Miss Lola.

Chapter 24.

"Hi princess. Can you please put your mother on the phone?"

"Okay, Daddy. I miss you." Hayley said.

"And I miss you back. Hand the phone to your mother...please."

"Hello." Gwen said a moment later.

"Hi, this is Merlin. How you doing?"

"I don't know. I guess coming here was a mistake but Hayley's having a blast."

"Well, you can always come back home." The words simply slipped out of my mouth and I could have kicked myself for saying them.

"Hmm..do you miss us?" Gwen asked.

"Every second. So when are you coming home?"

"Well, I'm going to let Hayley spend some time with her cousins since she hasn't seen them in a while and after that, I'll see."

I had to fight to stay calm.

"Okay. If that's the game plan..."

"Games? Merlin, ain't nobody trying to play games. You're the one who said that I was acting too..what was your word? Uppity and controlling."

"Look, I know what I said, Gwen. You don't have to remind me and I'm right. You are all of those things and it needs to stop."

"Please, Merlin. You're the one with the problem."

"And you're probably right." I said. "I should spend more time with you and Hayley instead of tying myself to my job but that's not going to change the fact that we need the extra money. I'm trying Gwen, can you please understand that?"

"Well, if you need help then let me go back to teaching." Gwen said.

"That's out of the question. We agreed that you'd stay home with Hayley until she's in regular school."

"Yeah, but you're constantly complaining about the lack of money. I can help. Besides, Hayley will be in kindergarten next year and I was thinking about returning to work then."

"We'll discuss it later." I quickly promised. "I love and miss you girls. When are you coming home?"

"How about Sunday night?" Gwen sounded unsure but I was relieved because Sunday was only two days away.

"Yeah, okay. That sounds good and I made an appointment at a mechanic for the Volvo. The guy said he'll cut me a deal. I'm taking it to the place after work tomorrow."

"Thank you, Merlin."

"And when you come home, some things need to change around here and to help facilitate that I can find us a marriage counselor..."

"Things like what?" Gwen demanded.

"We'll talk about it when you come home. Now do you want the marriage counselling or not?"

"Sure. Any thing you say." Her tone was way too casual.

"Gwen? You don't sound too enthusiastic about this." I pointed out.

"Oh, I'm tap dancing right now."  She was being sarcastic.

"Look, I'm trying to do everything in my power to make our marriage work. Two people make a marriage, not one. You need to understand that."

"The only thing that I understand is that you're giving me orders again and telling me what you want and yet I'm the controlling one."

"I didn't mean it like that." I said.

"Well, that's the energy that you're sending out there and I don't like it. What about what I want?"

"Well, what do you want?" I ask reasonably enough.

"To go back to work. Dang it Merlin, I miss teaching. It fulfilled me in so many ways to train up the minds of my young students and also helped us financially."

"We'll discuss it. I'm open to discussing it."

"Are you being straight with me, Merlin?"

"Yes." It was hard to force that one simple word out. "Are you being straight with me about the marriage counselling?"

"Yes since I also want our marriage to work, then I'll go along with the program." Gwen's voice was full of resignation.

"Well, that's all that I ask." I'm relieved that she's being so cooperative because usually Gwen is contrary and fights me every step of the way. She must have missed me for real.

"Are you at home?" She asked, changing the subject.

"No, I'm staying at mother's. I couldn't be in that lonely house by myself."

"Oh, so now you're trying to make me feel guilty for leaving."

"Is it working?" I asked with a hopeful chuckle.

"A little bit." Gwen said and it sounded like she was smiling. "Well, how is Mama Lola?"

"She's good. Still holding it down and looking fabulous in the process." I almost told her that mother was dating again but that's not my news to broadcast.

Gwen will know soon enough.

We talked a good hour and a half before she said that she had to put our daughter to bed.

"Good night, Merlin."

"Good night." I say and wait until Gwen hangs up first.

Sunday couldn't arrive fast enough for me.

Rhonda's pov.

"Shake those tits for me again." Leroy, one of my regulars holds a fist full of money in my face and I know they're twenties with a fair smattering of fifties thrown in and so I obligingly shake my

shoulders from side to side to make my breasts wobble and a big grin spreads on his ugly face as he hands me most of the wad which I stuff inside my panties.

DMX is growling like a pitt bull in the background, voice amplified from the Bose speakers. I never dance to anything but DMX, no matter what management says.

So many other girls chose songs by R.Kelly, but every since his trial had been trending in the news and on social media management had put a stop to that.

They don't want the drama, I guess.

When my set ends, I bend down on my pink and gold stiletto heels and scoop up the random bills from the wooden stage along with my pink trimmed with

gold lace bra and quickly make my way down the two rickety stairs at the back of the stage and down the dimly lit hall which leads into the dingy dressing room.

"Hey, girl. You wanna get something to eat?" Thunder, who's seated at a mirror brushing her waist length, blue weave asks.

I open my locker and throw a Chinese robe over my skimpy attire and sit down, spread the bills out on the table getting ready to count them.

"Some other time, Thunder. I have to pick up my kids from the sitters."

Most of the money is crinkled and I smooth the wrinkled bills out and rapidly count them, coming up with a little under three grand tonight.

Thirty percent of which will go to management.

Spritzing my hands with sanitizer, I scoop everything inside my purse, say goodnight to Thunder and a few other friendly girls and head for Foxxy's office.

10/31/21
Edited 12/20/21.