Tina and I are both going to turn 23 this coming year, both from Iowa Falls and both went to Iowa State University. Iowa Falls only has a population of about 5,000 people and out of that only about 100 or so of the kids are our same age, so of course we know each other pretty well.
While Tina and I have always been on friendly terms, she is definitely more brash and wild than I am, even a bit reckless at times I'd say, so consequently while we had lots of friends in common we were never exactly "besties".
Not surprisingly in a small town like ours news travels fast and everyone knows each other's business. I have no doubt within an hour of Tina finding out earlier this spring that she had gotten an internship in New York City, half the town knew it as well. I'm not going to lie, I was super envious when I heard the news; knowing she would spend the summer in Manhattan, working for an advertising agency.
AD-on Creations may be a small firm, but hell, it was still based in Manhattan and that was definitely a big deal where we are from. I bumped into Tina a couple of times after she got back, but it wasn't until almost Christmas, at a party thrown by a mutual friend of ours, that I finally got a chance to sit down and talk with her.
Right away I asked her a million questions about what
"The City
" was like. When she wasn't answering my questions I was telling her how great I thought it would be to live someplace exciting like New York City, or I was complaining about how boring Iowa Falls was. The entire night I kept telling her how lucky she was to have gotten out, even if it was just for the summer. Gosh, I couldn't wait to leave this small town and see the world!
The party was fun but as the clock pushed past midnight most of the twenty or so guests had left. The last of us were all sitting around the living room sipping various drinks, smoking and chatting. There was the host Ralph and his girlfriend Gloria, Ralph's best friend Bobby, Tina and myself.
I knew Tina well enough to know the girl likes to party and loves to drink. Personally I don't object to having a good time but two or three drinks is all I needed to get a nice buzz on and keep me happy for the evening. Tina can easily out drink me and is able to handle twice as much liquor as I can and still be in control.
Her problem was after five or six drinks she lost her ability to count and the capacity to say no. Six drinks could quickly become eight and eight an even dozen. She wasn't exactly an alcoholic but if she wasn't careful she could end up one.
I have to admit I may have had a drink or two more than usual tonight as well. Perhaps that's why even though part of my brain knew I was probably being annoying, I kept pestering her to tell me more and more about her New York
"summer adventure"
.
I'm not sure if it was because of my relentless questions or her guilt or the alcohol, but she suddenly snapped that she actually blew the internship after only two weeks. I got the impression she was actually relieved to finally confess. She said she got the boot for showing up to work 40 minutes late one morning, after a long night of drinking and clubbing.
She said she had already called in "sick" twice before due to similar situations and didn't dare miss work again. I guess showing up late, still drunk and more than a little hungover wasn't a great idea either. The creative director, Susan, dismissed her on the spot.
I felt horrible after repeatedly saying all night how lucky she was to have such a great opportunity. But something didn't add up. I'm sure she spent the entire summer in New York because I saw her Instagram and Snapchat posts.
Room and board alone cost a nice chunk of change yet not only did she return home in September with a bunch of new clothes, but she drove back in a nicer, albeit still used, car. Her family didn't have money to pay for any of that so she had to have earned it on her own.
"So how did you end up supporting yourself, then?" I asked, genuinely curious.
Her mood was somber but not emotional as she relived that day for us, describing how she went back to her room in the Brooklyn apartment she sublet, and had a meltdown in front of her roommate. She knew unless she could quickly land a job that paid more than minimum wage she was going to have to call her parents and drive back home in shame.
Her roommate Desiree, consoled her and helped her brainstorm job options. Tina said the more she thought about it though, the more hopeless it looked. Even waitressing jobs weren't easy to land since she didn't have any experience.
Tina said she was about to cry again when Desiree said light heartedly, 'Well I've seen you dance; you could always strip!' Assuming her friend was joking, Tina said she started laughing. Then Desiree confided to her that the year before she actually hit a financial rough patch herself and did just that. Desiree told her the money was very good and she still had connections if Tina wanted to try it, but only if she was comfortable doing something like that.
Sitting there drunk, listening to Tina tell her story, I could feel myself getting more and more turned on as I realized what it was she actually did this summer.
I don't think the others believed her at first, but the more she opened up to us, the more obvious it was to me that she was being completely honest and vulnerable. Even still it was so hard to fathom. I mean she was an attractive girl and definitely not shy, but I never imagined she would do anything like that.
She told us the club wasn't upscale but it wasn't super seedy either. The manager agreed to try her out during some of the slower time slots and she got paid strictly from tips. Even working just three or four nights a week during the off hours she usually took home over $1,500, and all in cash. That was more than twice as much as AD-on Creations
was going to pay her.
"Wow! $1,500 a week! Cash! Why aren't you still there!?" I laugh, truly surprised.
Tina stares hard into my eyes for a second searching for something, "It's not for everyone, it changes you and your perception of people."
I imagine myself being up on stage and stripping off my clothes as she says this, with all those hungry eyes on my body and instantly a tingle of arousal crawls up and down my body.
I can't help but ask her, "I know you did it for the money but did it...you know...turn you on at all, dancing naked for all those men?"
She pauses trying to focus her alcohol soaked mind into coherent thoughts as she looks back on her experience. Eventually she says, "Honestly, at first all I felt was nervousness, shame and guilt...and I guess a little stupid and embarrassed; dancing around trying to be sexy in front of a half empty room of strangers. I almost quit after that first night. But I couldn't bear the thought of calling my parents and disappointing them.
"After the first week though, it got easier and I tried to relax and have fun with it. On a good night, if I had a couple of cute guys with cash to spend, I even enjoyed it. Towards the end of my shift, the place was usually packed. There was definitely a different level to the energy when it was crowded.
"When all eyes are locked on you and you're in control of the room racking in a ton of tips; those nights were actually pretty fucking awesome!" she says with a broad grin. "Oh, and it's not all men either. There were lots of women there too."