Rave

Titania rubbed her eyes; it had once again been a very long night. She wiped down the metallic surface of the bar and secretly dreaded the footfalls that were approaching. It was already bad enough that she had to still be lawfully married to him, but they were also the only two bartenders at the warehouse. Needless to say, the break up was thrust into their faces, and self control, everyday.

“How’s Paulie doing?” he asked. It was always the first thing he asked at the beginning of each shift, it was a tiring routine that irked Titania to no end. Titania really could smack the amber eyes out of his skull, that is, if she had it her way.

“He’s doing good,” Titania replied, snagging her lip between her pearly whites as she disinfected the durable, metal surface.

“He’d benefit from a stable home life, you know?” Oscar's deep voice tempted her to force bleach down his throat. Anger pulsed through Titania's insides with the sting of a thousand cups of coffee too hot for comfortable consumption.

Like he could provide a better life for him, Titania sneered within the confines of her brain. Her son was getting along amazingly. The school counselor said that he was, ‘Flourishing.’ Honestly, the separation was the best thing Titania could have ever done for herself and her family. “Why do you want him so badly?” Oscar inquired, picking up a rag from the sink and copying her actions on the other side of the bar.

Salty, with the slightest extracts of rust flooded Titania’s mouth from biting her tongue too intensely for a lengthy duration. She took it as a sign to put an end to his foolery, “Oscar, he’s my son,” Titania stressed, trying to fight the laughter. Her ex was so pompous and self righteous he sometimes did not know how utterly foolish and redundant he sounded.

Oscar shook his head, the long, straight chestnut curtain following the motions as well, “Yeah, that doesn’t mean anything."

Titania breathily chuckled, completing her half of the work. He continued his tirade, “Sharks never know their mothers and they turn out alright,” Oscar casually showcased.

“Sharks are vicious, mean, and blood thirsty,” Titania quipped, throwing the towel over her shoulder as she strutted back towards the front to take stock of the alcohol with the rage of confidence. She knew she might not have the most charm, but she certainly possessed the intelligence.

Oscar came up from behind and twirled her around without her consent. About to protest, he placed a solitary finger to her lips as he gripped the petite, squirming woman. It appeared to be a challenge to Titania, who had a vague recollection of the time she thought this action was cute; now, it was only threatening and degrading. “We both know that I am the fitter parent,” Oscar sweetly spoke, as if it were a serenade.

Titania leered. Instinctively, and intentionally, she perched a foot to Oscar's crotch. With the slightest bit of pressure, she managed to deliver a blow that made him stagger two feet back. “Damn it! What the actual fuck?” Oscar screeched, crumbling to the ground with a hand cupping his groin.

“All is fair in love and war,” Titania smirked, making a note for the manager, Ricky, to purchase more Jim Beam. The way she walked showcased her swelling ego.

“Yeah, tell that to my dick,” he murmured, basking in his pain for several moments. Titania didn’t keep a list of anything, but this event topped the one labeled, ‘Best Nights at Work.’

As Titania ripped the paper out of the tattered notebook, she glided to her next destination with deep, one-of-a-kind dimples only she could produced. Oscar grimaced through the pain and stood up, cringing at the discomfort. He scanned the area, currently buzzing with people setting up the various laser machines for tonight’s show, he spotted his shrewd companion. “Hey, Robin!” Oscar cupped his hand and yelled desperately, hoping to get Robin’s attention.

The Hispanic man jogged towards the bar, athletically hopping onto the stool and managing to land there. “We’re actually at eye level now,” Oscar jeered, trying to make a joke in the light of the sinister event he had crafted.

The short man remained hardened in his facial structure, staring Oscar up and down to judge the seriousness of the baboon’s request. “What do you need?” Robin’s husky voice replied.

Oscar wiped the sadistic grin off of his face and crowded closer to his henchman, “I need my kid back and I want an illicit substance slipped into Titania’s water, got it?” Oscar whispered, noting that he, or Robin for that matter, didn’t have a lot of time left, that Titania would be back any moment and their plan would be fooled. Oscar needed Paulie back, without a child, Oscar couldn’t stay much longer in his apartment due to the lease. “Then, I’ll tell Social Services and I’ll be good,” Oscar further explained himself.

Robin nodded; a sly look of understanding was evident in his features, leaving no purpose for a word to be spoken. The wrinkles around his face weren’t supposed to be there for his age, forty, but the defined lines appeared. “You’re a slick bastard, Oscar,” Robin slurred.

Oscar took it as a compliment. “I know, right?” Titania added, back from her quick trip up the stairs to the mezzanine. There were private rooms off of the mezzanine, and an additional dance platform. The space was billowing with space, one of the largest complexes of its kind. The large space was not-so-shockingly similar to the parties thrown here nearly every other night.

“Thanks again, Robin,” Oscar warmly smiled, turning his head back to Titania. Oscar grinned in satisfaction as he studied her. Even though Titania was the largest, most unreasonable bitch, there was a reason he married her.