Mid morning at the strip club

Mid morning at the strip club

fiction
edward w pritchard

Pre-quel to Marvella Joins a Team, a look at Time Theory, and Questions the Reality of Time
to be rewritten and edited

Mid morning at the strip club Darcella, one of the featured dancers, sits at the bar and works on her homework in Statistics. Darcella a graphic artist, struggling with Statistics, hopes to finish her degree yet this year.

Rhonda and Lesette are exercising, practicing some sort of yoga routine. Rhonda, a dancer here at the club, battles with her weight. Mrs Robertson the owner of the club out here near the Boardman Mall has an iron clad policy; she never lets anything stand in the way of the profitable operation of the club. Rhonda has been told to lose weight, or move on.

Paulette is exercising too; with Wiley, a beauty shop owner from Cleveland, Ohio. Wiley drove all the way over in the middle of winter to talk to Paulette today. Paulette is having some sort of marital crisis again and Wiley came over when she called crying on the phone.

Lea, another featured dancer, is glad Wiley is here. Lea's ex-boyfriend is threatening her since she broke up with him. Wiley a gay beautician has a violent temper and does not like Lea's ex. Once at a Christmas party Bo-fly the janitor at the club had to pull Wiley off Winston, the ex-boyfriend. With Wiley and Bo-Fly in the club Lea can relax and feel safe for a few hours.

Bo-fly is the handy man around the strip club, part-time janitor and sometimes bouncer. Today Bo-Fly drove over with Wiley. Last week Bo-Fly cracked a couple of the oak boards on the side of the long bar the girls dance on by throwing a customers head into the shiny oak boards. He was just doing his job as a bouncer; but Mrs. Robertson who likes Bo-Fly gave him hell for throwing a customer into the bar. Bo-Fly knows better than to damage the oak bar.

Tina another dancer is stretching, holding onto the bar and listening to the blues music, James Booker  New Orleans piano man that Bo-Fly plays as he works. With the hammering and blues music Marvella sitting alone is having trouble concentrating.

Marvella is not popular with the other dancers. They think she is odd. Today Marvella reads an important letter she has received via the club's fax machine. It is from a famous businessman who wants to meet with her tonight during her shift.

Gretchen is standing near Marvella and is practicing her new specialty act. Mrs. Robertson told her she is getting too old to dance and must develop a specialty if she is still to work at the club.

Mrs. Robertson carries a plate of eggs and toast out of the kitchen in the back that she made for Bo-Fly. She has been helping Bo-fly fix the counter between working on balancing receipts for the accountant who is due in at noon. Mrs. Robertson cooked the eggs for Bo-fly. She has held just about every job around the club over the years including dancer. Five years ago she married a customer and he bought her the club. The club has lost money ever since. Mrs. Robertson is afraid she may have to lay off a few of the dancers and maybe someone from the bar staff soon.

Thinking about laying off dancers leads Mrs. Robertson to glance over at Marvella. Many strange girls have danced here over the years but Marvella is very odd here or anywhere.  Deep in her head, Mrs. Robertson thought what to do with Marvella?
end part 1