September Rose

We were her little chicks: Me, Erica and Becky - April, May and June. It sounded nice in the lineup. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Gentlemen and Ladies the Carriage Room and September Rose are proud to present the fairest springtime you ever had: April May and June! Give 'em a hand now." Rose was married to a policeman and she had the biggest flounciest head of hair I'd ever seen.

Don't call us "go go" dancers. The ad in the classifieds announced auditions for "exotic dancers." No experience required. One quiet afternoon Rose gave you your first pair of pasties and showed how to stick them on with eyelash glue. Must cover the whole thing or you'll get in trouble with vice. And no little pubes poking out from the g-string. Shave if you must, but we're after skin here, not fuzz. Heels a minimum of three-inches high. Patrick will help with your make up.

I sometimes stripped out of a tuxedo and top hat. "Black Tie." The guys loved it. But one night  I couldn't seem to get anything right. Rose hated my makeup she hated my costume she even hated my Janis Joplin tape. I asked why she hired me if she hated me so much. "Oh honey," she stroked my arm,  "You're a klutz, but you have a cute figure and lots of personality."  Cute figure. Erica had a great figure. Red hair and statuesque like that actress. Great. She used to lick her finger, flick it on her ass, and say, "TSSSSSSSS." The guys loved it. We all loved it. And the way she tossed that red hair when she strode out to open her show. Pzazzz. Erica had Pzazz. She wanted to be a vet. Becky didn't want to be anything but high. Practically albino, she had the longest fingernails you ever saw. They curved down towards her wrist. She's stretch those things out towards a dollar bill and snap it up like I don't know what, something not quite human.

Lots of the time was boring. We'd hang in the dressing room playing with each other's hair, putting on makeup, trying out nail polish. We'd chat about stuff. There was this little angry woman, platinum blond, Ashley. She didn't stay long, said she could make more money at Mustang Ranch.  She said she'd make as much in one day as we made in a month, but it creeped us out. Besides, we liked the dancing, the music, the disco ball, the regulars, the free cokes.We liked each other.