Even under the worst conditions, my dad knew how to make me feel better. “Dad, you have nothing to be forgiven for. I love you! Can I text you when I get home? Will you be awake?”
“Absolutely, sweetheart. I don’t think I’ll be getting any sleep tonight.”
I was wondering if he wasn’t going to be able to sleep because he watched me dance on stage nude. If that’s the case, I was curious if that was because I grossed him out by watching me or because he saw me differently now. I asked, “Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I hope I didn’t gross you out with my performance. I’m usually a better dancer, but I get a pass for a bad performance for tonight. Lol” At this point, I thought making a joke was the best way to divert the conversation.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You gave a five-star performance. Drive safe & text me when you get home.” I couldn’t believe he complimented me on my stripping performance.
When I got home, I walked by my mother, who was still awake. I hurried past her, saying a quick, “Good night.”
I went directly to my room and texted my dad, “Hey, are you awake?”
Immediately my phone dinged, “Yes, I’m awake. I’m really sorry for tonight. Please, don’t let this change anything between us. I go to clubs occasionally, and I’m really embarrassed that you saw me there. I didn’t know what to do when I saw you. I didn’t want to embarrass you or cause a scene. I promise, I will never go there again.”
I felt horrible that my dad thought he was in the wrong. Even though I was naked in front of a bunch of men, he was still proud of me. It must have been so hard for him to sit there and do or say anything while men were hooting and encouraging me to take my clothes off. “Dad, you didn’t do anything wrong. You’re a guy, and you went somewhere to be entertained. I can’t imagine you would ever think I’d be there dancing. You need to be able to do things and have fun. You are a good man and a great dad. I’m sorry I ruined your night out. I hope I haven’t scarred you for life! lol”
His text was immediate, “No, Monica. You didn’t scar me for life. I know not to go to that club anymore. I just want you to be safe and not make a career out of dancing. I am going to go to sleep now. Tomorrow, we start over and move on. Again, I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable and saw you like that.”
I love my father so much. I really wanted him to feel better and know it wasn’t either of our faults. OK, it was uncomfortable, but at this point, I thought it was funny. I thought he was going to be judgmental and disappointed with me. He was neither. Dad was supporting me. He understood why I was stripping and did not judge me. He was actually proud of me. “Well, dad, I’m not scarred either. I only plan on doing this to pay my bills while I’m in college. You don’t have to stop going there either. I will tell you the days not to go. Please don’t tell people I am your daughter. No one knows any of my personal business there. The only thing they know is I’m friends with Linda, and I’m paying my way through college. Does that work for you?” I waited for a response that didn’t come through as I passed out.
The following morning, I woke up to my dad’s reply from last night. “Yes, that works for me. Trust me; I don’t want anyone knowing you are my daughter there either. Some people who work there know me too. Sorry, I fell asleep on you.”
I texted my father, “OK. I fell asleep too. I’m not there the rest of the week, so feel free to go. Lol.”
I felt better than I thought I would about everything that transpired the night before. I went about my day and decided to go to the club to see if I could get my shifts back for the week. Linda was working tonight so at least I’d get to see her.
I got to the club around seven, and Luther told me that Linda was in the back. Luther asked me, “Hey, did someone bother you last night? I was trying to point you towards Mikey. I don’t think he’s ever been here when you have been on stage. He’s a good guy, spends well, and is respectful to the women. He likes Linda, but she wasn’t here, so I thought I’d help you out because there were no big spenders in the club.” Luther is a good guy, not one to play with. He is about six foot two with muscles upon muscles. He makes sure no one gets aggressive with us, and we’re safe. As far as strip clubs go, Glen and Luther make it as safe as possible for the performers.
I did not realize that my dad would come there to see Linda. Thank God, I never introduced them. “Hey Luther, I was OK. No one bothered me. I would have let you know. I’m heading to the back. I need to beg for my shifts back and say hi to everyone.”
I was curious about my father’s reputation at the club. Linda wasn’t scheduled to be on stage until nine, so it gave me some time to grill her about him. “Hey, Linda. I heard one of your regulars missed you last night.” I thought this would be a good way to open the information door.
“Hey, Monica! Are you OK? I heard you ran off last night. Everyone told me Mikey was here. He’s a sweet guy. Big tipper and super respectful. He’s one of the few that I go in the back room with to do private dances for.”
Linda and I very rarely go to the back rooms for private dances. We are trying to make as much money as possible. However, going into a room with a man or men to do private dances is not; the safest thing to do. I needed more information. Jokingly I said, “I never heard you talk about him before. Everyone seemed to know him except me. Careful, I think he liked my set. I might try to steal him from ya.”
Linda’s response startled me, “Girl, I love you, but I would whip your ass. Mikey isn’t like the random guys that come here. He’s a nice guy. Everyone knows he is, my customer.” Then Linda started laughing.
I wanted more information about my dad but was glad he wasn’t being taken advantage of by women who worked here. Some of the other women lead guys on to take every penny they can get. Other women prostitute themselves with no shame. The fact was my father came here specifically because he liked Linda. Meaning all he was looking for was to be entertained.
“Haha, Linda! I was joking. He appeared to be a nice guy. I’ve never seen him here before.”
“He is a nice guy. When I give him lap dances, his junk loves it. I grind into him just to watch him grow. I’ve never seen his dick, but it’s gotta be about nine inches. He’s the only customer I am curious about because he’s gotta be huge. He is always nice, and you know me, I’m not a whore. I’m just trying to pay my bills. But if I was going to do anything with anyone, it would be him. By the way, can you work for me on Friday? I don’t have a babysitter.”
I was in shock hearing this about my father. “Nine inches?” I asked. The I told her I would take her shift on Friday.
“Has to be at least that. Trust me, Monica, It’s huge. Stay away from my customers.” Linda then hugged me and said, “Girl, you ain’t making no money tonight. Get outta here, go have some fun.”
While driving home, all I thought about was Linda talking about my dad’s dick. I was relieved that everyone shared my perception of him. I think my dad is awesome. But he is my dad; I’m supposed to feel that way about him. It was nice to hear people say nice things about him that didn’t know he was my father. I was also glad to know that no one there had sex with him. I had never pried into who my father was beyond what he was like as a dad. I was thinking of a way to get my mother to share information about him. I was hoping she’d still be awake when I got home.