Page 33 of Sin Wagon
"Claudia is… needy in a relationship. When we were younger, she was very clingy and jealous of anyone I talked to." He sighs and shakes his head. "If I said more than my order to the barista… I was flirting." He throws up his hands in exasperation. "Greet the old lady at Walmart… flirting. It was overwhelming," he continues, looking away, "and I decided to end the relationship."
He glances back at me with a shrug. "Then she just moved. I assumed she went for business or some scheme Drew cooked up."
“She moved to Vermont so she wouldn’t be ridiculed for being a single mom.” I air quote the last two words. “The minute I left for college, she moved back to Chicago.”
“What did you major in?” Roy asks.
I look his way. “I have an undergrad in marketing. I do freelance marketing for companies and work at a coffee shop for extra cash.”
“Why do you work two jobs? Claudia and Drew have money. They can’t help you at all?” Roy pushes.
“I don’t want their money. It often comes with strings attached. They didn’t approve of my major or my job. They wanted me to do something with a home economics vibe: like interior design or party planning. Claudia really hates that I live in Vegas and don’t even get me started on all her comments when I was dancing.” My eyes widen at what I just confessed without meaning to. Now they’re going to know that I’m a stripper, or was, I guess.
"Dancing?" Rhonda questions, her eyebrows shooting up.
My throat tightens as I clear it, gathering the courage to speak my truth. “Yeah. I’m a stripper. Or was, I guess.” My voice quivers.
“What the fuck?” Jonas snaps.
I whip my head to glare at him, my eyes welling up with tears as I try to hold back the wave of anger.
“You don’t get to condemn my choices." I cross my arms defiantly. "Being twenty-one years old, I can do as I please." I raise my chin slightly. "I enjoy dancing. I make good money and it pisses off my mother. So it’s a win-win."
I sigh. "I can’t strip pregnant, so I got a job at a local coffee shop and I hate it."
My fingers drum on the table. "I wish my marketing would take off, but I’m not there yet. Gradually, I am establishing a client base and a portfolio. When I can stop needing extra cash, I’ll stop dancing."
“Speaking of the baby,” Rhonda interrupts, breaking the tension. “When are you due? Do you know what you’re having? Where is the father? Was it that nice, handsome boy who was at dinner?”
“I’m due December twelfth, but I don’t know what I’m having. I wanted to be surprised. No, Derek is not the father. He’s just my best friend and has been since middle school.”
“Is the father in the picture? Does he live in Vegas as well?”
My eyes briefly flicker toward the bedroom where the father of my child is hiding from his family, but I quickly avert my gaze.
“Ummm. I just told him, actually. He was a hard guy to track down. Another disappointment, I’m sure, but I didn’t know him. It was a one-night thing, and I finally found him, so he’s only known for a few days.”
“Oh.”
“Listen. I can tell I’m not the person you were expecting, or perhaps what you had hoped for. I’m twenty-one and pregnant with a one-night-stand’s baby. I’m an ex-stripper and I’m sure there’s more you’ll hate as the relationship progresses. If you want to cut your losses now, I won’t hold it against you.” With a sense of dread, I reassure him, “I’ve not known you my whole life thus far, so the rest of it won’t be a struggle.”
I know they have money and seem like nice people, but I can also tell that Rhonda and Roy are a little more proper, which is fine, but I’m far from meeting that standard. So I’d rather they just cut the cord now if they’re going to be put off by my choices or judge me like Claudia and Drew do.
“No!” Jonas shouts, his face flushed. He quickly lowers his voice, glancing around. “I can’t speak for my parents, but personally, I have no desire for that.”
He takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself. “It’s a shock to know about you and what you do, but it’s not anything that is going to send me running. We’ve just met and I’ve missed two decades of your life already. I don’t want to miss out on anything else.”
He runs a hand down his face. “It’s probably going to be awkward and I bet we even argue a time or two, but I want to know you.”
Jonas places a hand on his chest, his voice filled with sincerity. “I want to be your dad in whatever way that looks like now that you’re grown.”
“I’d like that,” I reply, a smile spreading across my face.
Rhonda’s voice quivers as she agrees, her eyes misting. “We feel the same.”
Her hand trembles as she timidly reaches around Jonas to grab mine, her touch tentative yet warm.
“I’ve wanted to be a grandma for a long time,” she continues softly, with a hopeful smile. “I’d love to be yours. We’ll just skip tea parties and dress up and go to lunches and get pedicures.”
