A Day in the Life by Jade Jones Page A

unsuccessfully trying to get me to stop dancing ever since he found out. The streets had a big mouth because I hadn't told a soul about me dancing. Occasionally, I would run into a few fellas that I recognized from the hood or high school, and I guess word of mouth had spread like wildfire.              
    "Why am I doing it?" had understandably been Kevin's first question.
    I can't honestly say I had ever suffered from neglect growing up. Of course, I was raised by a single mother. I had lived in the hood all my life growing up on 119th in Kinsman. She worked two jobs and took damn good care of me and brother, Lamont.
    Truthfully, it was just something that I tried once after a male friend had suggested it. He made a comment about my statuesque figure saying: "I could make a killing by hustling my looks." Initially, I laughed the comment off. But eventually, my curiosity got the best of me.
    One night in particular, I had went to audition at the Gentlemen's Persuasion—after hearing enough about the strip club to evade temptation—wearing nothing but a swimsuit and pair of pumps. I was eighteen then and knew nothing of the hustle. Since that night, three years ago, I was hooked on the easy money.
    The minute my mother found out (heard about it through the streets) she kicked my ass right out to the curb. And that's when I found myself living in the projects, fending for myself, and earning money the best and only way I knew how.
    Exploiting my body.
    But as I mentioned before, it would only be a matter of time before I upgraded and got the hell out of Cleveland. Honestly, it wasn't anything here and since my relationship with my family was so strained after they found out about me dancing, I felt that I didn't have anything holding me back. Just a few more thousands and I'd disappear and leave this city and life behind.
    "Can I come over tonight?" he asked, changing the subject.
    Honestly, I didn't know what Kevin saw in me. Even dressed down, he looked at me as though I was the prettiest woman in the world. In my opinion, I felt he deserved better. He needed to date one of those smart girls from college. Someone who wanted something out of life that was willing to work for it. Not someone like me, who auctioned my body every night to the highest bidder. What did he see in me? Obviously, it was something that I did not see in myself.
    "Can't. I gotta work tonight," I told him.
    "You'd rather put that dingy ass club before me?" he asked.
    Kevin and I weren't official...we were...well...honestly, I didn't know what we were doing. I guess we were just going with the flow. I had feelings for him and it was obvious that he had feelings for me, but he admitted he would never settle down with me while I chose to live the life I did.
    That was fine with me because I wasn't planning on giving it up for him. When and if I chose to stop stripping it would be for myself, and myself only.
    "Are you gonna pay my bills?" I challenged. "Because you just said you couldn't even afford to take me to Red Lobster."
    He chuckled nervously. He wouldn't admit it, but I had him there. Suddenly a horn honked behind me. I had been mingling with Kevin longer than I needed to.
    I winked. "I guess that's my cue. I'll talk to you later."

2
     
    When I got back home, I called my girl Diamond over. She, too, lived in Morris Black. I wouldn't exactly clarify her as a friend, but she was definitely a close associate. She was cool and everything but the bitch was always begging. Either she was running low on food, needed money for her light bill when her electricity got cut off, or just needed a ride somewhere.
    The minute I told her that I danced she immediately saw dollar signs in her eyes. The woman just assumed that every night I strolled out the strip club, I had twenty thousand dollars in my pocket or some shit. I wanted to tell her don't believe the hype. The money was easy but that didn't mean it came in abundance. Stripping was a hustle.