Chapter 4

Gwen’s POV

Three weeks went by, and I was almost a pro, working as a waitress in the club. I carry the tray, suspending it over my fingertips. I rock the bunny dress and have heads turning when passing by, but the men know better not to touch me. I always say this anytime a man attempts.

“Not all the lights are for show. You don’t want to end up in a body bag. So be good,” I always end my statement with a wink, and walk away.

My tray was empty and ready for a refill. I walk to the counter, and the guy behind the counter, whom I later got to know as Jose, prepared his magical drinks. Some had flames above them and others had something like a blubbing ball dropped beneath it. I carried the drinks and went round serving the customers.

Even though I was working there, I never tasted any of the drinks. I make 5 to 10 dollars a day from tips, and I have a roof over my head. Madam Green, provide me with a meal a day and I get breakfast using my tips. It was better than living on the streets at the mercy of the harsh weather, and expose to night criminals. I couldn’t wish for a better life.

Aside from being a waitress at night, I keep the club clean. The club closes at 3 a.m. I spent an hour doing my first cleaning and got to bed at 4 a.m. I wake up at 9 am, do my second cleaning, get myself breakfast at 11 am, a hamburger and a chocolate drink, and return to my small room. I rest for an hour and do the major cleaning of the club. That will be cleaning all the private rooms. Madam Green would come in at 3 p.m. She would bring me a packed lunch. The club opens at 8 p.m. and gets to work. This was the daily routine.

Cleaning the private room was the nastiest part of my job. I kept picking these rubbers with liquids trapped in them. So one day, I kept one and decided to ask Amanda about it.

“Amanda, what are these? Some kind of drugs? I see them in the private rooms all the time,” I said, and Amanda burst out laughing.

I became confused, wondering why she was laughing. I was still holding the rubber with the liquid trap inside it. I wanted to know what it was; I was just curious.

“I hope you didn’t taste them?” Amanda asked, still laughing, her eyes filled with tears, as she couldn’t control her laughter.

“No, I don’t put things I am clueless about in my mouth,” I said, with a frown. “I did smell it, though, but I was not sure what scent I was picking. There was a strawberry scent, and some awful smell, like rotten egg,” I described and brought the rubber to my nose to make sure I got it right.

“So you kept this one to ask me about it? Amanda asked, and I nodded.

I was about to smell it again when Amanda knocked it off my hand.

“Do you know what condoms are?” she asked me, and I shook my head.

“Okay, that is a condom. What you were holding is used by men?” Amanda explained, and I was still confused.

“What do they use it for?” I asked.

“Gee, you are such a greenhorn. I hope, no man lies to you, and put his joystick in your mouth saying it’s lollipop,” Amanda said and I had no idea what a joystick was, or what she meant.

“You do know what sex is, right?” Amanda asked, and I nodded.

“Good. Men use it when they want to have sex with women. So they don’t catch any disease, and also prevent pregnancy. So what you saw in that thing is what we call sperm. It came from the man. Judging by the smell, whoever this man slept with could be sick,” Amanda said.

“Ewui,” I said, making a disgusting face, while Amanda continued to laugh.

I felt so disgusted, keeping a used condom with a man’s discharge in my pocket for 8 hours just to ask Amanda about it. Since I never touched those rubbers with my hand again. It also gave me an idea of what happened in the private rooms.

Well, that was my new life in the club and Madam Green still believe I was a minor, so I continued to serve as a waitress. Two days ago, she caught me singing and dancing and she told me, she has an event coming up, and she wants me to dance. I gulped, but at least, I was happy she was not giving me to a man.

It was 3 p.m. and I was almost done with my cleaning. Madam Green walked in with the gentleman I met in her office on my first day. I got to know goes by the name, Jack. He was Madam Green’s PA.

Madam Green handed me my packed lunch. Amanda was already in; she was in the dressing room. She stays there till 6 p.m., and she would come to my room, and stay there with me till a quarter to 8, and we all move to the club.

“Thank you,” I appreciated, accepting the bag from Madam Green.

“Are you done cleaning?” Madam Green asked me.

“Yes, please,” I replied.

“Good, come to my office,” She said and walked away.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, and walked towards the back, where the storage room was.

I cleaned the cleaning equipment I used and kept it in its place. Once I was done, I took the cleaning jumpsuit off and headed for Madam Green's office. I knocked and entered.

“Madam Green, you wanted to see me," I said as soon as I was in her presence.

"You are dancing tonight," She threw the words at me, and my heart skipped a beat.

"Erm," I began, but didn't know what to say.

"Tonight is a special night. I like those dance moves of yours. I just need you to upgrade it a little. I want you to do this tonight," She said, beckoning me to come closer using her finger.

She showed me a video of a lady pole dancing with a mask on. I kept watching the lady and wondered if she had bones in her body.

"I want you to learn these moves, you are doing it tonight," Madam Green said, and I gulped.

"Me," I asked, staring at her with eyes wide open.

"No, me," Madam Green. "Do you still another idiot here?" she questioned, and I shook my head.

"Sit and keep watching. You will dance here for me to see. I give you an hour to study he move," Madam Green said and gave the phone to me.

I sat on the couch next to Jack and kept watching the lady dancing multiple times. I watched her so much, at a point, I felt like I was the one in the video dancing.

"Time up, let me see what you got," Madam Green said, snapping me out of my concentration.

"Here," I asked, sounding nervous.

"No, outside, on the street, idiot," Madam Green barked, and I went silent.

"Now!" she yelled, and I stood to my feet abruptly dropping the phone.

"That is coming out of your pay cheque," Madam Green said, and I quickly picked up the phone.

"I don't get paid," I quickly pointed out.

Yes, she doesn't pay me. The money I have, I got it from tips.

"Exactly, I don't pay you, because I house you, clothed you and provide you lunch. That is your pay," she said. "The fixing of that phone, is coming out of your pay cheque," she repeated and I knew what she meant.

I wondered what the cost of fixing the phone will be as I held it in my hand staring at the broken screen. I don't even know how much, my lunch cost, my clothes and the room I was staying in.

"I am sorry," I apologised.

"To fix that phone, you will not get lunch for a month, and you will have to vacate the room. I don't care where you sleep. And you better show up for work, if not, I will put you behind bars," she threatened, and I gulp.

"Unless, you give me a perfect dance. Then I would consider you," she said and I nodded.

She pulled a stereo from nowhere and placed it on her desk. She pressed the button, and the song the lady was dancing to played through the speakers.

"Now Dance," she said, and I began to move, but very awkwardly.

"You better dance well, or I'll put a bullet in between your eyes," I heard Madam Green say, and she aimed a gun at me.

I began to tremble.

"Calm down, let me handle her," I heard Jack say.

"Little girl," he said, and I shifted my gaze to him. "You don't want to die here, do you?" he asked, and I shook my head.

"Good, girl," Jack said," Imagine, you are alone in the bathroom, dancing. Take it that we are not here," he said, and paused. "Let me help you," he said and pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket.

He stood up, walked to me and covered my eyes with it.

"Now just listen to the music and dance. We will excuse you, but we will be watching you on screen, so you better dance," Jack whispered into my ear. "Don't take the cloth off, or you die," he said.

I heard the banging of the door. I stood there for a while and began to dance. I put my heart into it and danced my heart out.

"Now that is more like it. You are doing it tonight," I heard Madam Green say.

The clothes were removed from my eyes and I realised they were in the room.

"Watch yourself," Jack said and played the video to me.

I did pull it off.

"Get ready for tonight. Amanda will dress you up," Madam Green said and dismissed me from her office.

Indeed, the night came, and Amanda dressed me up. I was dressed in a white dress that looked like a one-piece swimsuit, with feathers at the ends. She put makeup on me for the first time. I stared at myself in the mirror and I couldn’t recognise myself. I looked like a beautiful fairy from children's stories.