𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟮 𝗠𝗬 𝗨𝗡𝗕𝗢𝗥𝗡 ━━━━━ 𝘁𝘂𝗽𝗮𝗰 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗿.

014.

' TUE, NOVEMBER 31ST 1994. '
little diamonds ⸻
los angeles , california !

I STAND BEHIND THE BAR in the lively strip club, fortunate that Big Joe took me seriously and allowed me to step down from stripping to help with the bar instead. I'm not dressed in the usual attire for this place; instead, I'm wearing a shirt with little diamonds on it paired with a black pencil skirt.

The club is buzzing with activity as always. I spend my time chatting with Latoya while the other girls take the stage to perform. Working behind the bar serving drinks and helping out feels much calmer and more comfortable than stripping, especially considering my pregnancy.

Latoya raises an eyebrow and asks, "So, Big Joe didn't mind that you didn't want to continue stripping?" She asks me with a face of disbelief, I nod my head and she furrows her brows unsure whether she really understood. "Yeah, he did. Well at least it seemed like it to me. He doesn't look to happy about it though." I insist, Latoya shrugs her shoulders and continues mixing up the drink it was that she was making.

My manicured nails tap against an empty tray while waiting for Latoya to finish making a drink. Although I'm not stripping, I am a woman working at strip club so even serving customers here can still be a little degrading.

Latoya offers some solace, saying, "I mean at least I got you keeping me company." She smiles, her hands shaking up the drinks inside of the metallic shaker, "Shit gets lonely here at times." I give Latoya a reassuring smile. "I'm here to keep you company from now on. It's better than being up on that stage having all those eyes on me."

Latoya laughs, "Now you got a point there. I don't know how you managed to keep shit together on that stage, I get annoyed with all these men over at the bar."

"I can tell." I reply, watching her eyes point towards the numerous men that are around the bar. "But it's all good now, all I have to do is just carry some trays and put them down." Latoya hands a cocktail to a customer, "See, it ain't that bad here." She tells me.

Latoya smirks, "But girl, I gotta say the uniform looks good on you." She compliments me, referring to the black pencil skirt paired with the shirt holding the logo on it. I thank her, doing a little twirl as she cheers me on supportively. I chuckle, "I mean I tried to put a little twist on it, you know I need them tips.

She grins, "They gon fly in, now about these trays, you'll get hang of it in no time." She tells me, placing down the glasses of the drinks she'd just mixed against the black tray.

As I start arranging the trays, I feel the atmosphere in the club suddenly drastically change. The music takes on a different beat, and the whispers and murmurs within the room among the room grow louder. Latoya looks around the club confused, her eyes widening with surprise.

"What's going on?" I ask, my eyes furrowed as I search the room to see what's going on. Latoya giggles excitedly as her eyes peer over curiously towards the entrance of the club, "I dunno about you, but I think we got someone real famous up in here." She manages to tell me through her excitement, pointing discreetly towards the door.

I follow her gaze and notice a buzz in the air as people start murmuring and pointing. The crowd parts slightly, and I catch a glimpse of a group of people with large figures making their way into the club, walking as if they own so much authority.

"Is that who I think it is?" I ask, squinting to get a better look over the dark red lights. "I can't even see anything from here, I won't lie to you." I admit followed by a shrug of my shoulders. Latoya turns to look over at me with disappointed eyes and I only awkward smile back over at her.