Crazy For You ( All English Version)

CHAPTER 1 : "THE MAIDEN"

She always performs during weekdays. She dances with others and during Tuesdays and Thursdays she has her own solo performance.

It's Tuesday night. It's nine o'clock in the evening. Her call time is in fifteen minutes.

She fixes her long black hair and checked her make up once again. She is wearing a silver two-piece costume. And as always she wears her small mask which covers her eyes.

They call her The Maiden because she maintains untouched by customers and she refuses to be in a table with anybody. She is only here to perform, nothing else.

They can watch her but they can't touch her- that was her rule when she agreed to perform here. At first she got resistance from the management.

"They say she is a hypocrite, feeling clean when she's not, just because she dances in a club doesn't mean she will sell her body for sex,too " but she stood her ground and later on got her own following - regular customers who came just because of her. For them she is a mystery- and watching her alone filled their thirst for something empty in their lives.

Her friend, Dina called her and told her she is on.

The music was Like a Prayer by Madonna.

The stage was dark, she slowly moved in the middle of the stage, and sat at the stool.

She waited for Madonna to start singing....

***Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone  

I hear you call my name  

And it feels like home ***

When she dances on stage she gives her best, Elena is a good dancer, performer.

Her moves are sensual and sexy.

Not vulgar.

She closes her eyes as Madonna sings:

**When you call my name it's like a little prayer  

I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there  

In the midnight hour I can feel your power  

Just like a prayer you know I'll take you there **

When she dances she feels the lyrics and interprets it- that's where she gets her moves out of. She feels she is in a different place, she's alone- just enjoying the music while her body moves with it.

She dances with every beat, rhythm of the music.

She started slowly dancing and gyrating her hips, the crowd started applauding her.

She smiled, it is a good night. She let's Madonna finish her piece as she continue to dance with it.

The audience were very generous with their whistles and applause.

After her performance, she took a bow and ran back to her dressing room.

When she got there Dina was smiling at her holding a couple of bouquet of flowers, boxes of chocolates and envelopes.

"You're lucky girl! You have lots of admirer! Look, you got two thick envelopes tonight! I'm sure that's with money inside! Give me some change!" Dina teased her.

She laughed at her," You're really crazy, I am only interested with the money, you can have the chocolates and flowers!"

"Okay if you say so, I gotta go, you going with me? "Dina asked.

"Not tonight girl, I have to drop by somewhere, thanks! I'll see you tomorrow!" Elena told her, Dina is her close friend at the club, like her she is also a dancer, unlike her she goes out with customers - for extra money, she told her when she asked her once.

"I need the money girl, i need the extra money especially you know how hard life is nowadays for us? Two thousand pesos per take out and five hundred pesos whenever I chit chat with someone at the table," she explained to her.

"Well, maybe you're right, but be careful Okay? always use protection - physically and emotionally. Don't fall in love with your customer," she advices her.

"Of course girl, I've been burned and I've been hurt before by love! I know how men are- they only woo me for my body, and when they get me they are done and just leave me.So, it's better this way at least even if they use me, I use them,too- for money! If in love, i give them my all and even sex- for free and then I end up getting hurt and at a disadvantage anyways!" she said and laughed.

Elena laughed. Dina is really funny but she is right, with their kind of job, it is hard to trust. They always end up getting hurt and disadvantaged when it comes to love.

Good thing she hasn't really fallen in love yet. She had crush and even had a boyfriend back then but it wasn't really love.Now, she doesn't have the time and hasn't met the right one,yet.

What she is looking for in a man is simple- rich, handsome and kind.  

She smirked, that wasn't simple, her mind tells her.How can she find a guy like that nowadays? Maybe there are men like that but they are probably taken or married to their kind, or if ever there are rich guys they are either arrogant and playboy. There are also those who are only goodlooking but they are poor, jobless or without ambition at all. Ironic, she thought. 

There are those who are kind, but they are ugly and poor.

She sighs, "When am i going to find the kind of guy I am looking for?" Elena wonders.

Elena stiffens and knocks her head.

"Elena wake up from your daydream! There's no such guy nowadays!So brace yourself to be an old maid! " scolded herself.

She finished up removing her make up and opened the two envelopes, one has a letter with two five hundred peso bills inside while the other has a note with a name and number in it together with four five hundred peso bills.

Elena clapped her hands,"Wow, thanks God! You really love me Lord! My siblings can pay their tuition!" she tossed the note and the letter without even reading them.

After she changed into her regular clothes she tool her large bag and went at the backdoor. It was her secret way out especially after her performance a while ago, she's sure someone is waiting for her to ask her out or at least sit with them at their table.

She opened the door and went towards the taxi waiting for her.

She went inside and told the driver to take her home.

"Come on manong, let's go.."

"Sure, you got it, you're early tonight?" he asked, the driver was a fifty year old man whose name is Mang Edwin, the driver of the regular taxi that he rents.

"Yes, I finish early tonight, how's your day off?"

"It's okay..I visited my wife's grave , yesterday was her birthday," he was talking about his wife who has been dead for five years. He still continues to visit her religiously especially on special occasions that reminds him of her.

"That's true love, even if she passed away, he still remembers and continue to love her," Elena thought, her mind wanders to when she will eventually get hit by deadly one- LOVE.