One Night Only

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I had a crazy week with all my classes and several exams. I always ended up exhausted, but today was even worse. Whenever I had an exam, I would feel drained from studying for so many consecutive hours. The sleepless nights took a toll on me. Everything I did was a constant struggle. The sacrifices were worth it, and I knew that in the future, I would be proud of what I had achieved.

The most regrettable part was that I had to work today, it was already Saturday afternoon, and although I wanted to spend more time with my mother, it was impossible. I worked nights five days a week, so I couldn’t take care of her. The extra time I had was limited, and I used it to be with her. She always told me not to worry, to keep doing what I was doing, but I couldn’t just sit idly by while she got tired so easily with any effort she made. Ever since she started chemotherapy, her body had been weakening, and the numerous medications she took made her fall asleep quickly. She was no longer the same as before. This illness was slowly taking her away from us. I was afraid that one day she would leave us alone. She was the one who gave me the strength to keep going, even though she scolded me sometimes for staying up late or for disobeying when she told me not to worry about her. I did it because my mom meant too much to me. I loved her with all my heart. She was the best mother in the world. She always looked out for us, and now it was our turn to do the same for her.

My workplace was far from where I lived, but I was fortunate that my best and great friend, Mikaela, picked me up at my house every evening before it got dark. She had an old car, but it still ran well. She used it to get around everywhere. Mika was my closest friend and my confidante. I met her a couple of years ago when she worked at the cafe where my sister worked. She was the one who invited me to work at the club. I knew it was nothing bad since I had known her for a long time, and she had been completely trustworthy. She would never put me in harm’s way. We knew each other very well, as if we were sisters.

Like every evening, she came to pick me up. I got into her car and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. She smiled at me, turned up the stereo volume, and drove us to our destination.

Mikaela was a stunning girl. She was tall, with dark flowing hair, slanted dark eyes, tanned skin, and a curvaceous body. She was older than me. She was 21 years old, and we had a two-year age difference. When she turned eighteen, she left home because she said she was fed up with her drunk father. Mika had lived for many years in a dysfunctional home. Her mother had left them. While her father drowned in alcohol, her brothers turned into delinquents. There were two of them, both older than her. She didn’t feel comfortable in that environment and decided to run away from them as far as possible, leaving them in another state in the country. She struggled to find work quickly because her education wasn’t very advanced. She had to leave school for a period and didn’t manage to finish it. Finding something decent proved difficult. That was the reason she ended up at Julie’s nightclub. She started as a waitress, but when she saw the good tips and the pay that the dancers received, she asked the boss if she could become one too and be a companion. In the club, you could either just dance or be a companion for those wealthy men who frequented it. My friend didn’t think twice and jumped at the opportunity. In contrast, I agreed only if they allowed me to dance. If Julie respected my agreement to be just a dancer for the club, I would stay, but if not, I would leave.

We arrived. The building was large. From the outside, you might think it was an elegant place to have a few drinks, but it wasn’t like that. We entered the club, and as usual at this time, the place was empty because it wasn’t open to the public yet. Our shift started at six in the evening, and the public was admitted after seven, so we had a little time to prepare.

I didn’t have to worry because my performance always started in the middle and the other one at the end. “To end the night on a high note,” Julie used to say. She said I was her most prized dancer. The other girls got annoyed when they heard her say that. Many of them resented me for that reason. Mika didn’t take Julie’s words personally, so she wasn’t offended, and she even supported her and praised me, even though Mika was very good at what she did too. The years of dance lessons I had taken helped me.

Before heading to my dressing room, I greeted my colleagues, especially the waiters and bartenders, who were my first companions and friends when I arrived. They were very friendly and knew I would never forget them, as Simon, one of the waiters, had started suggesting that as soon as I became a club dancer, I would forget them and wouldn’t talk to them anymore. Of course, that would never happen; I wasn’t that kind of person.

He said it because many colleagues had said it as if it were a big deal to dance for lustful men. For me, it wasn’t something I took pride in, dancing semi-nude for them, although many respected it, but there were others who didn’t care about the rules and, because they had money and power, believed they could do as they pleased. This was a job where you had to be very careful and not roam around when the place was in service. I rarely went out. I only moved from the dressing room to the stage and from the stage to the dressing room. Going beyond that meant exposing oneself and being fresh meat for predators.

After greeting everyone, I went straight to the dressing room to get ready. When I arrived, I noticed that almost all my colleagues were already getting ready. They were all running around. It was always like this. Even though we had an hour to get ready, we always needed more time. The place was large, almost ten times the size of this room. It comfortably accommodated fifteen girls without crowding. There was another one, but only ten girls were there, the ones who had been working here for years. So to speak, they were the exclusive ones, the ones who provided full service. They called themselves the VIPs. Mika called them the old ladies. Here, we dressed, put on makeup, and did our hair. If we wanted to take a shower, there were showers at the end of the hallway, near the exit. Julie’s office was upstairs, as the place had two floors. The VIP lounges were also there, reserved for distinguished customers. It was a quieter, more private area for those who liked to have business meetings or spend time with their acquaintances. That’s where the exclusive companions were kept. I wasn’t interested in exclusivity or anything like that; just dancing was more than enough for me. Mika said I was right to hide my identity because many of the men who frequented the club were dangerous people. I didn’t understand much when she referred to that. Still, I liked wearing a mask before going out to dance. When I agreed to dance, I told Julie I would wear one. Since she didn’t object, I took advantage. Since then, I started dancing with one on, hiding part of my face.