Happy Hour, Part 2

HAPPY HOUR
===========
By Blackbladder

PART TWO - DRESSED FOR SUCCESS
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"Hi.  My name is Norah.  I am here for the job interview?" Norah smiled,
trying to appear confident in front of her potential employer.

"And I am Monique.  Welcome to the Drôle Bar."  Monique replied, shaking
Norah's hand warmly.

"Is this your first job interview, Norah?" Monique asked, detecting the
anxiety in Norah's posture.  Norah silently nodded.

"You have nothing to worry about, Norah - I won't bite your head off.  Just
try and relax.  First, I will give you a tour of the Bar then we'll have a
small chat and a drink." Monique reassured the interviewee.

The tour followed, with Monique showing Norah around the building.  The Drôle
Bar included a stockroom, a cloakroom, as well as a cellar.  The bar owner
also showed Monique the fire exit leading out onto the back alley.  Monique
liked Norah's attitude as she was keen to learn.  Monique spoke of what her
job would entail, as well as the other responsibilities.  As the tour
concluded, Monique ushered Norah back into the main bar area as they both sat
at the counter.

"So what do you drink?" Monique asked while pouring herself a glass of
brandy.

"Whatever you're having." Norah replied confidently as she settled on the bar
stool.

"Do you have any questions?" Monique asked as she handed Norah a glass of
brandy.

"Yeah, is the job permanent?  What are the hours?" Norah asked while sipping
the brandy.

"The job is totally permanent.  As you are the first person to be
interviewed, the hours are up to you - however, I will need you mainly
between the bar's peak periods from nine to midnight.  Could you handle that
if you were offered the job?" Monique said plainly, watching Norah continue
to sip her drink.

"Yes.  I could." Norah replied.

That brandy is really strong, Norah thought to herself.  However, the brandy
gave her a warm, soothing buzz.  Suddenly, she began to feel uncomfortable
inside.  Something inside her made her feel uneasy.  Monique watched as Norah
fidgeted in her chair while taking another larger sip of her brandy.   

Monique then removed a pack of cigarettes and lighter from under the counter
as Norah continued to feel the effects of the alcohol wash over her.  In one
instant motion, she took out a cylinder, stuck it between her red lips, and
flicked the bic lighter to life.  With a flame erupting from the lighter, she
moved it towards the end of the cigarette and sucked deeply.  Noting the
smoke beginning to fill her mouth, she sharply inhaled, with the end glowing
brightly.  

Norah was almost oblivious to this act as she continued to feel a hunger
build up inside her.  As she drank the remainder of the brandy, she felt
unsatisfied.

Do I need another drink?, Norah asked herself, placing the glass on top of
the counter.

She looked straight at Monique whom was sucking deeply on a fresh cigarette,
surrounded in a cloud of smoke, her eyes wide and alert.  As she removed the
cigarette from her mouth, she opened and a ball of smoke rolled on her
tongue.  Still feeling the effects of the brandy, Norah watched with
intrigue, almost hypnotized by the smoke as it was sucked down Monique's
throat and into her starving lungs.  Monique leaned over the counter towards
Norah, pursed her lips and exhaled a cone of smoke into her face.  

Norah coughed slightly as the second-hand smoke splashed over her face.  When
she breathed in the smoke, the uneasy feeling in her stomach decreased
momentarily.  As Monique inhaled once more, Norah's sudden cravings grew more
intense and she found herself hoping for another cloud of smoke blown in her
direction.  Her desire was satisfied as Monique exhaled once more.  This
time, Norah expected the smoke, and breathed in the toxins deeply.  She noted
her anxiety dip once more as the smoke filled her lungs.  

Monique was amused at the changes going on inside Norah as she pushed the
pack of cigarettes towards the girl.  Once the smoke had faded, the cravings
became relentless.  

"It's ok.  Help yourself to one." Monique spoke calmly, smoke rolling out of
her mouth as she tapped her cigarette into the ashtray behind her.

Norah complied with the cravings' demands, and picked up the pack of
cigarettes and removed a cork-tipped cylinder.  Despite having never smoked
before, her cravings were like an inner voice, coaching her on what to do
next.  Following her 'instructions', she placed the cigarette in her mouth
and flicked the bic lighter to life, the flame enticing.  Monique watched on
with envy as Norah rose the flame to her cigarette, smoke beginning to curl
from the tip.   Norah instinctively inhaled - the tip glowing red as she
returned the lighter on top of the cigarettes.  As smoke billowed from her
nostrils, the cravings exhorted her to inhale once more, which Norah did, and
felt a wave of pleasure crash over her.  Eventually removing her cigarette
from her mouth, she basked in the nicotine intake.

"This is wonderful!" Norah sighed as the pleasure flowed through her body.
She now felt so relaxed as the cravings began to subside.

Monique was so absorbed by Norah's smoking induction, that she forgotten
about her own cigarette for a second.  After tapping it against the ashtray,
she moved the glass item onto the counter for the two of them.  

"I know.  So when can you start?" Monique smiled, taking another deep drag of
her own cigarette.

"Whenever you want me!" Norah replied, as she tilted her head and released a
plume of smoke towards the ceiling.

"You can start after you've finished your cigarette.  Now tell me, is that
your first cigarette ever?" Monique inquired

"It is....but it won't be my last!" Norah laughed as she admired the cylinder
between her fingers.

"I was never interested in smoking.  But after watching you smoke, I just
felt compelled to give it a try.  This is a strange day." Norah said, tapping
her cigarette into the ashtray.

"Yes, you have done quite a few firsts in your lifetime today.  Hopefully,
there will be a few firsts I can introduce you to in the course of your
employment with me." Monique replied confidently, sucking deep on her
shrinking cigarette filter.

Exhaling towards the bar lights, Monique changed the topic.

"I am looking to promote my bar by any means.  Do you know of anyone's
birthdays coming up, or of some celebration?" Monique asked.

"Come to mention it, my college friends have told me their rector is looking
for a venue for the night." Norah complied, as she inhaled sharply on her
cigarette.

Monique nodded approvingly.  Not only had she had her first smoking employee
on board - she now had a chance to make an immediate profit.

"So tell me more about this college..." Monique as she offered Norah her
second cigarette in her life after grinding out her first in the ashtray.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mom, I'm home!" Pamela shouted as she walked into her family's household.

"We're through in the kitchen!" 

She followed the voice through to see her parents in conversation with
another woman she recognised immediately.  

"Hi Rosemary." Pamela smiled as she greeted the guest.

Rosemary was a friend of the family, as well as Kirsten and Andy's official
Quit Smoking motivator.  She worked at the local health clinic, and ran a
successful Smoking Cessation Support Service.  Rosemary had a great record of
success in people giving up the habit.  

"So how do you think my folks are doing at present?" Pamela teased Rosemary
as her parents donned their coats, preparing to embrace the winter chill.

"They are doing really well! Your parents have not smoked today.  They are
making progress." Rosemary replied confidently.

"Rosemary is taking us out tonight for a drink to celebrate us doing well.
Remember and lock up behind us.  We will be back late so don't wait up."
Kirsten instructed, as she put her gloves on.

As Pamela kissed her parents on their way out, she locked the front door
behind them and observed the objects on the hall table beside her.  

She picked up a pile of mail and began scanning through to see if any letters
were for her.  Unfortunately, they were all for her older sister, so she
placed the pile back on the table.  Pamela also picked up a small business
card lying next to the phone.

The card read “Drôle Bar Happy Hour Drinks Half-Price between 11pm and
midnight”.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thanks very much Sasha!  If it wasn't for you playin' your music loud, we
wouldn't have been thrown out of your house!" Hazel exclaimed to her friend
as they walked along the streets of Westfox.

"There isn’t enough room to practice our cheerleading routines in there
anyway, so lay off her!" Sasha's colleague, Mandy, barked back at Hazel.

"Come on, no point arguing about it now.  It's done...what on earth do we do
now?" Christine reasoned.

"We've been kicked out of our homes for the night because we've made too much
noise.  Just a pity the college didn’t let us use their hall." Isabelle
sighed.

"We've gotta think of something coz our deadline is tomorrow.  The basketball
team play their match on Friday night!" Hazel said.

As the girls walked down the street talking about possible solutions, Hazel
heard someone call her name.

"Hazel!  Over here!" 

The girls followed the shouting into a deserted public playground and were
met by a group of boys who were all smoking.  

"What you want, Darren?" Hazel questioned to her former boyfriend, the
ringleader of the group.

Hazel and Darren were a couple until he was kicked out of college for
drinking on campus.  Darren was very outspoken and loud-mouthed, and his
friends followed him like sheep.  

"Where is that music coming from?" Isabelle asked, hearing the sound coming
from nearby.

"My mate Tony brought along his CD player. You gals wanna hang out?" Darren
replied as he pulled heavily on his cigarette.

Hazel waved the smoke away as Tony exhaled purposefully at his former
girlfriend.

"I don't think so..." Hazel stated before Sasha intruded.

"Look Hazel - an empty playground with the Park lights around us...and
they've got a CD player.  This is our chance....and we are desperate!" Sasha
said.

Hazel detested the idea of being around her ex-boyfriend and his butch
smoking thugs, but knew that the Cheerleading Squad had no other options but
to use the tools at their disposal - no matter what the cost was.

"Emm... Darren - if we hang with you and your mates, can we use that CD
player?" Hazel asked

"Sure you can but there's somethin you've gotta do for me." Darren replied
smugly, exhaling another stream of smoke towards the night sky.

"What?" Hazel barked in frustration.

"Me and my friends are needin some booze.  If one of your chicks would go get
us some, the CD player is yours." Darren offered.

"Fuck you - get your own booze! let's go!" Hazel retorted - she was glad
Darren was her ex.  Only apart, she could see him for what he really was - a
waster!

"Hey guys - I'll go get your drink." Christine said quietly.

"Cool. There is a bar at the end of this street.  We've walked by there and
noticed the back door of a bar is lyin open with crates of booze just sittin
there gettin cold.  All you have to do is go down the back of the alley,
stick your head around the corner and nab a few bottles. Easy." Darren stated
as took a final drag of his cigarette, grinding it out violently on the
pavement.

"So friggin easy, why don’t you get your mates to go do it? Why us?" Hazel
said, trying to defend her friends.

"It's a trade - you chicks get what you want and we get what we want." Darren
smiled.

Without saying a word, Christine walked off down the streets into the
distance as Darren's friends laughed and smoked furiously.

Christine crossed the street and saw the illuminated sign of the bar, Drôle.

Noticing the dark alley around the corner, she tred slowly into the darkness.
Christine followed a light originating from a side door at the back of the
bar.  

Her heartbeat racing, Christine peered through a gap in the door to see no
shadows or movements.  As Darren claimed, there was a crate of vodka bottles
resting against the inside of the back door.  After thinking over her
actions, she snuck inside the back door and grabbed a few bottles of the
vodka.  Christine noticed pinholes on the bottle caps of the bottles in her
hand.  The whole crate of bottles also had pinholes stabbed in the caps as
well.  

Strange, but at least it will satisfy Darren, Christine thought

"What do you think you're doing?"

Christine froze instantly, contemplating the worst scenario.  As she looked
up, she saw a woman standing behind the crates squinting her eyes straight at
the cheerleader.  The dark-haired woman raised her smoldering cigarette to
her lips and sucked on the filter.  Removing the cigarette, she inhaled,
pursed her ruby red lips, and released a lazy stream of smoke directed
towards Christine.

"I'll put them back..." Christine offered, wishing she had never agreed to
Darren's proposal.

"Just go.  Don't let me see you around here again!" The woman exclaimed.

Christine ran away from the bar, still armed with the bottles of vodka.

Monique smirked, smoke escaping from her nostrils,  as Christine ran into the
distance.

"So are you chicks goin to give us a dance?" Darren teased the cheerleaders.

"We need to rehearse our routine - promise you won't laugh." Isabelle replied
as she placed the music CD into the player.

Darren and his friends just laughed at the very thought of girls dancing in
front of them.

"You boys need to grow up!" Hazel moaned.

"I'm back...I got these!" Christine said as she returned to her friends.

"Oh you're a lifesaver!" Darren shouted as he took the bottles of vodka from
Christine, who panted heavily after her run.

"Right girls, get in position..." Isabelle declared

"Hey Hazel, why don’t you and your friends have a drink with us before you
start?" Darren pleaded as his friends sniggered childishly.

"We don't have much time here. We've got more important things to do apart
from getting wasted!" Hazel replied.

"Come on Hazel - just one drink then we will let you chicks strut your
stuff!" Darren begged

"I suppose one wouldn't hurt." Hazel heard Sasha whisper out loud.

"Okay Darren - you win. Just one drink..." Hazel huffed as the girls walked
over towards Darren's friends around the swings...

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