The Waiter by Bradleigh Collins (bill gates books recommendations .txt) 📕

The three of us sat there discussing Lucy and Kyle’s upcoming wedding. It was happening on New Year’s Eve at the Marriott Marquis overlooking Times Square.

“Where did you guys meet?”

“Madison Square Garden,” Lucy said. “At a Billy Joel concert.”

“How romantic.”

We stayed at The Bubble Lounge for another hour. Then Josh decided he’d had enough champagne. He suggested we all go across the street to the Tribeca Tavern to shoot pool and drink “respectable beers.” I was really starting to feel like a fifth wheel. I thought about calling it a night. But it was my last night in the city, and I wanted to spend as much time with Josh as I could before leaving. So I went.

When we got to the Tavern, Katie excused herself to the bathroom. Josh and I went to the bar to get drinks.

“You did good, cuz. Katie’s really cool. And since you called her and I didn’t, it’s not like I broke the two-day rule.”

“You are such a freak. And speaking of freaks.”

“What?”

“Dalton called me today.” I don’t know why I felt the need to tell him. Maybe I was tipsy from the champagne. Maybe I just needed his advice. Maybe it was because I couldn’t stop thinking about Dalton no matter how hard I tried.

“Holy shit,” Josh said. “Well, you know you guys will end up back together. What did he say?”

“I don’t know. I deleted the message without listening to it.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to be back in that place. Emotionally, you know. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive him.”

“Fuck him, Sam. He doesn’t deserve you. Besides, you’re gonna move up here. Once you’re out of his sight, he’ll be out of your mind.”

“God, I love you.”

“I love you, too. I’d offer to beat him up for you, but you know, he’s Thor and I’m more of a Groot.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

“That’s because you don’t read comic books.”

Katie was back. We got our drinks and Josh got quarters for the pool table.

“Give me some of those,” I said. “I wanna play something on the jukebox.” I was still feeling like the odd-man out and just needed a minute to collect my thoughts.

Josh handed me a few quarters. I walked over to the jukebox as he, Katie, Kyle and Lucy commandeered the pool table. I stood there, pushing the button and flipping through various songs. I was starting to get really sad. This weekend had been a welcome retreat from my depression. Josh was my comic relief, and I was going to miss him terribly. And even though I was excited about seeing The Waiter tomorrow, I knew that once our day date had ended, I’d be flying back to Atlanta and back to a life I was dead set on escaping.

I stood there at the jukebox, perusing song after song. Suddenly, there was someone right next to me.

“Hello, Red.”

I looked up, hoping it was The Waiter. But it wasn’t. It was Drunk Darryl.

“Hi Darryl,” I said, managing a smile. “Everybody’s back there playing pool.”

He leaned in closer. “You know, you look just like the Little Mermaid.”

“Huh?”

“You know, Ariel. The Little Mermaid. With your red hair and big eyes and all.” Darryl did not understand the concept of personal space.

“Um, that’s sweet, but weird, Darryl. Why don’t you grab a beer and I’ll meet you back there with the others.”

I just wanted to get rid of him. I continued flipping through the musical selections. Then I found it. I laughed out loud as I fed quarters into the slot and selected the song. I couldn’t think of a happier way to end my last night in New York.

I wandered back to the pool table and grabbed a stool next to Katie. I found out she was originally from Connecticut and worked as an ER nurse at Columbia Presbyterian.  She lived not too far from Josh on the Upper West Side. I told her the story about meeting The Waiter and confessed that I was getting a bit nervous about seeing him.

“What’s there to be nervous about?”

“I don’t know. What if he doesn’t show up?” I was starting to believe that our chance encounter and mutual attraction were too good to be true.

“He’ll show. And if he doesn’t, he’s a loser,” Katie said.

Lucy chimed in. “The good thing is that it’s a day date in a public place. It’s not like you’re waiting by yourself in a restaurant or bar.”

The conversation then turned to Josh and Katie. “So how did you and Josh meet?” Lucy asked.

“He impressed me with his karaoke skills last night at The Parlour.”

“Oh, if you think that was good, just wait until my song comes on,” I said.

“Why?” Katie asked.

“It’s a flashback. To our childhood.”

“What do you mean?”

“The only thing there was to do in our hick town was go to the roller-skating rink. This song was our anthem. Josh and I spent weeks learning all the words so we could sing along.”

The three of us sat there, sipping our martinis and watching Josh and Kyle play pool while Darryl annoyingly narrated every shot. It was almost one o’clock in the morning and I needed to head back to the hotel soon. I didn’t want to look like a total zombie the next day in case The Waiter actually showed up. I also wanted to take a shower before going to bed so I wouldn’t wake up smelling like smoke.

Then it happened. A cowbell, a conga drum and a high-hat cymbal. The thumping bass line of a familiar song crawled through the speakers. Josh immediately looked at me.

“Oh, no you didn’t!” An enormous smile spread across his face.

“Rapper’s Delight?” Katie asked. I nodded.

Suddenly Josh and I were eleven years old again. The pool stick became his microphone. He still knew all the words.

It wasn’t long before everyone joined the sing-along, which quickly turned into a dance party. I didn’t want the song to end. I didn’t want the night