Be Brave 1
I stood in front of the building, on the sidewalk, with my eyes closed. I feel the light breeze brush my cheek, and hear the noise created as it hurries some dry leaves down the street. But the rattle of the leaves is quickly absorbed by the louder and more aggressive noises that are often heard in any city in the early evening.
I take a deep breath and I tell myself that I am being needlessly ridiculous. Now, even though the anxiety still hasn’t lessened, I open my eyes. With those greenish- brown eyes, I looked at the building. It isn’t a new building, but I can tell from the architecture that it had to be less than 80 years old.
I shifted my focus to the sign above the solid wood door. “The Red Goblet” it read, in letters that were gold. Then, after the name of the establishment, a silhouette of a chalice, coloured red, was visible on the sign. Above the red chalice, balancing on its rim, sat the black silhouette of a woman, who, quite frankly, looked like she belonged on the back bumper of a rednecks’ truck.
“Time’s up.” I told myself. “We are going in.”
I lie in my bed, my mind replaying the events of the evening like a movie only I can see, projected on the back of my closed eyelids.
“This could be it, Sinead Ninebark.” I told myself in a whisper.
A week ago, I gave myself a pep talk. I told myself that I would be brave. I reminded myself that I knew what I wanted from life, and that I wouldn’t hesitate, even for a moment, but would hunt down what I wanted and live my dreams. No one could stop me from being who I was, or what I was meant to be.
I was lying on my bed at that moment as well. I thought about the most current job I held. It was the only job I had ever held. For the past two years, I worked as a waitress in a diner, located a block and a half away from where I lived.
I knew that it was a stable job, that it was a source of income, that I wasn’t treated badly there, and that the other staff were friendly. But for me there was more weight in the fact that I felt no challenge. I could do the job with my eyes closed! I also thought I deserved more money for the amount of work I did there, and if I was honest with myself, I really didn’t enjoy it. I wanted something that would make me happy.
Over the next couple of days, I worked really hard to think about it as carefully as I could, but no matter what angle I looked at it from, one thing was true, constant, and unyielding; I loved and lived to dance.
There is something you should know about me. Once I make up my mind to do something, I do it. With me, there is no half- assed BS; only slavish dedication. My train of thought left the station in this direction- I was going to be a dancer.
I decided I was going to be the best dancer in the city of Gravenlee. But first, I had to convince someone to give me a chance. I meditated on my starting point. I wanted to go as far up the chain as I could, while still guaranteeing my absolute success on the first try.
I did my research well. Over the next four days, I found out all I could online about the different clubs and bars in the city. I also made sure to case the joints in person. I learned who owned what, who ran what, and what the style of each place was.
In the end, my only logical choice was “The Red Goblet”. The Red Goblet was a newer business, so it had novelty on its side. But I also found out it was popular from some blogs.
When I stood in front of the building earlier this evening, I found the mob of people waiting to get in intimidating. But the fact that it seemed like such a bustling place was a good sign for their business. The manager and owner would want the best dancers to help the money keep pouring in.
At any rate, I was sure the place would be around for a very long time. For I knew that The Red Goblet was owned and run by vampires. Vampires had a reputation for being very good with money and very good at business. I knew that I had to work at The Red Goblet. I knew it with as much certainty as I knew my own name.
As I walked through the dark brown, solid wood front door, I knew that I wasn’t leaving this place without a job interview at the very least, if not a job. It was like the doorway was a transformational portal. The version of me that was anxious, doubtful and self-conscious that had walked to the door, emerged on the other side, like a phoenix, confident, determined and relaxed. I was in my power.
Walking with purpose, I carefully observed all my surroundings as I made my way to the bar, which was on the right side of the main floor. It was a huge bar and spanned almost the entire length of the wall it was along.
The bar was created to have a very “old world” feel. It was a dark cherry wood, heavily carved by a good craftsman, possibly it was his best work, and it was well maintained, as it had been polished until it gleamed. I turned my body so that I stood with the small of my back against the edge of the bars’ top. I had no intention of sitting on a barstool.
The bartender came up to me and asked me in a sultry voice if he could get me something to drink. I knew what he was doing. Turning my head to see his face better, I see that he is about average in the looks department, as far as male vampires go.
