Boys and Burlesque by Ripley Proserpina

Author:Ripley Proserpina [Proserpina, Ripley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-16T16:00:00+00:00

Forty-One

Betty

Al walked me back to the Bellagio, frowning at anyone who happened to spare us a glance. He didn’t say anything to me about what he must have overheard, and I was glad for that. The guy was professional that was for sure.

He walked me up to my room, swept it, and then left me alone.

I sat on the couch, pulled my feet under me and stared out the window.

So.

I told them everything and now they knew. There was no more mystery about my life without them, or why I’d tried so desperately to get ahold of them.

There were details. Details about turning eighteen and getting a job at a “gentlemen’s club.” I didn’t want to share those. It had been as ugly and seedy as I expected at first, until I formed friendships with other girls and found we were all just trying our best. And stripping, yeah, there’s definitely a lot of judgment attached to it, but I was never a prostitute. In fact, I never met one girl who was. It didn’t mean I wasn’t propositioned, or that bachelor parties could feel dicey and get grabby, but I earned enough to pay for healthcare on a sliding scale at one of the clinics.

I worked in those clubs until I started to feel off balance, and then my belly popped out at five months pregnant and I was finished. Thank God, I’d socked away as much of my tips as I could, because I needed it for the next few months after my miscarriage and hospitalization.

Lying back on the couch, I placed both of my hands on my belly. Even though it was flat now, it was still soft. When I was pregnant, it had been taut. Probably the only time in my life my belly was firm. That was the first thing I’d noticed after Marigold. How soft and empty I was.

My life had gone so differently than I expected it to go, but I didn’t wish for it not to have happened. I wouldn’t wish to not have been pregnant. That had been a gift, even if it had scared the living daylights out of me.

I wouldn’t wish to have never met the boys. If that had happened, I never would have had the moments I did, as brief as they were, with my daughter.

And I wouldn’t wish to not be a dancer. So what if I’d taken my clothes off while I danced? I made it work for me, and I made it successful and profitable.

Now, enough moping. It was time to get ready for my show.

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