Free Bar Girl by David Thompson

not?’ Mike had agreed. He had no reason not to agree. She was dealing with everything. He just couldn’t understand why she asked him anymore. He wasn’t complaining. He just didn’t know.
    When the police did call, they were surprised to find themselves dealing with a young local woman. The two officers, in their skin tight brown uniforms were leaning nonchalantly against the bar as she approached them. They were both drinking the beers Pan had given them upon their arrival. They both smiled at Siswan and she made a low wai to them in reply. They just smiled once more. A lesser person. No need to wai back. Didn’t deserve respect.
    ‘Thank you for calling,’ Siswan said.
    ‘Where’s the farang?’ the senior of the two asked her. A sergeant.
    ‘Oh, he is far too busy to deal with you two today,’ Siswan said. ‘He asked me to speak with you instead.’
    That caught their attention. She saw the sudden look of surprise cross the sergeant’s face.
    ‘So,’ she said, innocently enough. ‘What do you want?’
    Both of them stood more upright. Became more tense in their attitude. What was she talking about? This bar girl. Who was she to speak to them like this? She must know what they wanted. They came every month. Pay up or move out.
    ‘Protection costs more now,’ the sergeant said, with a smile.
    ‘What protection are you talking about?’ Siswan carried on looking into his eyes.
    ‘Police protection. You know what I am talking about.’ He was getting a little annoyed. But it wouldn’t do to lose face. Not in front of his colleague. Not in front of this woman.
    ‘We don’t get any protection from you,’ Siswan stated.
    ‘Everyone gets protection,’ he said, emphatically.
    ‘How much does it cost?’ she asked.
    ‘Five thousand.’ That would teach her. They had only been taking three before. They knew this bar couldn’t afford too much more.
    ‘No,’ Siswan said.
    He couldn’t believe what she had said. He looked at her. She looked a little different than the other girls. More beautiful, sure, but there was something else. Something hard about her. She acted older than she looked. More confident. As though this was something she did every day.
    ‘I will speak with the farang,’ he told her.
    ‘No. You will speak with me,’ she answered.
    ‘I tell you. Five thousand!’ He was angry now.
    ‘That is a stupid price for what I want.’ She remained calm.
    He was just about to storm out. He’d make her pay for this outrage. How dare she speak to him this way. Wait, what had she said? He stopped. Wait, think. What had she just said? He was puzzled.
    ‘What do you want?’ he asked, cautiously.
    ‘Several things,’ she said. ‘Firstly, when you come into this bar I do not want you in uniform. It makes the girls nervous.’
    Yes, but not you though, he thought to himself. It doesn’t make you nervous at all. He decided to listen. There might be something in what she had to say.
    ‘Go on,’ he said, calmer now.
    ‘If we call you, we want you here quickly. Let’s say five minutes maximum. Any later and we’ll deduct the amount we pay. We want a written agreement that you will not charge extra for a fast response.’
    She knew exactly what she wanted. She laid it out like a list.
    ‘We will need another agreement that the cost of protection will not increase for another year and then only by a maximum of five percent.’
    He nodded. He couldn’t help himself. There was something about the way she spoke. The way she looked at him. He wasn’t talking to a bar girl. He knew that now.
    ‘If we do need your help, we expect you to be courteous. Don’t come in here with your macho attitude.’
    He began to take a real interest. This woman was no fool. She knew exactly what she wanted. This was the same arrangement they had with the big bars. The ones that could afford to pay for the best protection.
    ‘We want a late night extension. Four o’clock. We won’t want to work any later than