The Essential Bride

The Essential Bride (4)

I hadn't left my house in two days, and by the third day I was ready to break lose. My Mom hadn't left till about twenty minutes ago, but she demanded I stay home from school another day, apologizing adamantly that she had to leave and how horrible she felt. I was surprised she had stayed two days. Surprised and partially pissed. I hadn't been able to leave the house, meaning I haven't been able to go the club to talk to Randy.

My mind had been racing, unable to forget the blonde haired man, how he has gone missing. I kept checking my phone for updates on his case but there was none. No one seemed to be asking questions about this guy, no one seemed to pay any mind that a wealthy, young man has gone missing in a quiet town and it made no sense to me. 

I got ready quickly; scared my Mom would change her mind and come back even though I highly doubted that would be happening. I called a taxi, still about four hundred dollars away from the car I've been saving up for, and I couldn't exactly pull Steph out of fourth period to drive me to a strip joint.

The place looked surprisingly dead, usually Randy and a couple other people were here, maybe a couple of the girls... I let myself in, and called out to anyone.

"Dem" Tiffany asked, coming from downstairs. "Where have you been? The girls have been worried, especially with everything happening."

"Everything?" I asked, "and I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you guys worry. I got sick, and my Mom baby sat me for the past couple days and I couldn't get away."

"So you don't know about everything that happened with Randy?"

"I saw on the news that the guy who manhandled me Saturday went missing, and I was worried they would suspect Randy had something to do with it."

"Yeah, the pigs came by asking questions but Randy checked out squeaky clean, those creeps let themselves out, Randy didn't even force 'em to leave. We had about fifteen guys come forward saying they witnessed Randy work his entire shift."

"He also saw me out of here." I threw out there but Tiff sighed.

"We kept you out of the eyesight of the cops, until we thought you were needed. We didn't want them barking up your tree and riling things that didn't need to be." Realization dawned on me, and I was suddenly really thankful for the people I referred to as co-workers. "Yeah, we were kind of glad you weren't showing your face, you're just too pretty for it. We actually said it was I that got attacked by the missing creep, and all the witnesses were too drunk that night to really remember." She laughed. "I feel bad for the man and the family but..." she trailed off and I nodded.

"So, Randy is fine?"

"Yeah, his fiery wife wanted to punch those pigs in their noses, it was hilarious. That lady is a fire cracker I tell ya. So, are you staying to work?" I thought hard for a second, I needed four hundred, and now fifty more dollars to get that car I needed. I was tired of bumming rides off Stephanie, or getting a taxi.

 I sighed, "I really need the money." I admitted, and Tiffany nodded.

"You're in the wrong side of this business. I know you've been saving up for that little dark green Jetta, for months now."

"Well, it's because more of what I make here goes right in the bank for school, and I'm not touching that for anything."

"How much you need?"

"Five hundred." I rounded up to play it safe.

"If you danced tonight, you would make that, then some." My heart stopped. I honestly hadn't thought about dancing, I wasn't comfortable being in basically my bra and undies in front of even my Mom, could I dance in front of people? "Just try it out, I'll give the tray to someone else tonight and you can back out whenever you think you should. You don't even have to do it, I'm just thinking of helping you out. I know how scary it is to do that the first time, I wish I could just hand over the money to you because out of everyone here you deserve it most but..." but she had her own little ones mouths to feed.