It’s the same, wearing a uniform and serving beer.
Just that you are doing it on the ground and not in the air
*Updates 30/10/2021 7.30pm – there is an updated cleaned up version. Please download the new copy (Both files in webstore and premium sub updated)*
My wife Wenhui flew with the national airlines for 4 years before the pandemic hit. She was laid off due to the freeze in air travel.
I really thought we will be ok because I operated a family-owned coffee shop handed down to me by my parents. It’s a small coffee shop tucked by the side of the road in Geylang, our very own red light district.
With me manning the drinks stall, and 3 other food stalls paying rent, Wenhui and I lived comfortably before the pandemic hit.
The 3 stalls were all manned by seniors, and they found it hard to get on board all the delivery platforms to adapt to the change in operating environment. All 3 stalls decided to retire and call it quits at the same time.
With the red light district closed, the crowd disappeared and sometimes I found myself sitting behind the drinks counter starring into blank space. I barely finish selling a single brew of coffee the whole day.
Without rent coming in, I still need to pay for all the miscellaneous fees, property taxes, maintenances, utilities. Savings are draining fast and I haven even got to the invoices I owed my suppliers for the drinks.
Wenhui tried to look for temporarily roles and while there are offers, life decided to throw us a curve ball.
I got into an accident.
3 months into the pandemic, I find myself on a wheelchair missing my left foot.
Our lives are literally in ruins.
Mounting bills, mortgages, everything piled up, making it impossible to breathe.
As the country opens up slowly, the red light district remained closed and the crowd never returned.
We were at our wit’s end when the supplier for alcohol made a suggestion to me.
Tay : James ah, your wife so pretty, former air stewardess leh….
James : Stop, I know what you are going to say. This is Geylang, blab bla bla…she is so pretty and hot… bla bla bla…
Tay : Come on la brother, you think I will ask your wife to become a prostitute ah? You want also cannot la…. Now everywhere all closed…
Tay pushed the latest stack of invoices over to me, saying that he can give me up to 60 days to clear it but no more.
Tay : I also have my KPI brother, hope you understand….as for Wenhui… I have a suggestion…
I was about to give him a piece of my mind when he asked me to listen to what he has to say first.
Tay : Listen …just listen…
Tay suggested that my wife come and serve beer in the coffee shop.
James : What! Become a beer lady…?
Tay : What is wrong with that ?
James: She is an air stewardess! A Singapore girl ! she is…
Tay cut me off before I could finish.
Tay : Was brother, was. She was, an air stewardess.
Tay reasoned that the drinking holes have dried up around the area. The new girls are not coming in, the old ones are returning home.
Tay : Look man, you just need an eye candy. People will come…
James: but… but…
Tay : Look brother, I’m trying to help you…it’s just serving beer…. Same one… service industry….i’m sure your wife can do it…
James : But….
Tay : She never served beer to men on flights? She never poured beer for men on flights ?
James : but for her to wear…..those beer lady clothes….
Tay : What’s wrong ? Do those clothes not cover her privates? Does she not wear a tight uniform and serve people on flights?
I was left a little speechless as I looked at Tay lighting a cigarette.
Tay : Look. By 10.30pm, everything has to stop….no more alcoholic drinks… which means you probably should serve the last order at 9.30pm….. and clear the mugs at 10.15pm…. get her to start late afternoon, I guarantee you, your money issues will be gone.
I looked at the reflection of myself on a wheelchair against the stainless steel drinks counter, I felt so useless that I am unable to solve the financial problems we are facing.
Tay : Think about it James…it’s just serving drinks, you stay behind the counter collect money….this is Singapore man… what’s the worst that can happen ?
Tay said with a cheeky grin.
Tay whipped out his phone and showed me the latest beer lady costume his company just designed.
I could feel blood rushing to my groin as I look at the tight dress designed to look like a short cheongsum complete with a high slit on the right.
My wife will not only look gorgeous in that outfit, she’s going to look heavenly.
There is just one problem, a rather obvious one.
She’s going to look heavenly, in front of all the men drinking at the coffee shop.
A beautiful hot wife, clad in seductively uniform pushing beer in a coffee shop, complete with useless husband in wheelchair. It sounds like a recipe for disaster.
James : i… i…. I need to think about it…
I never expected Wenhui to appear from behind me out of the blue. I thought she was washing cups and clearing up the trash in the alley.
Wenhui : I’ll do it…
James: What ? Dear….
Wenhui seemed pretty determined to do it.
Wenhui : I’ll do it Tay…on the condition you give us a better cut for the drinks we help you push…
Tay’s eyes looked up and down my wife’s body. I could feel the lust in his eyes even though my 30 year old wife’s body is covered in a simple t-shirt and shorts.
Tay : Sounds like a deal Wenhui…
James: Dear…wait…i….
Wenhui : we’re out of options….our savings will only last another 2 months…let’s try it and see if it works….
Tay asked us to wait as he walked over to his car. He opened the boot and took out 2 sets of the beer lady costume and put it on the table.
Tay : I’ll help you spread the word ya…haha…your coffee shop is going to be packed….
Tay gave us a wave before getting into his car. He rolled down his window and shouted that he will be dropping by with a few friends to support us that evening.
Sitting in my wheelchair, i looked at the uniforms on the table quietly.
Wenhui lowered herself and gave me a hug before kissing me on my cheek.
Wenhui : It’s just serving and selling beer… what’s the worst that can happen? Besides….
She tore the plastic wrapper and placed the uniform in front of her body to see the fit.
Wenhui : The uniform is pretty nice no…? I can wear it for you at night…? haha
I smile, thankful that my wife is still so much in love with me despite the state I’m in.
At 4pm that afternoon, I could see men starting to fill the tables in my small coffeeshop. The word has gone out, a former air stewardess will be working as a beer lady in a coffee shop in the red light district.
The men got their beer from me on their own for the 1st round while waiting for the star of the evening to appear.
The coffee shop is bustling with drinkers chatting and I began to see a glimmer of hope.
At 5pm, when my wife Wenhui appeared dressed in the beer lady uniform complete with white sneakers, the noise in the coffee shop went down a notch.
Mugs paused in midair and the banters dried up as all eyes went towards my wife who looked uncomfortable in the body hugging piece of teasing uniform bearing the logo of the beer she is selling.
Sitting on my wheelchair, I could feel the erection throbbing in my pants as I observed the expression on the faces of men drinking at their tables.
I would be naïve, if I honestly believe drinking is the only thing on their mind as they feast their eyes on my beautiful and classy wife.
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