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Thursday, December 17, 2009

Foot in the door 2

This continues a plot line from a previous post...

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It was packed. He'd never seen anything like it. It was amazing to think that this was just one pub among thousands on the North side of the city, and that in every one there were hundreds of shit-faced Dubliners doing the same thing.
Nate tried to make his way to the far side of the room where it looked to be less crowded. On the way he knock his luggage into every second person in his path.
--Watch where you're goin' yeh fuckin' eedjit!
--Sorry, said Nate. -- Excuse me. Sorry.
--Jaysis, why don't yeh just knock me teeth out!
--Sorry. My fault.
When he got to the other side of the lounge it was still jammers. He pushed his way up to the bar and slid his suitcase into a space along the wall. He noticed that Terry was behind the bar waving at him. Nate elbowed his way past a few more people.
--This here is Niall, said Terry, pulling one of the bartenders with him. --He'll fix yeh up with a pint if yeh wants one. I gotta go back an' mind the door. Good luck -- eh -- wha' was your name again'?
--Nate.
--Yeah. Nate. I'll catch up wit' yeh later.
--Howeyeh, said Niall. --Wha's the story?
--Well, I just got off the plane an hour ago and got a taxi out here. I was recruited by an employment agency to come over here, but it seems like the owner didn't know that I was coming. I'm from Newfoundland. It's a little place on the east coast of the country.
--Ah, yeah, said Niall. --So do yeh want a pint or wha'?
--I'd love a pint of Guinness. I hear that's the best reason to come to Ireland.
--Comin' righ' up.
He grabbed a pint that was settling on the pass and topped it up, then stretched across the bar to pass it to Nate. Niall was no more than 5'2. He looked shrunked, as though he had descended from a family of Guatemalan shrunken heads.
-- So yis are gonna be one of the lounge boys, are yeh? said Niall.
--I was told I would be bartending.
--There's lots of fellas tha' would like to get a job workin' the bar here, said Niall. --An' not sayin' nothin', but they're never so young as you.
--Give us a pint an' a vodka an' coke, said one of the customers from behind.
--Eh Paddy. This here is Nate. He's just in off the boat from Canada. Show him about, would yeh?
--Howeyeh Nate, said Paddy. --Wha's the story?
--I'm from Canada. I just decided to take some time off from university to do some traveling and see some of the world. There were these recruiters in my hometown getting people to sign up to work over here, on account of the Celtic Tiger and all...
Nate kept talking and telling his story. Paddy wondered to himself what exactly he'd done wrong and who he'd be able to offload this muppet on.

1 comment:

Anders Enochsson said...

Damn good story, I enjoyed it.