Lillie

I had a crazy week with all my classes and several exams. I always ended up exhausted, but today it was even more so. Whenever I had a test I was always tired from studying for so many hours in a row. The sleepless nights took their toll on me from those nights of studying. 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 unfortunate thing 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. Five days a week I worked nights, so it was not possible to take care of her. The extra time I had was little and I took advantage of it to spend with her. She always told me not to worry, to go on with my work, but I could not sit idly by while she tired very easily with any effort she made. Since she started chemotherapy her body became weaker and weaker and the many medications she was taking made her fall asleep quickly. She was not the same as before. This disease is slowly taking her down. I was afraid that any day she would leave us alone. She was the one who gave me the strength to go on even though sometimes she scolded me for sleeping late or for disobeying when she told me not to worry about her. I did it because I cared too much about Mom. I loved her with all my being. She was the best mother in the world. She always saw for us and now it was our turn to do it for her.

My job was far away from where I lived, but I was very fortunate to have my best and great friend, Mikaela, pick me up at my house every evening before dark. She had an old car, but it still worked well. In it she drove everywhere. Mika was my closest friend and confidant. I had met her a couple of years ago when I was working in the cafeteria 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 had been absolutely trustworthy, I would never be able to risk it. We knew each other very well, as if we were sisters.

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

Mikaela was a beautiful girl. She was tall, with dark hair, dark slanted eyes, tanned skin and a lush body. She was older than me. She was 21 years old. We were two years apart. When she came of age, she left home, as she said she was fed up with her drunken father. Mika lived for many years in a dysfunctional home. Her mother left, leaving them behind. While her father lost himself in alcohol, her siblings became delinquent. There were two of them, both older than her. She did not feel well in that environment and decided to run away from them, leaving them in another state of the country. She did not find a job quickly, as her studies were not very advanced. She had to drop out of high school at a certain period and did not manage to finish it. It was difficult for him to find something good and decent. That was the reason why she fell into Julie's nightclub. She also started as a waitress, but when she saw the good tips and pay for the dancers she asked the boss to be one of them so she could also be an escort. At the club you could just dance or be an escort for those millionaire men who used to go there. My friend didn't think twice and jumped at it. On the other hand, I agreed if they would only let me dance. If Julie respected my deal to be just a dancer for the club, I was going to stay there, but if not, I would leave.

We arrived. The building is big. From the outside you might think it was a fancy place to go for a few drinks, but it was not. We walked into the club, and as usual at this hour, the place was very lonely, because it wasn't open to the public yet. Our check-in time was at six o'clock in the evening and the public entrance was after seven o'clock, so we only had a short time to get ready.

I had nothing to worry about, as my performance always started in the middle and the other one at the end. "To close the night on a high note," Julie used to say. She would say that I was her most prized dancer. The other girls would get upset when they heard her say that. Many of them hated me for that reason. My friend didn't take Julie's words personally, so she wasn't offended, she even supported her and gave me flowers, even though Mika was also very good at what she did. The dance classes I had for years helped me some.

Before heading to my dressing room, I greeted my companions, plus the waiters and bartenders , who were my first companions and friends I made here when I arrived. They were very friendly and knew I would never forget them, as Simon, one of the waiters, began to hint that as soon as I became a dancer at the club I would forget them and no longer speak to them. Of course, that was never going to happen, I was not that kind of person. He was just saying that because so many of my classmates had said so as if it was a big deal to dance for lustful men. For me it was not something I was proud of, dancing half-naked for them, although many respected it, but there were others who did not care about the rules and because they had money and power they thought they could put their hands wherever they wanted. This was a job where you had to take care of yourself and not loiter everywhere when the place was on duty. I rarely went out. I only went from the dressing room to the stage and from the stage to the dressing room. To go out any further was to expose yourself and be fresh meat for lions.

After greeting everyone, I went straight to the dressing room to get ready. I got there and noticed that almost all of my classmates were already getting ready. They were all running around. It was always like that. Even if we had an hour to get ready, we always needed more time. The place was large, almost doubled by ten. We could fit fifteen girls in it without being cramped. There was another one, but there were only ten girls there, all of whom had been working here for years. As they said, they were the exclusive ones, the ones who gave full service. They called themselves the vip girls. Mika called them the old ladies. Here we got dressed, had our hair and make-up done. If we wanted a shower, there were showers down the hall, near the exit. Julie's office was upstairs, as the place had two floors. There were also the VIP rooms, which were for distinguished clients. It was a more reserved and quiet area for those who liked to have a business chat or hang out with their acquaintances. There they kept the exclusive ladies-in-waiting. I wasn't interested in exclusivity or anything like that, just dancing was more than enough. Mika claimed that 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 meant that. I still liked to put on a mask before going out dancing. When I agreed to dance, I told Julie that I would wear one. Since she didn't refuse, I took advantage of it. Since then I started dancing with one on, so I could hide part of my face.

I sat on a chair in front of the mirror. Mika came and stood behind me to start ironing my hair. With my hair I didn't spend a lot of time, as it was a bit straight, only the humid weather used to mess it up sometimes.

-Did I tell you before that you have beautiful hair?

-A million times.

-Well, I never tire of repeating it. -Yes, I remembered. What are you going to wear today?

A bra, a green skirt with sequins and black open-toed pumps, and of course my emerald green sequinned mask.

-Wow, now you're really going to shine with that bright green.

-That's what Julie wants. -I snorted. I didn't know why she asked me to wear those clothes today.

-No way, we have to listen to the boss.

After combing my hair, she helped me with my makeup. Then it was my turn to do it with her. We always helped each other. Besides, it was the only time we had to talk about our things.

-It's Saturday, and that means it's going to be a good night," Mika commented with a generous smile. Today it's my turn to go out first, so wish me luck. Hopefully I'll find my millionaire tonight. -She winked at me.

-You don't need it, you always do great," I assured him and gave him a thumbs up.

My friend had always been waiting for her millionaire prince, anxious for this man to come into her life to take her out of this world. According to her, she didn't care about love. Her idea was another one on her way, but that was her dream or her goal to fulfill someday. I could say that was the dream of many girls who work here, something very different from mine. My dream was to finish my career as a doctor so I could someday help people with cancer. Curing them would be great. It was the only thing I dreamed of for my future. I didn't need a millionaire man and I didn't want one, I could get out of where I was without having to marry a rich man. I had always said that I alone could achieve anything I set my mind to in life. I did not judge my friend and the other girls, each one thought in her own way. Their way of thinking was very different from mine.

Mika left after saying goodbye, but before she left she asked me again to wish her luck. I cheered her on, as I always used to do every night.

My performance was coming after hers and two other girls, so my dance performance would still be delayed. I took the opportunity to sit on one of the couches that were in the dressing room and got on my cell phone to W******p my sister. I wanted to know how my mother was doing. Whenever I had an opportunity like this, I kept asking my sister how mom was doing. Sometimes she would scold me for asking and asking. Since I knew she wouldn't be getting up early for work tomorrow, I texted her at this time. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered her. After telling me that everything was going well at home, I stopped bothering her and started playing a little game that my niece had installed for me. I had something to do to kill the time I had left over. I wouldn't loiter around the club, I wouldn't risk it that way, although I could go out disguised with a raincoat and a cap so I could go to the bar and chat a little with Tomás and Roy, who were the bartenders.

I stood up. I decided to listen to my crazy little head and get out of there for a while. By this time most of the girls were in the lounge. Some were in company with a client, while others were dancing on the other small dance floors, so I was alone in the dressing room. I grabbed a black trench coat and a cap of the same color, which I carefully placed on my head so as not to mess up my hair. Once ready, I went out of there. Before I reached the lounge, I could already hear the shouts, laughter and voices of several conversations, and that was a sign that the club was crowded with many people. When I got to the bar, I smiled at the guys and started chatting with them. They gave me a glass of water after laughing at me for being incognito in the club. In the meantime, they told me about Mika, how she danced that night. My only thought was that maybe she had already found her millionaire man. I laughed when I remembered that. That girl knew what she wanted and wouldn't let him go.

Between chatting and chatting the time flew by and I didn't even notice. I looked at the time on the wall clock that was in the bar and got up to leave, but not before thanking the guys for the drink and for the good talk we had. I said goodbye to them and walked away almost running. I turned left to leave the lounge and head back to the dressing room. As I took a few more steps, not quite reaching my destination, I wobbled on my heels as I bumped into someone. When I thought I was going to land on the floor, I felt that the person I bumped into reached out to grab me by the waist and broke my fall so I wouldn't hurt myself. On the one hand, I was relieved to realize that I had been saved, but on the other hand, I remembered that a stranger. Still, I raised my head to look at my savior. I was met with the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen in my life. He was perfectly sized and gray, but what struck me most was that something strange that determined his gaze, something like mysterious and danger. The man was very close to my face, too close, I would say, but that made me notice his face in detail. He was a very attractive man, with black hair combed back, with a serious countenance, with a profiled nose, asymmetrical lips and a clean-shaven and well-groomed beard. His jaw was well distinguished and as perfect as all his features. I found him very handsome, but what I liked the most was his gaze, his beautiful eyes, although there was a hint of darkness in them. How could I like something like that?

My body remained glued to his. He was still holding me with his arm. I was frozen by that look and that face left me lost. He watched me as if he wanted to engrave something in his mind. I couldn't move and my breathing stopped for a moment. I didn't understand why this was happening to me with a stranger, with a man I didn't know who he was. As soon as I realized that I lost the cap I was wearing on my head, I could understand it when he detailed me with his eyes; he went from my face to my hair. And that's when I asked myself the question: "Could he be a client? Just thinking like that made me shudder. I always wanted to run away from this kind of man, the kind that just by looking at his face screamed danger.