New Year Madness

I always work new years. Its one of those things. I figure, why go out and spend loads of money on a night that essentially means nothing, when I can work and earn money instead?
I really wish I hadnt worked last night. Although, if I hadnt, I couldnt have laughed about it today.

I worked a double shift. This means that I started work at 10am, and fully expected to only be finished work at 4am. It didnt quite turn out that way but I was expecting a long and draining day. I was also determined to make it as fun and stress free as possible. However, I forgot the most important part. This is my life. When is it ever dull?

The day shift passed with no major stress. Half of the country is in Cape Town right now so finding parking near the beach was frigheningly hard, but I managed ok. Customers were great, mostly tourists. I made some decent cash and was looking forward to the evening shift. Me and another waitress (the only other lone female staff member) took our break at the same time and decided (maybe not wisely) that a pre-madness cocktail was a good idea. We headed back to work at about 6pm, and helped finish setting up, admittedly slightly drunkenly. The official new years eve bookings only started at 9pm so the place had quite a few people standing around having cocktails (I would like to mention at this point that the weather was GORGEOUS!) when a policeman came in and asked to check our liquor licence. Instantly all the staff vanished, and all the managers suddenly decided for the first time that they would acknowledge the fact that the head chef is the senior member of management. Why? Because every one of us knows that the liquor licence doesnt exist.

I wasnt actually supposed to know, but as a personal licence holder (the only way you can sell alcohol in the UK is to have a licence holder on the property), I make a habit of checking licences. The licence on display in our restaurant is for another branch of the company, in another city.

Instantly all alcohol sales had to stop. All the customers were told that the bar was closed, and all the staff informed that on this New Years eve, in the middle of summer, the hottest spot in Cape Town, which is booked to overflowing, could not sell alcohol.

The staff greeted this information with hilarity. Right up to the point that the policeman walked out the front door and the manager ran around telling us all that we were basically going to continue ignoring the law. Now, I should really have walked out, if I was a nice law abiding citizen. On the other hand, new years eve money is not to be sniffed at, and frankly, I am not the most law abiding of citizens. Screw it, I was gonna work anyway. The interesting point here is that it IS legal to give alcohol away. So naturally, us staff just taking the drinks we wanted for the evening was essentially the most legal thing we did all night. Right?

The evening progressed with the usual madness and insatiny, swearing and barely restrained punches, right up until my 24 seater table asked to pay. Individually. I nearly screamed at all of them, but managed to restrain myself, as they were obligingly paying before they started dancing and getting down to some really serious illegal drinking.

In a suprisingly short space of time, the restaurant empied and the duties were done. It was time to leave and only 2am. I headed over to a friends place, where stragglers were still drinking by the fire outside, and talking rubbish amongst themselves, had a drink, and headed home. Except that as I walked outside I discovered that my car had been broken into, the window smashed, and the bag which contained my nicest dress, and my brand new shoes (which I had packed in the event that I was let off work early) had been stolen. Also in the bag had been a Christian Dior bag, full of Dior makeup that a regular customer had given me. The fact that she gave it to me was more important to me than the fact that it was Dior. And now its gone.

Happy fucking New Year.

I was pretty bleak about the whole thing. I have calmed now, and the events of last night were suffiently amusing that I have moved on. I shall relate them to you in due course. They include rich Sheiks, high class prostitutes, and Richard Branson. Stay tuned.