Monday, November 2, 2009

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

“You can fuck her, by all means. I think a healthy sex life is good for a young man, but you can’t have a serious relationship with a stripper.”

Sidney hadn’t expected anything different from his father, but he’d hoped to avoid the entire conversation, at least until he could talk Mya into leaving that part of her life behind. Of course Tanger’s little video had thrown any chance of that out the window.

“You don’t know her,” he tried for what seemed like the twentieth time already this morning, but it was clear that Troy wasn’t prepared to listen to his own son. The older man was pacing Mario’s office as if it were the sidelines of a football grid and Sidney was starting to get whiplash from watching him.

“I’ve always said that you should play the field, sow your wild oats and I stand by that advice now. I mean, I think you could be a little more discreet about seeing that kind of girl...,” Troy smiled as if he was proud of his son for banging a stripper. Sidney shivered at the thought of his father having watched that video of Mya grinding and gyrating for his pleasure. The idea of his father enjoying the view that made his own heart skip a beat...bile rose in his throat and Sidney had to shut his eyes tight against the image in his head of his father’s greedy little eyes watching his girlfriend get naked. “I know it wasn’t your fault that the video got out,” his father continued, hardly missing a beat as he returned to his pacing, “and I’m with Mario on being concerned about how some of your sponsors will see this. Myself, I’m just glad this will erase all those other...rumours.” Sidney rolled his eyes and shook his head. For himself, he didn’t care if there were a few haters out there that might feel the need to question his sexuality. He was comfortable in his own skin and there was no question in his mind and didn’t think there should be any question in his father’s either, but it obviously bothered his old man for people to whisper that his son might be gay. It didn’t seem to occur to him that it was because he’d practically forced celibacy onto his own son that those kinds of rumours had any kind of life at all.

“If you would just meet her...,” Sidney suggested, leaning his forehead into his hands, trying to force his eyes to stay open. He’d had a long night of trying to make it up with Mya and now was when he was supposed to be having his nap before tonight’s game. Now was not the time he really needed to be having this conversation.

“When you’re serious about someone, and that had better not be for years, then by all means, I’d love to meet the girl. But this is not the girl son. Believe your old man here, I think I know what’s best for you.”

Sidney looked up at his father and tried very hard not to be immediately disrespectful. That was not the way he had been raised and yet, all he wanted to do right now was to tell his old man to fuck off. He’d had it with other people telling him what was right for him. He’d had enough of other people making decisions for him. The NHLPA, Mario, his father....

“You’re not listening to me. She is the one. She’s smart and funny and her job...it’s the most pragmatic thing she could be doing. She looked around and found the most lucrative job with the least amount of hours and work involved so she could concentrate on her studies. She’s going to school and paying for that and her Aunt’s medical bills all on her own. I admire her for that. She’s hard working, energetic, smart, beautiful and she has goals and dreams...she is the woman I want to be with and I really would like for you to give her a chance but if you won’t...then you can just fucking kiss my fucking ass,” Sidney sighed, feeling a smile tugging at the corners of his own lips. It felt kind of good to be telling his old man where to stick it. “She’s going to be someone someday dad and I want to be the one with her when that happens.”

“But you’re not taking her to the Christmas party,” Troy stated, matter-of-factly, levelling his gaze with his sons’ and taking the air out of Sidney’s sails. “If you’re so fucking proud of this...girl, then why aren’t you taking her? Or maybe you are a little reluctant to explain to all of the Penguins brass just exactly what it is that your girlfriend does?”

Sidney stared at the deep mahogany of Mario’s desk and tried to find the words to explain why he didn’t want to put Mya through that. Because that was why he hadn’t invited her, so that he could protect her from all of the old men that would leer and give her those knowing looks when they found out she was an exotic dancer. Because he knew what the other wives and girlfriends were already saying. And because Max would eventually find some opportunity to say something that would embarrass the hell out of him....

Embarrass him. He shouldn’t be embarrassed. He told himself he wasn’t and he did believe it when he said that he thought her choice of occupation was pragmatic and yet...

“She won’t always be doing this,” Sidney explained quietly. Once he’d convinced her to let him pay off the rest of her Aunt’s medical bills she wouldn’t have to do it anymore. Once she let him take care of her, and that was only a matter of time. “Next year...,” he began, only to have his father snort derisively.

“She won’t be around next year and you know it son. You’ll be onto the next love of your life and I’ll be trying to talk you off of some other cliff,” Troy mused, patting his son on his shoulder and then tousling his hair. “You’re an emotional boy. You always have been. I blame your mother for that. She’s always been too indulgent where you and your sister are concerned. If you were a little more pragmatic yourself....”

“Stick it, okay?” Sidney pushed himself to his feet and brushed his father’s hand off of his back. “I’m not some fucking kid okay?” he snarled, brushing past his father and heading for the door, before pausing in the doorway and turning back, meeting his father’s amused gaze. “I know you think that you know what’s best for me but I’m not a little kid anymore.”

“No? Have you told her about the party or are you keeping that a secret, for her own good of course,” his father asked, his mouth curving into a smile, like he was about to laugh. Sidney took a deep breath, shook his head, and turned and headed out of the door of Mario’s study, across the foyer and out the front doors, climbing into his Land Rover and heading for home, for his own bed.

If he hadn’t told her it was only because he didn’t want to have a fight about it. It wasn’t because he was ashamed of her. He wasn’t. He just wasn’t.

_________________________________________________________________

“I know, I know it’s your nap time and I hope this doesn’t wake you up...no, no you’re smart enough to have your phone off. I just wanted to tell you right away...I haven’t phoned anyone else yet, not even Steve, but I just wanted to tell you that I turned in the tape of that interview I did with Roethlisberger and they’ve offered me a job, full time, on air. They love the stories I’ve been putting together and they said I have this presence...,” Mya let out a little squeal as she bounced in place on the sidewalk. “I’m so happy. I just wanted to tell you. Okay...so I know you’ll be going straight to the arena when you wake up but maybe just give me a quick call. Okay bye.”

Mya snapped her phone shut and pushed open the doors to the club. Blush was closed for the Holiday season. Nobody went to a strip club two days before Christmas. Everyone was running around, doing last minute shopping, or spending time with their families. Blush would stay closed until the day after Christmas, but Mya wouldn’t be back.

Tonight was going to be her last night with the girls and she found, as she walked through the darkened hallways with the framed and spot-lit posters of the dancers she’d worked with, that she her happy mood became more subdued with every step she took. She realized, as she turned the corner into the unusually quiet club, that she was actually going to miss this place. It hadn’t been the most ideal of jobs, but she’d enjoyed the people and the camaraderie. She was beyond jazzed about actually breaking into the world of sports journalism, but she doubted very much if she’d ever find the type of non competitive, supportive, down to earth sort of co-workers once she got in front of the camera.

“Hey girl. Grab a brush,” Hannah called as Mya emerged from behind the bar and Mya stopped in her tracks, staring at the scene in front of her. The girls, including girls she didn’t recognize and was sure she’d never worked with, were, for the most part, stripped down to their panties and were painting letters onto one another’s stomachs.

“I thought we were closed tonight? I just came in for a drink...,” Mya began, dropping her bag and stepping carefully around a drop cloth that Cassidy was standing on as Hannah drew a her brush down over her abs, leaving a large canary yellow streak behind. “What’s going on?”

“We’re going to the Pens game tonight,” Marti chimed in from where she was drawing on the stomach of one of the girls Mya didn’t know.

“Oh, well in that case, count me in,” Mya grinned, reaching to unbutton her jacket. Sid had mumbled something about not seeing her until the morning when he left. He’d certainly be surprised to see her, especially painted up like she was heading to a Steelers game.

“You might want to skip this one,” Cassidy advised as she watched Hannah’s hand carefully tracing around the letter she’d painted on her stomach. “I don’t think you’re going to want in on this.”

“Besides, won’t you be too busy getting ready for the fancy-dancey dress up ball tonight?” Hannah added, standing back to survey her handiwork.

“Ball? I know you guys think I lucked out on the guy front but....” Mya looked around at the faces that were, one by one, turning to look at her and every face was wearing a mask of incredulity. “What? Why is everyone looking at me like I’ve just grown another head?”

“Are you saying he’s not taking you?” Cassidy asked, tipping her head to one side and regarding Mya curiously, making her want to turn around and look to see if someone was doing rabbit ears over her head or making faces behind her back.

“Who’s taking me where?” she asked, looking around at all the faces again.

“The big Christmas doo...the Penguins have it after the last game before Christmas every year at the Rennaisance. Very black tie, very invitation only.” Mya stared at Hannah and felt her heart sinking. Sidney hadn’t said a single word. Not word one about any party. He’d only said that he was looking forward to spending some time with her tomorrow, which meant he hadn’t invited her, and that meant that either meant he’d invited someone else or.... “He’s ashamed of me,” she whispered, mostly to herself.

“I told you she didn’t break up with him for what he said,” Marti sighed, returning to her art work on another one of the dancers, and Mya notice, most of the women were no longer meeting her gaze as she looked around.

“You don’t know the whole story,” she began, fully intending to explain it the way Sidney had explained it to her, once she’d tired him out enough that all he could do was talk, and yet her own voice trailed away as she thought about what she was doing.

She was going to defend him and he wasn’t even going to take her to his fucking Christmas party. He hadn’t even had the good manners to tell her that he wasn’t going to take her. That was the least he could have done, after he’d spent the night in her bed telling her how sorry he was and how much he did respect her.

The lying sack of shit.

“Give me one of those brushes.”

____________________________________________________________________

“Wait...what day is it? It’s not Halloween is it?” Max elbowed Sidney as she slid onto the bench and pointed up at the jumbotron above their heads. Normally Sidney didn’t pay much attention to the kiss me cams and the rest of that sort of nonsense that they played up on the big screen. Not when he was playing. He hated anything that took away from his concentration. Max, on the other hand, had a bad case of wandering attention. His hirsute Quebecois friend seemed to be constantly on the hunt for hot girls in the crowd. Sid glanced up at the screen and shrugged. Nothing surprised him anymore when it came to the extent that people would go to for attention.

“Cute girls in costumes. So what.”

“So says the guy that’s dating the hot stripper,” TK snorted, picking at the tape on the blade of his stick as she stared up at the girls gyrating on the big screen.

“Hot journalist,” Sidney corrected him as he turned his attention back to the game on the ice. Ruuts made a face at him as he skated towards his own bench and Sidney did his best not to show that he’d noticed. He couldn’t afford for the feisty Finn to get under his skin. He was already distracted by having his parents here and knowing that Mya was still probably expecting to celebrate her new job with him and he was going to be going to the Christmas party instead.

Maybe he could slip out after the dinner....

“Hey look, that one’s wearing that same cop uniform your girlfriend was wearing,” Max pointed out, a little too gleefully Sidney thought as he glanced up at the screen and then shook his head, dismissing the thought as soon as it entered his head. She wouldn’t wear that out in public, especially not after today, she just wouldn’t.

“Why don’t you guys pay a little more attention to the game and worry about pussy later?” he suggested quietly, watching Kuba make a tape to tape pass down the ice. They could use a little more of that themselves tonight.

“Isn’t that the hot chick that was on before Sid’s girlfriend?” TK asked as Sid began to grind his teeth together in sheer frustration.

“I think so,” Max agreed, nudging Sidney in the ribs again. “Are you sure that’s not Mya on the end?” Sidney shook his head and refused to look up, doing his best not to be drawn into their constant pussy hunting. At the moment he was pretty sure that he had enough woman problems without looking for more.

“Holy shit!” The normally sedate, quiet and fully focussed Guerin coughed into his glove and Sidney glanced over at his line mate to see if he’d missed something behind the play, only to see the older winger’s eyes turned up towards the same scene the other guys were watching. Just as the play was whistled dead for icing, Tanger having shot the puck with board weight, the dancers had begun to shed their costumes, at least the top parts, baring not only their breasts but letters painted in bright colours on their abdomens.

Fuck me,” Sidney hissed, making quick sense of the letters as they were revealed.

R E S P E C T

And as the last woman pulled her jacket open, revealing an exclamation mark painted from the hollow of her throat down to her belly button, Sidney felt sure he’d been worshipping the breasts it was painted between in the early hours of the morning.

3 comments:

  1. Wow, can't believe she did that!!! I think they were just starting to get on track and now this!! But I can't blame her for being hurt by him not asking her to the party!! Can't wait to see what happens from all of this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  2. I wrote myself notes as I read this. They aren't nearly as good as my usual quips during a chapter, but I'm sure you'll enjoy them anyway*

    >> Can we just punch his dad... PLEASE?!
    She got a job, and she won't have to work there anymore? Awesome!

    >> You said that things would get worse before they got better though... should I be concerned...

    >> Oh no... what are they painting... This is the 'worse' part isn't it...

    >> Oh shit... it just hit the fan... BUT GO MYA!!
    This is probably not the best thing to have happened... but I hoping that things will get better... PLEASE!

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  3. Oh Crap!Yes the shit just hit the fan!
    Glad Sid stood up to his Dad.He should have told Mya about the ball so they could discuss it.
    I hope this stunt doesn't hurt her chances for her new job & their relationship.

    ReplyDelete