House Rules

Tamela Douglas stood outside The Black Hole bar, breathing deeply and steeling herself before pulling the door open with an audible exhale. She was a tanned skin muscular brunette with a chin length cut that framed her face. Her heritage was Aboriginal and Spanish. She wore large sunglasses that obscured her face but under them she was nothing short of striking.

 It was the switch over between afternoon dancers and the lead up to the regular happy hour crowd. A fleshy gaggle of strippers could be seen past the open door of the coat check as they made to clock out. A dwindling number of middle aged men nursed the last of their drinks inside the club, savouring the show that had just ended. Tamela walked past them with her sunglasses still on despite the dim room. Most of them knew better than to chat her up but seeing as it was tourist season she didn’t feel like inviting any who did not. She found her sister behind the bar adding fire to the top of a shot with her zippo lighter. Tamela chuckled and rolled her eyes. Megan Douglas looked up at the sound. Megan was a slighter version of Tamela with longer hair. Her face was longer as well. She dressed to show and unlike Tamela, enjoyed the attention it got her. She put the drink down in front of Tamela and nodded at it.

“My latest creation. Too bad you don’t drink.”

Tamela slid the shot back towards Megan and settled into a bar stool “I disagree. Smells like Sambuca though.”

Megan grinned “Holds the fire best.” She leaned on the bar and beckoned to someone behind Tamela with her finger “Hey Craig, come get a free shot honey. Trixie said you tipped the highest.”

Craig practically flew to the bar “She did? I mean…she’s a really gu … gu  … good dancer. Do you think she liked me?” Craig was a pale stout man who had a pronounced sandy blonde comb over. However his chest and back hair spilled generously over the top of his golf shirt collar.

Megan began to giggle as Craig downed the shot and shuddered while waiting for her answer.

Tamela took off her sunglasses and tossed them on the bar in front of her roughly.

“Oh for fuck’s sakes. Are you really that much of a tool?! She’s a stripper man. You put money in the string and of course she’ll act like she likes you.”

Craig jumped “Officer Douglas, I didn’t see you there.”

“Oh relax I’m off duty and sadly being a moron isn’t something I can arrest you for. But do you mind pissing off now? I’m having a conversation with my sister.”

Craig mumbled something quickly and inaudibly and then scampered away like a dog with his tail between his legs.

Megan sighed “Dad says you’re bad for business you know. Why do you have to be so fucking mean?”

Tamela frowned “I’m not mean, just honest. People can’t handle it, that’s their deal.  I’m here to give you the keys, but first we need some ground rules.”

Megan made a face and pre-empted her sister in a mocking tone “No boys, no parties, no bonfires in the living room. I can agree to one of those at least.”

Tamela’s frown deepened “How about we just say don’t do shit I might have to arrest you for later in my place? Change the sheets, wash the dishes and and take out the garbage and recycling. You need to take the trash all the way down. Chute’s blocked. Some dickwad stuffed an ottoman in there and the landlord’s on vacation. And check in on Dad too. I know this is a nice break but he needs someone around.”

Megan nodded noncommittally “Yeah alright. Where are you going anyway?”

Tamela shrugged as she slid a set of keys on a ring across the bar “I dunno, east of here. It’s a road trip and we’re camping so we’ll see how far we get before we need to get back. I think Steph has some sort of colour coded plan in her fucking iPad. Anna’s driving. I’ll chop wood and keep bears off us.”

Megan grinned wryly and took the keys “Good times. Bring me a bear claw.”

Tamela slid her sunglasses back onto her face as she hopped off the bar stool “Don’t tempt me.”