Karaoke - ArthurTV

1

A cold breeze danced in the air as bodies stood crowded around the small passage of light streaming out of the pub door that was slightly ajar. People came bustling in in small groups every so often, seeking shelter from the harsh elements outside and a drink in their systems. Unfortunately for Maeve this meant more people to serve, fortunately it also meant more money to earn. Her job in 'The Robin Hood' was not exactly badly paid, but it was safe to say tips would be greatly appreciated. The tedious task of pouring drinks seemed boring to most, but bartendering was a job she took great pride in. Maeve loved having people droll on about their lives to her, she found it adorable how many people liked having an audience to speak to. Even if their audience stood at a grand total of one person.

Fridays were their busiest day, which seemed the case amongst almost all pubs since it drew an end to the working week for most. So at first it was no surprise the sheer amount of people that showed up come 5 o'clock that evening. However, it soon became apparent that they seemed to be pulling in many more people than their usual crowd. Curious, Maeve made her way down to the till where the manager - Jill - stood.

"What's going on?" She asked, having to raise her voice in order to be heard.

"It's Karaoke night love." Jill replied simply, not even baring her a glance as she handed a customer their change.

"I know, but this is quite the crowd, no?" Maeve questioned with a chuckle. It was true, even if karaoke was on their typical crowd never grew this big. 

Instead of responding, Jill gave her a shrug before waltzing over towards other waiting customers. Deciding she'd have to take the task into her own hands and find out for herself, Maeve came out from behind the bar with a determined stride. Wiping her damp hands on the apron she wore around her waist, embossed with the pubs logo, she wandered in the direction of the stage where most people had gathered. The karaoke wasn't due to start for at least another half an hour, so most people had made themselves comfortable by pulling up extra chairs to fit around the tables that sat in clusters in front of the stage. Over towards the side stood a smaller group of men, chatting happily amongst themselves. With a sigh, she walked towards the least intimidating of the bunch and cleared her throat to make herself known. Immediately, he glanced up from his phone and looked up at her from the armchair in which he sat. 

"What's going on?" She asked, getting straight to the point but possibly ending up sounding a little too harsh.

"What do you mean?" He retorted with confusion evident in his face as his sharp features contorted into a frown. 

"I'm sorry," She giggled in an attempt to seem less threatening "I just mean, like, what's the plan? Are you guys performing?" 

"Oh, you work here?" He asked, his face instantly softening and a warm smile spreading across his lips.

"Yeah, I'm behind the bar. You's performing then or..?" 

"Oi, Arthur, does she work here?" A man a few feet away interjected, making his way towards them. 

"Yes I do." Maeve replied with a smile, shaking his outstretched hand. 

"Well then I suppose we'd better explain ourselves." 

The man, who she soon learnt to be called George, then spent the next fifteen minutes telling her all about their plan for the night. Supposedly they were 'youtubers' who'd initially been planning on filming a football video but as a result of the bad weather had ended up here since it was only down the street. She'd never heard of them before, yet she took their word for it and gave them permission on the pubs behalf to film inside which they graciously thanked her for. They were planning on just drinking and talking before discovering that karaoke happened to be on that night, their plans soon changing once more.