CNF: There Is More to Being a Barman Than Just Serving Drinks

After quitting my teaching job, I needed another job to help me stay busy as well as keep the income coming in. I searched for corporate jobs until I got tired of searching and decided to start looking for jobs outside the corporate world. I saw an advertisement at a very big hotel where a barman was needed, and since the pay was manageable, I decided to go for it.

“How far, bro?” I said to Dera to get his attention during one of our evening job-hunting walks.

“We have been together all this time, and now you’re asking me how far. I hope all is well?” Dera asked.

“Yes ooo, all is well o. It’s just that we passed an advertisement about a barman being needed at that hotel there, and you acted like you didn’t see it at all. Why?” I asked him.

“That job is a very devilish one, if you ask me. I have worked as a barman before, bro. A barman’s job is like gambling, where you win today and lose tomorrow. Sadly, in this job, you experience more losses than actual winnings,” Dera responded, with a tone that showed how much he disliked the job.

“I don’t think the job is as hard as you’re making it sound,” I responded.

After our walk, which was not fruitful, we parted ways and went home, planning to meet again the next day and continue our job hunt. I went home pondering what Dera had said about the barman job. There was clearly a vacancy I could apply for, get the job, and save myself the stress of moving from north to south and west to east in search of a job when there was one I could easily take.

I decided that if we went job hunting one more time and it was not fruitful again, I would settle for the barman job. I would not let Dera’s discouraging words get to me.

The following day, we met at our usual meeting point and were about to start our hunt when I decided to ask Dera more questions about the barman job.

“But seriously, bro, what is the barman job like?” I asked. “Is it not just about serving drinks and, when customers are done, collecting your money and moving on?” I added.

“Hahaha!” Dera laughed. “Bro, there is more to being a barman than just serving drinks o. You need to pay close attention to everything, keep records of your stock, and record your sales. And when I talk about records, I mean accurate records, because a single record you fail to keep might be the end of you,” Dera added.

“I don’t see all of that as much of a big deal, though. The way you talk about it makes it sound like a tedious job,” I responded.

“I can see that you’re going for the job. I won’t stop you. Just go for it, and you’ll see for yourself,” he said.

I followed Dera on our job hunt for a few more days before I gave up and wrote an application letter to the hotel, applying for the position of a barman. I dressed up and took my application to the hotel to submit it. The security man directed me to the manager’s office.

“Good morning, sir,” I greeted the manager.

“Good morning. Are you the one looking for me?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. I would like to apply for the position of a barman here in your hotel,” I responded.

“That will be nice because we need a barman urgently. Do you have any experience?” he asked.

“Not really, sir, but I am a fast learner and will pick things up in no time. I just need to be shown what I need to know as a barman,” I responded.

“No problem, then. Can you start tomorrow?” he asked.

“No problem, sir. Tomorrow is fine by me,” I responded.

He took me to the bar, introduced me to the barman there, and told him to show me everything I needed to know. He also told him that I would start the following day and that I should be shown everything I needed to know so I would not lag behind and could catch up quickly, as it was not my first time working.

The barman was nice and showed me everything, suspending what he was doing before my arrival.

The following day, I reported for work and started my duties. I was very careful and took my records seriously, just as Dera had advised. Three days into the job, I had not experienced what Dera feared the most, and I started to feel that Dera simply did not want me to take the job.

“Nothing dey this barman work o. It is as simple as A, B, C, and nothing like the way you painted it,” I said to Dera.

“Work for a month or two before drawing a conclusion,” Dera responded.

About three weeks into the job, I got my rude awakening and came to realise that everything Dera had said was true. I kept accurate records of sales and checked my stock myself, but when I wanted to hand over after my shift, I realised that the number of drinks missing from the fridge and the shelves did not tally with my records at all.

“Your records here say you sold 12 bottles of Guinness Stout, two Joven Capel wines, and two Campari bottles. But how come we have 18 bottles of Guinness Stout missing and three bottles of Joven Capel wine?” the supervisor asked.

At that point, I was confused and lost. I tried as much as I could to remember what had happened to the missing drinks and how they had gone missing, but nothing came to mind. I was completely blank and had no memory of how the drinks had left the bar. There was no way I could have drunk all of them, so someone else must have taken them or something else must have happened.

In the end, I had to pay for everything that was missing with my own money, as the company would not bear the losses. It was then that I understood exactly what Dera had been talking about. There were no traces, no memory of selling the drinks, and no explanation for where they had gone. They were simply nowhere to be found, and I had to bear the losses.

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