His eyes adjusted to the darkness slowly, coming in from the bright summer light. Goosebumps flared up over the tattoo of an egg on his forearm and his pupil dilated, but neither in the way they had last night. Cool air which had belonged in there for decades filled his damaged lungs and caught him off guard. He staggered at the threshold of the long carpeted bar, ducking his head to save from embarrassment and to avoid other aspects of the mid 90’s decor which repulsed him every shift.
At the other side of the bar was a “Woop.” and he grinned and winced. Things had gotten rowdy last night.
A figure at the end of the bar shook their head and pointed at the their watch.
“Shift starts at half 4.”
“Bang on then.” he said pacing back behind the bar, into the belly of the beast.
He heard footsteps behind him following him down the corridor, into the peculiarly smelling changing room. He grabbed his shoes and changed his shirt, then stormed onto the bar. The voice of management followed him back through.
“You’re supposed to be on the bar and ready to work for half 4.” it teased, disembodied.
“Aye, sorry I was late back from Uni.”
“We’ve got films going in and you’re supposed to be there for the rush.”
His head swiveled down the bar and surveyed the tranquil peace sarcastically before turning back to the manager who had conveniently disappeared, clutching his bag over his shoulder.
“I’ve got a bus to catch…” came the voice out of the back door. The night was about to begin.

She watched his face, taught and hairless but almost green. Hardly surprising after last nights showing. Not the film, the credits. After Cinema 2 had emptied out, they’d rolled the shutters up and had a staffy. The first time that Eddy, Lisa, Olive and Victor had been on shift together but certainly not their first night of madness. Lisa had managed to keep a lid on things but she still felt jaded. She knew she’s been on it the night before. And so did Eddy, judging by the look of him.
Eddy had a way, like many young people, of being the star of his own show. He was boyish and walked down the bar as if it held significance, as if he was about to be lifted from his life as a student and transported into Holywood – presumably by one of the famous directors that didn’t come here either. It was hopelessly naive and totally beguiling. If he wasn’t the same age as her younger brother she may invited him in.
She tried not to wince when he made his way down the bar, shmoozing Tony, the manager as always. Her wince wasn’t through the physical trauma of the night before, more the mental side. She’d revealed a little too much about her and Olive’s thing and now felt sheepish. Saying that, the four of them had had one of those wonderful electric, messy and honest nights full of love for each other that had become a habit recently. They were reliving the times they hadn’t had; 90’s rave, hair metal 80’s, disco 70’s and swinging 60’s was every night for them. She caught herself dreaming of how things may end eventually and bit her lip, their bodies and minds would writhe uncontrollably… but not in the Egg Club, or in the flat from last night. Perhaps those scenes would remain in her head, for now now fantasies and cool coke stopped the jaded feeling from getting too close.

As Eddy moved down the bar he ignored a waiting customer and went straight to her side and chuckled. A delayed chuckle from the “Woop” she’d put across the bar. The punter paced to and fro before reading his ticket again and reading a sign and storming off his own way.

“What a night!” she said as he settled close to her and fiddled with a piece of cake in the fridge. He shook his head and eventually looked up.
“I was still wired until noon.” he laughed. “I’ve had about four hours sleep.”
They chuckled together and began to act out the night before, in sketches, rolling and fumbling through memories and stories.
“At one stage you were in the bath…”
“And you came in and pissed sideways…” Lisa shrieked to the disgust of some cultured patrons, tucked away safely eating ethically superior meals. The other side of the bar took no notice, it was beginning to move and vibrate with a frequency which was more welcome than the usual Tuesday night late shift.
“What’s their deal?” he asked, hinting at the vivid colours that were starting to assemble.
“Film Festival crew… can’t remember which one, but they seem alright.” she smiled and continued to smoothly keep the bar. Lisa had the good nature of the bar keeper from a western, forward facing and pleasant to the customers she didn’t wear a green visor but had stupendous beautiful curls and a wholly attractive smile.
“Wait… is it barkeepers or casino guys that wear the visors?” he asked out of the blue, leaning forearms out over the bar.
“Wit?” she laughed again. “Poker players, you nugget.
“Poke our players? I don’t even know our players.” he said lazily as she sipped at illicit coke through a straw. She exploded into laughter and coke came dribbling inexplicably through her nose.
He dragged his torso off the bar but only to fall at his knees in gales of laughter. Clearly whatever they’r taken at 3am hadn’t quite worn off, despite her protestations.

The mysterious film festival managed to drag in a lull and no customers, after the first film had finished the bar was left empty. Even the regulars were out the door by half 9. The festivals didn’t pay to use the bar, and the people barely came to see the festival films but the money came from on high a central arts budget, established when they painted the place magnolia and installed too much smoked blue glass. Lisa waited at the end of the bar, she had her orders. Last orders wasn’t to be called until 11.30. It seemed silly but a notion came over her, watching Eddy slog his way through basic cleaning tasks.
“Maybe I’ll text Olive and see if she fancies a wee hair of the dog.” she said openly at him.
“Well… aye. Why not, could see if Victor fancies it too. Get the old band back together?” he laughed and pulled out the temporary ‘dumb’ phone he’d been using for the last year. He clicked away frantically then the phone buzzed in his hand.
“Vic is coming, think he’ll be rough, rough.”
“Unlike you?” she laughed in his face and began to poke his ribs exaggeratedly.
There was a rumble from behind the bar and on queue four thirsty chefs appeared at the bar.
No one really asked the other but a question was floated, perhaps in the way that shoals of fish all move together, body language, habit.
“You sticking for a drink?” Eddy asked them as they passed him and proceeded to pour out their favourites.
“Ciders and two Lagers.” he placed them out on the last remaining wilting matts.
“Lagers… These are not just Lagers, you know Eddy.” said Stu, the head chef. “These are fine German Lagers. This is a cultured place, don’t you know?”
He mocked a Morningside accent and took a first drink down like a pelican.
The sous chefs beside him supped and nodded as Lisa sidled up.
“Oh he’s about the least cultured person on planet Earth today, bloody young yins!”
“Estats crudo?” asked Alvarro who was already middway through the cider.
“Yup.” Eddy winced. “She want’s to have another crack at it tonight, though.”
He gestured at Lisa as she swooned away down the bar.

Eddy watched her in awe, she captivated his attention completely. They all did and when they started to drop off from the bar for their busses he felt a little creeping sadness. Something happened in the nights here that he couldn’t explain. Something transformative, magical, like cinema itself. Though he didn’t know that yet. He barely made use of the free films but managed to eat his staff meal, a slice of cake, unlimited coffee and a few illicit cokes every shift.

Olive came in with Victor. They were already pissed.
“Have you two not been to bed yet?” Eddy asked. “That’s some effort!”
His praise for their stamina was met with typical sarcasm from Victor.
“Eh, that’s a bit personal.” he pursed and batted his eyes. “Ruddy pervert.”
Eddy managed a lazy laugh and started to pour out rum and tasty German wheat beer which his palette hadn’t adjusted to yet. He somehow managed to apply staff discount liberally to the alcohol and went to lie out in front of them on the bar like Marilyn Monroe on a comedown in a smelly t-shirt.
Victor and Olive laughed at the state of him and soon Lisa moved down the bar to join the huddle of in-jokes and giggles.

Victor watched Eddy with lust and could barely contain himself. Olive watched him and squeezed his hand, hard. His face still felt puffy from the bawling cry they’d had mid-morning. Induced by the comedown, of course. But also by love which permeated the night like a cinematic genie. When Eddy left the night, or the morning as it was by that stage, Olive and Victor had been rolling around the carpet crying, both. Victor had professed his love for Eddy to Olive and Lisa who’d stuck on to the bitter end. Of course the only person that couldn’t have noticed Victors infatuation was seemingly Eddy who was too in love with discovering life itself to notice any one person. Earlier in the night Olive had let slip to Eddy and Victor that Lisa and her had been seeing each other, before Lisa joined them. When she’d appeared Victor and Eddy had been somewhere between suave and slapstick, making glowing comments and crude innuendos which weren’t badly received. The night had just clicked after that, of course a sprinkling of ecstasy will do that, but this would have happened anyway.
Olive sat proudly at the bar and looked it over, still clutching at Victor’s hand.
“Can you imagine if you hadn’t worked here?” she asked out of the blue supping at her pint. The question was directed at Lisa but they all reeled.
“If we all didn’t work here?” she laughed as if to correct the question.
“Duh…” Victor said sarcastically. “I’d work somewhere else, love.”
“I applied for the chicken place across the road on the same day, even had a trail shift.” Eddy groaned and managed to reveal.
“You were going to work at ‘Plucko’s Pollo’?” Victor stared at him with his head tilted to one side. “That’s a shame you didn’t, reckon you’d suit the hats.”
“But you know what I mean?” asked Olive. “Look at this place.”
They surveyed the closed bar tipsily as the last film filtered out. The customers glanced in uneasily and were met with the downed shutters and staring staff, pints in hand, they made their way to the door.
“Yeah it’s well shit, love.” Vic said laughing.
“Oh shut it would you.” laughed Olive, her voice tailed off in awe. “Think about the amount of people who’ve met here, or come here and feel safe or come and discover part of them?”
Lisa put an arm round her and they kissed slowly.
“Fuck sake, you two!” Victor shouted. “You’ve been out two minutes! Christ almighty, he’s only 19, he’ll mess his pants!”
“I’m 21.”Eddy said and rose up to drink his staff drink. It had made him feel woozy and warm. He went in behind Olive and Victor and Lisa and hugged them all at once.
“This is gross.” Victor said. “And that T-shirt fucking stinks.”


_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

There was a notice on the door and the windows were shuttered. Not the shutters of the bar, these were metal shutters custom made and drilled over the windows.
The notice mentioned administration, efforts being made, costs. None of it made sense to him but something violent was clear.
Days earlier the national press had swarmed the steps, broadcast the fate of the place to the nation that had paid for it, apparently.
“Matinee has shut it’s doors for now.” they’d said. “Time will tell if efforts to save it will successful”.”
The man walked up to the threshold and placed out his hand on the shutter, as if he could move it.
“Do you know the place?” asked a voice from behind him.
He shuffled on the spot and wiped a tear from his eye.
“I met my wife here.” he said his eyes looking up over the stone face, unable to enter the unfolding cavern behind.
“We turned up for work last week, and it was like this.” said the younger man at the door. “No notice or anything, just overnight.”
“I’m sorry.” said the man, struggling to hold back tears.
The younger man nodded and turned back, he extended his arm out over him and hugged him, a small egg tattoo bristled at the connection.
“I wanted to bring my kids here…” said the man with the wedding ring, eventually.”I… I suppose I just always thought it would be here..”
“I guess that was the issue.” said the younger man, releasing him. “It was an amazing place to work anyway, I can’t be arsed looking elsewhere.”
The young man mused to himself, talking awkwardly to fill the void. “I suppose that was part of the issue too. Asleep at the wheel…”
The older man took a step back and submerged his face in his palms.
“Sorry… I don’t usually burst out crying at things!”he said, wiping his eyes and laughing.
“I don’t usually hug strangers.” said the younger man, taking off down the street without saying anything else.
“Good luck.” he called after him, then looked up at the name still illuminated as it had been 20, 30, 80 years before.
“Matinee Cinema – Open to all”