fruit and moving around bottles. "This is Astrid, Isaak help her get set up." Harriet walked away leaving Astrid with the barmen.
"Hi, you done this kind of thing before?" Isaak asked continuing to rhythmically chop limes and lemons.
"Never" Astrid replied.
"OK" Isaak sounded disappointed. "I'll keep it simple for you." he reached down and tossed a freshly laundered white apron to her and motioned to put it on. Astrid did so as her mentor carried on talking. "You'll find a notepad in the front pocket." Astrid found it with a pen tucked in the fold. "You go up to a table and write down the number. If you can't remember don't worry" He walked round the bar and over to a table closest to the bar. "Look there" he tapped with his foot on the ornate machined wooden leg of the table and there Astrid could see a clear but small number. "There is a pattern though." he pointed out that the tables were numbered clockwise starting from the bar but it got confusing in the lounge where there were clusters of tables and booths. "Write down what they want in terms of drinks, please tell me you have neat handwriting?"
"Very neat" Astrid said confidently.
"Brilliant, last girl we had it was like a spider had crawled onto the page and died." He returned to the bar and resumed his chopping. "You bring that to here and put it under that clip." He demonstrated the metallic strip behind the bar was infact a series of spring loaded clips. "We then make the drinks and put them down there" He pointed with the juice dripping knife to the far end of the bar where there was a large slab of marble with no seating in front of it. "We stick the drinks on a tray and put the order you have us back on. Take the front tray and deliver it to the table. Don't spill stuff, pick up any empties you see on your way back to the bar and put them in there." He pointed to a metallic looking door behind the bar, "Once it gets full the basement trolls summon it and off it goes, later they magic up clean glasses" He tidied up his chopping board and put his knife away satisified they'd be well stocked. "Be prepared to get stuck in because we might for example need to send you upstairs with drinks or pop into the restaurant. But the most important bit." He picked up a large glass jar behind the bar. "The tip jar. Everyone puts in anything they get given and at the end of the shift we share it evenly. You're the pretty, smiling face of the bar and people will hand you cash, sometimes quiet a bit, but if you're not bringing them drinks you'd get nothing, we're a team and a team shares.....you get that?"
"Fair enough" Astrid said and in truth it seemed more than fair, Isaak was of course right and if what Astrid had heard about some of the patrons and their tipping it should mean she'd come away with a good income on top of her wages which while not fantastic would be OK.
"Right here we go team.....cocktail time" A clock chimed indicating it was opening time and Harriet reappeared and quickly looked at the various departments, all that could be seen from the lobby. The cocktail bar's Isaak gave a thumbs up, the head waiter of the restaurant yelled to the Chef who yelled something back and then the waiter stuck his thumb up, Sergei grudgingly held up his thumb from the music lounge but perhaps most importantly was Ksneia who managed the working girls who were after all the man attraction. Ksneia quickly glanced round the handful of girls expecting clients and gave a thumbs up. There was a metallic scrape and Harriet opened the doors and pinned them back.
"Good evening" Harriet greeted the first guest with a smile. "Nice to see you again" she shook hands with the guest and could see several more people heading towards the door and waited to say hello. Once the initial burst of ten or so people had gone Harriet retreated to her office leaving the staff to take over. Soon Astrid was rushed off her feet and was slightly annoyed that the staff uniform policy insisted on heels. She quickly learned some new cocktail names, meet some of the regulars who seemed to like to chat a little and found the atmosphere rather pleasant. It could have been any sophisticated hotel had it not been for her two foryays upstairs where each time she'd heard the establishments main business as she passed drinks round a half opened door no doubt hiding the girl or clients nakedness. Soon her first shift was over and the tip jar she'd seen grow through the evening the team took into the staff room while the incoming team set up their own jar. There were four barmen and three waitresses and it was Isaak as head barman who took the lead in counting. "So we've $180 each, the usual $100 for the summer party fund and one phone number for Astrid." He handed over a piece of paper that had her name on followed by a phone number, the name Kova and "Call me for dinner". The team laughed, "Remember no dating customers ok?" Isaak said only partly joking. "Go enjoy some sleep for tomorrow we do battle with the hordes once again." He said as he handed each person their share of the money and screwed the lid back on the jar. Astrid was pleased with the money, it was more than she'd expected but she'd heard rumours that some nights staff could earn double that but she was sure she'd find out in due course. For now all she wanted to do was drop her uniform in the laundry as her laminated card instructed, put her street clothes back on and collapse into her bed back in her Halls of Residence.