Clichéd Dreams

Clichéd Dreams

Chapter Four

It was deep into the early hours of the morning before Roxanne got off the phone to Jeff. Her rage and ranting about her father had been over after a good hour or so; Jeff giving comforting support and advice as and when Roxanne needed it, and eventually her tears subsided. Roxanne hated crying in front of anyone – but Jeff had been her closest friend since they were toddlers, she didn’t mind if he occasionally saw her let out her emotions a little. The rest of their conversation had been mostly on Tony. Jeff hadn’t had a chance to explain what he’d found out from Tulip – the whore Tony had spent five months with for reasons Roxanne was yet to fully understand. She gathered her brother had taken pity on the girl; only a few years older than Roxanne herself. Tony had taken care of the girl, given her money when she needed it and kept her off the streets for as long as they were together – tried to get her back on the straight and narrow; but some things never changed. Though Tulip wasn’t a junkie and hadn’t been born into squalor, she was so rooted into her lifestyle that even Tony’s help couldn’t shift her from her trade. When he bought himself a place about an hours drive away, he offered it to her, as well – but she rejected his proposal. Since then Tony hadn’t been seen… Nothing really to do with Tulip’s rejection, Tony always claimed it was his work which kept him away from the others; though he became vague whenever asked details of employment. However, thanks now to Jeff’s visit to Tulip; they had something a little more concrete.

“Apparently he’s working as a bartender in some Casino near Ilford,” Jeff explained down the phone. “Took me forever to get a word out of her, though – she looked like she’d been through the works. Had a couple other girls in her place, too… all high as kites. Fuckin’ frustrating trying to make sense of anything they say, let me tell you.”

Roxanne half sighed, half scoffed, knowing that feeling all to well. “So how do you know you can trust what she said, then?”

“She cried,” was the simple answer. “I was there, what… twenty minutes or so? Just stood in the doorway, right – she wouldn’t let me in. Kept it direct and brief and used short words so she’d understand. Tony came back last weekend for a quick visit, a quick shot,” Jeff explained. He was always blunt and to the point – never held back, even when talking about someone’s brother shooting up could be particularly uncomfortable, he’d say it anyway. It was the truth. “He told her he had this job behind a bar in a casino. This new girl he’s seeing, her dad owns it or something; she got him in, see?”

Roxanne was quiet a moment, allowing the sting of Jeff’s words to subside before she continued, “so… Ilford then? That’s not so far… by car.”

“I have my bike. Well. I will in a week or so, maybe quicker, you never know,” Jeff replied; seeing where Roxanne was going with this. “But, I don’t know. Maybe you should just tell John after he’s calmed down a bit? I’m sure he’s as interested in seeing Tony as you are?”

“Hah, no… I haven’t even told him about Tony’s call the other night. Haven’t even told mum, you know!”

“Well… you haven’t seen her,” Jeff muttered.

“Still,” Roxanne intervened. “Tony said he’d call back but he hasn’t, yet…”

“Probably too high.”

The silence was a little uncomfortable. “Yeah… well let’s not say that, shall we? Probably busy, working in the casino. At least bartending is a… uh… sort of, like… steady job?”

Jeff laughed, “compared to what he usually does? Yeah, it’s like high heaven. So what you going to do, then, Roxy?”

“I’m not sure,” she sighed, leaning her back against the wall. She was sat on the couch, lights on low and already dressed for bed. Holding the phone to her ear with one finger, she rested her chin on her other hand; resting on her drawn up knees as she thought and sighed again.

“Roxy?”

“Sorry, was thinking.”

The silence prevailed again for a good few seconds. “I will sleep on it… see how dad is in the morning. Thanks for that, Jeff,” she finished.

“Anytime. Night, Roxy,” Jeff replied, knowing the conversation was over.

“Night.”

The morning after the night before. How you feel depends on what you got up to the night previous. For me, it was crying and worrying. Checking my phone, on silent, for missed calls, I sighed to find I had none from my brother. Not even a text.

I thought about Jeff’s advice. Should I tell dad about where Tony was? It would mean getting to Ilford would be far, far easier. Just for the weekend. I decided to send my brother a text. “Fancy meeting up sometime soon? Me and dad could come up to Ilford? Tb xXx”

The evening previous: music blared from speakers, bass vibrating through the walls and floor; a euphoric haze of alcohol and smoke throwing all movement into a blurry illusion. Laughter, singing, swearing met with the vocals from the song, turning the bar into a cacophony of noise. It all melded into the background for the staff there. The casino itself was through the great double doors down the hall and on the left, but in the bar – where the floor was open and full of drunken dancers, the music drowned out the sound of the slot machines. Leaning slightly against the tap, her other hand holding the pint glass under the pouring Stella, Joe glanced around, a fine bead of sweat on her forehead slid down the bridge of her nose. Her hair was a vivid colour, a mix between red and orange; contrasting with the red waistcoat which was standard dress code. Her hair was tied back, but in the heat of the night and what with it being incredibly busy, several strands had come loose, falling across her face slightly. Tossing her head to one side in order to move it out the way, her eyes fell on the customer she was serving; one of the regulars, he practically lived in the hotel upstairs. He was in every night, always drank Stella, and always stank of it, too. Thankfully, it was so busy tonight that there wasn’t much time to notice the smell. Joe mimed along to the words of the tune, how she loved it. The vocals gave her goosebumps. Trying to concentrate on the glass of beer, rather than the music, she finished the pint and placed it on the bar in front of the guy. Joe didn’t even need to ask for the money, the exact change was already there, waiting. Smiling, she put it in the till, and glanced at the clock. It was only ten to eleven. Ages to go. Why so busy for a Thursday night?

Standing by the ice bucket and fruit on the back bar, Joe caught her breath, the other bartenders rushing about making drinks and carrying handfuls of notes and change. A hand on her shoulder made her look round, and she grinned when she saw who it was. “Tony, you on break?” she asked.

He shook his head, “nope. Neither are you, come on, it’s too fucking busy!” He smiled whenever he spoke… maybe smile wasn’t the right term. It was more of a smug grin, a smirk, a glint in his eye that suggested he somehow knew something more than you. Even if he didn’t. Even if you knew he didn’t. The doubt was always there. It intrigued Joe, and it had been because of his smirk that she’d even spoken to him in the first place. Now they were lovers, and now he worked in the bar to her father’s Casino alongside her. There was still something about Tony she was not quite sure of. She’d only known him a few months, but she felt she knew next to nothing about him. “Yeah, two ticks,” she nodded, glancing over the bar to the row of waiting customers. Sighing, she pushed herself off the back bar and made her way towards the front. “Yes, what can I get you?”

The stream of punters, becoming more and more intoxicated with each passing hour, finally seemed to die down at around 2.30am. Last orders were called fifteen minutes later, and by twenty past three, the cleaners were moving in, allowing the bar staff a proper break. Joe sat at one of the tables, cigarette held low in her hand, resting her forehead on her other hand. She closed her eyes, pleased at the moment of rest. Scattered around the bar, the other staff leant against the walls, were sat down, or were wiping the bar down. Joe glanced up after a few minutes of pause, her eyes catching Tony reaching into his pocket and taking out his mobile, exiting the bar as he took the call. It worried her, the frequency that he would disappear to make a call or take one. She didn’t want to pry, but it was beginning to bother her. He’d snap if she mentioned it, claiming it was personal, private business. She could understand that, sure. But still… Taking a drag on the cigarette, she pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind, scratching an itch behind her left ear.

Two of the staff approached the table Joe was sat at, in a conversation already, they nodded to Joe as they sat down, then continued with their talk. Another couple at work. Joe despised the pair even though she, herself, was part of one. The guy, Lee, was known as being hot-headed and decidedly amorous; his partner, a young girl by the name of Millie; played the sweet act, but she was no different. They both denied seeing each other whenever questioned. Joe despised them both, but felt obliged to sit with them until she had at least finished her cigarette. Easier said than done; listening to their banter. Lee was on the phone, finishing off a conversation with someone; perhaps one of the Managers of the Hotel-Casino. “…That’s right… It’s Lee. L-E-E.”

“L-E-E, like they don’t know how to spell it,” Millie mocked, winking and smiling at Joe as if she was in on their joke as well. Lee waved a hand vaguely at her, no doubt a signal for her to be quiet.

“Yep, yep… Well you do that then,” Lee muttered into the phone, raising his voice and causing a few of the others to look up and around at him. It was something Lee did daily; sought attention, and it bored Joe to tears. She took another, extra-long drag on the cigarette; practically halving it’s length. She let him have his fun; and after a few more nods and ‘mmhmm’s,’ Lee hung up and pocketed the phone. He looked over at Joe, giving her a flash of his false grin, “what was that all about, huh? Lend us your fag?” he said, stretching his hand out. Joe obliged, more out of a need to keep him sweet than a genuine favour. He’d stated rather than asked, anyway.

Lee took it and stuck it between his lips in one swift movement, as Millie began to speak. “I’ve finally found a guy who’s more horny than you!” she exclaimed, as though it was some great, juicy piece of gossip she’d been bursting to tell him. Her words made Joe stiffen inside, a cold wave of embarrassment mixed with nausea.

“Fuck off,” Lee retorted, cigarette still held in his mouth. “That’s impossible.”

“No, I’m serious,” Millie replied, eyes lighting up eagerly at his reaction. “He wants in my knickers!”

Lee looked at her, taking the cigarette out of his mouth and resting his arm on the table. He exhaled and breathed it out to the side, “so do I. How does it compare?”

Joe couldn’t stomach it. It looked like Lee was going to keep her cigarette anyway, so she stood up and headed towards the main doors, just to get away from them. She rolled her eyes at the pair, glad she’d left before Millie had gone into detail.

The double doors were heavy, but she’d not seen Tony come back through them; it was as good an excuse as any to get away from those two. “Tony?” she called hesitantly, eyes glancing up and down the street among the late nighters, trying to pick out the orange-red casino jacket. It wasn’t long before she spotted him at the end of the street; stood by a decorative tree, cigarette in hand, phone to his ear. His head was down – obviously in deep conversation. Joe knew better than to interrupt, but she couldn’t face going back in there; for one, she’d have to clean; and for two – she couldn’t stomach the conversation in there. Joe lingered by the door, unwilling to light another cigarette, while she wrapped her arms around herself. It wasn’t cold, far from it, but this part of town wasn’t the healthiest, and the girl felt better if she stood like that. Her eyes constantly flicked towards Tony, while she tried not to look like a stalker; and before too long, he’d hung up his phone and was making his way back towards the Casino.

Spying Joe stood there, he headed for her, a slightly confused look on his face. “What’re you doing out here?” he asked, wrapping his own arms round hers, and planting a kiss on her forehead.

“I came to make sure you were alright,” she shrugged. It was the truth.

Tony scoffed and shook his head, “oh stop it. What do you think’s gonna happen? Big monster jump out from behind a tree? Eat, eat me up?”

Joe smiled, relaxing slightly into his grip, “well no… But… you know…”

Tony shook his head again, “bet there’s still shitloads to do in there, best get to it.” He let go of her and opened the door, allowing Joe to walk in first. He followed her in, letting the heavy door close automatically behind them. They headed back towards the bar, Joe grabbing a mop and Tony making his way through to the Casino. He Lee’s eyes met for a brief moment, but it passed. It went unnoticed by Joe, Millie, or anyone else there. Tony let out a sigh, putting it down to fatigue more than anything else. He could almost hear the ghosts Joe was scared of behind him. Glancing around, he could only see Lee wiping down the bar. “Prankster,” Tony muttered, shaking his head as he got on with the task of making the bar look presentable for the morning. “Another late night, I guess…” he sighed, thoughts on the phone call he’d just had. “Damn!” he stopped in the middle of emptying one of the bins. “Roxy…” he muttered, grabbing his phone from his pocket. About to dial his sister’s number, Tony paused. “What am I thinking… it’s too late. She’d probably be asleep. Tomorrow, yeah, I’ll give her a call tomorrow.” Nodding at his decision, Tony continued with his tasks for that night.

A/N: Sorry it sort of finished there, but there was no point to write more as it would carry over into the next chappie. Sorry it's been forever since I updated last... and this is, again, a bit filler-ish. This is to keep me in practice, I guess! :) R&R, please!

Wolfeh