The Hollywood Waitress

Chapter 11

The smell of Tender Poison curdled my stomach as the taxi sped along sunset strip.

And poison it was!

In the midst of me choking from Poppy's annoying habit of always overdoing it with the spray and Josie (the new waitress) applying her trillionth layer of Barry M, let's just say Poppy's idea of a 'forget the last twenty-four hours and party like a trooper' night out wasn't exactly blowing my mind.

To top it off I wasn't entirely sure if I liked her (Josie I mean), she was way too familiar for my liking, a right little 'Miss know - it - all', and the fact that she put Malibu Barbie to shame didn't help matters either.

But I figured if Poppy liked her she couldn't be all that bad, so I decided to keep an open - mind.

'Enough perfume already!' I coughed, 'You two smell like a couple of high class hookers!'

Poppy's face was lit up and it was a joy to see her glowing again, such, a --contrast from a few, days - before at the café.

Turns out, Mark hadn't suffered a heart attack after all.

Apparently it was angina, something that had been brought on by too much exercise.

Obviously, I didn't get the chance to mention the prospect of a sabbatical in the end and even though I was no longer on the rota at the café, I still hadn't officially resigned.

Something Jason would be very unimpressed by.

'Jen, you do realize Barracuda is filled with eligible bachelors don't you?'

'You know my thoughts about guys in clubs, Poppy.'

'Yes but don't you think it's time we hang out with interesting people for once? Guys who actually know how to, have fun, you know, the affluent kind.'

She took a long swig from the miniature vodka bottle she managed to conceal under her make up bag from the cab driver.

'You mean rich.'

'Oh do me a favor and down this will you,' she forced the bottle into my hand, 'it'll help you relax, Lord knows you need to.'

She had a point.

'Anyway,' I said, struggling to swallow what was left in the bottle, 'men with too much money are usually a****.'

'I wholeheartedly disagree,' (who rattled Blondie's cage?!!) 'What's wrong with meeting a man that actually has ambition?' If he happens to have a good bank balance so be it, it sure beats going Dutch at Harry's Diner with some fat old trucker named Bubba.'

'That's a slight exaggeration Josie, and anyway, I happen to like Harry's Diner.'

The taxi stopped and I realized we were outside Barracuda's.

Shockingly, I was the least tipsy out of the three of us which meant I was assigned to pay the driver, and to make sure I had our tickets ready.

Josie was the first out the car followed by Poppy who was absolutely insistent on re -touching her lip gloss, at any given opportunity.

Car windows; shop fronts, you name it; she had no shame, as long she could see her own reflection, out came the little pink tube!

Josie on the other hand was a different very kind of species.

She didn't need a mirror to confirm how great she looked the wolf whistles that came her way was enough.

Admittedly in our very own different ways we all looked good, in fact pretty bloody --amazing!