Surprise

The girl is plain. She has no distinguishing marks or anything outstanding about her. Her hair is mousy, eyes hidden behind wire rimmed glasses, clothing mundane. The only thing that is extraordinary about her is how well she simply blends into the crowd, not drawing any attention to a mouse such as herself.

But the girl isn't always like this. At night, she comes alive. All timidness melts away. It's the same thing every time she dances. She stumbles up on stage and freezes. For a minute, the parts of the crowd who haven't seen her act before, figure she's some unlucky girlfriend who got lost on the way to the bathroom. Then the music starts and they realize this is no mistake. Her jacket falls like a lead weight to the stage and she begins to dance in a matronly outfit. The glasses come off next, and then her hair comes down from the coil. Her body is remarkable, moving in serpentine motions, thrusting and dipping. But no one knows about this stage persona. Especially not her husband.

Its Friday night. He's supposed to be doing reports at the office...she's supposed to be volunteering. This is how they live their lives. In ignorance. She takes the bus downtown, getting off a block from her destination. Slipping down the streets, she takes tiny steps, she's more in her mind than in this world. The metal backdoor is closed and she taps once. Twice. Rocco, the hulking bouncer, lets her in. "Heya, doll." He purrs in that way that makes electricity dance up her skin. Her husband never speaks to her like that. The girl is on next and she slips, still in shadow form, through the velvet curtain and up beside the DJ booth.

Janie the Candy striper is just finishing her act. The men love her. She looks like she's 15 though her real age is somewhere around 21. She's paying her university tuition doing this. One day, she wants to be a Doctor. Now she's prancing around on stage wearing a cardboard nurse's hat and white satin pumps. The music fades and it's the girl's time to shine.

She waits a few minutes for the lights to partially dim when she awkwardly fumbles her way on stage. She glances around and a few people in the audience give a nervous twitter as she bites on a finger nail as if to say: "How the hell did I get up here? Where's the bathroom?" Then the lights shine full blast, burning the shyness from her. She becomes alive. Her persona breaks but only for a second as she sees her husband at one of the front tables. Ruby is on his lap. The hurt doesn't last long. In fact, this will be her best show yet. Light it up by Big Sugar comes on and she throws her coat. It lands right on her husband. Ruby looks but surprised but gets it a second later and snatches her money off the table, leaving before the dance is finished.

The girl takes off her glasses, staring at the table of lawyers that he's with. That he's never bothered to introduce her to. Then she lets down her hair and it stops in a light brown wave over her breasts. Each snap on the blouse opens with a satisfying pop. He's gotten the coat off his head by now, the expression of anger replaced by UTTER shock. That can't be his wife. No fucking way. Then the shirt comes off and the breasts he's touched so many times are bared for every person in the place to see.

She loves his expression as he makes his way to the catwalk, perching as close as he can. As her skirt lowers, she dips her ass close to his face, feeling his breath on her skin before standing and dropping the garment. It puddles on the ground. All that's left is stockings, pumps and a garter belt and she's working it for all she's worth. Rubbing her palms together, she slides up to the pole and manages to swing around, legs up in the air. She's like some erotic gymnast... And they all want more.

Crawling back into the crowd, she takes bills from the men's hands, stuffing them in her bra, allowing some of her regulars to place them in her garter belt. Someone's finger runs along her snatch and she meets eyes with her husband. A grin curves her lips. The song is almost over now. Blowing a kiss to him, she walks off stage.