I recently met a woman who intrigued me, so I invited her to lunch. We'll call her Erin. Erin is intriguing because she manages numerous roles which, to an outside person unknowing of her situation, seem to strongly conflict with each other. Stripper, mother of four, registered nurse, waitress -- she does it all. The following is our lunchtime conversation:
Kevin: (Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty" playing in jukebox) Do you ever strip to this song?
ERIN: No, I usually dance to Ashanti's "Baby." When I'm in there, that's my song. If other girls use it, it's disrespectful. Everyone has his or her own song.
K: What do you usually wear when you're dancing?
E: It's a see-through black, silky, knit outfit with my 9-inch stiletto heels. I got it at Priscilla's.
K: Did you get a discount?
E: Yes, 25 percent off.
K: How often do you strip?
E: I did in August, September, October and November of last year.
K: Why haven't you stripped recently?
E: I don't need the money that bad.
K: So you do it for the money?
E: Yes, plus my kids found out about it. One day they got into my closet and my daughter put my heels on. She walked down the stairs saying 'my mommy is a hooker.' I was just dancing to get ahead. I've got to do what I've got to do for my kids.
K: Do you make good money?
E: I can make pretty decent money. I can come home with $300 a night.
K: Do you work anywhere else?
E: I'm also a LPN. I got my license in July and currently work in nursing homes. You make more money waiting tables and stripping than being a nurse.
K: Do people try to guess how old you are?
E: They usually think I'm in my early 20s. They can't believe I have 4 kids.
K: What would you do if your daughter said she wanted to be a stripper?
E: I would take her. I would show her how it is for her first time -- let her see for herself. I'd let her decide on her own if she wanted to do it; I wouldn't encourage it though.
K: Who is your 'typical' customer?
E: The guys we get are usually in their 30s or 40s. A lot of the married guys bring in their wives and they'll give us $5 or $10 to take them on stage and dance with them. We'll take the money from their wives mouth -- that's a lot of fun.
K: What is your normal tip?
E: Usually $5. The guys can't touch you at the club. That's a big no-no. If one girl sees another girl letting a guy touch them, they'll tell on them and they'll be asked to leave.
K: Are there private dances?
E: That's where you make your money, in private dances. You take them back to a private booth. They have to sit on their hands, but you can do anything to them, they just can't touch you.
K: What do you think about the proposed strip club, White Diamonds?
E: They are having a hard time opening because of neighbors protesting. They couldn't get a liquor license either, so the girls were going to dance totally nude and because they didn't have a liquor license, you could get in when you're 18.
K: Totally nude?
E: Yeah.
K: Would you dance totally nude?
E: No. I'm not doing that.
K: Why not?
E: Because... that's... no. Why even dance anymore if you're totally nude?
Final Thought: Even strippers have boundaries and respect for others. That I never expected, until she slowly revealed the bare facts.
Write to Kevin at twobsuguys@yahoo.com
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