Chapter 31: Detour, Part 1

No journey is complete without a detour and mine was becoming a bartender. After six months, I experienced what can only be described as stripper burnout. I was exhausted, physically and emotionally. I was tired from the physical exertion of dancing and tired of the toll it was taking on my body; I had sore leg and back muscles, constant bruises on my knees, razor burn on my crotch and legs, and pimples from wearing so much make-up.

My psyche was also weary from having to lie all the time to everyone: my parents, my siblings, my boyfriend, and my friends. The mask I was wearing felt like cement, ready to plunge me down into the depths of an abyss, head first. The demeaning nature of the work started to wear on my mental state as well. Guys slapping my ass as I walked by their table, fending off solicitations for sex, the constant chorus of "what are you doing here?"

Winter had arrived, and no one wanted to warm up with a stripper; the river of customers slowed to a trickle, and I w