the back of the club. She passed a few of the other girls also on their way to their separate booths, and she just smiled at them. Emma hadn’t made any friends here since she never socialized at the club outside of work. She came in, did her shows, and then left. She didn’t want to be in this place a minute longer than was absolutely necessary.
From inside the halls she could hear the pounding music coming from the front of the club, and by the sound of it there definitely was a large crowd out there. Emma swallowed and then hastily made her way to her little corner in the club— Cinderella’s Booth.
“Hi, Cinderella.”
Emma turned around and saw Tracy with her wild red curly hair coming toward her, clutching a clipboard in her hands.
“Hi, Tracy.”
“You have a real busy night tonight.” Tracy glanced down at the clipboard. “You’re fully booked in fact.”
“Really?” Emma wondered if Tracy detected the disappointment in her voice.
Tracy winked at her. “I hope you’ve got your fridge stocked with some energy drinks, girl.” And then she sashayed down the hall to the other girls.
Emma leaned back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. Of all the nights, she had to be fully booked tonight , the night she really, really did not feel like performing.
“Okay, Cinderella,” Emma mumbled to herself, “pull your shit together.”
She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and walked into her little fairy tale room.
When Emma originally got the job, she was told to pick a theme and her room would be decorated accordingly. Since Emma had a thing for shoes, she thought Cinderella to be real fitting, no pun intended. Oh, and she loved every pair of stilettos she had in her little display cabinet. She had worn all of them, and it was like she became someone else whenever she slipped them on. It made her feel sexy, sensual, erotic—all the things she didn’t have the courage to be as plain little Emma.
She walked over to the cabinet and turned on the switch. Emma watched as the cabinet turned, showcasing all the beautiful shoes. Her mother used to have an entire closet filled with all the kinds of shoes you can think of. As a little girl Emma loved going into her mom’s closet. It was a place she could totally lose herself in. Sometimes she would hide in the closet and pretend to be her mother—beautiful, gracious, stylish and everything Emma wanted to be when she grew up. There were days when her mother would play dress up with her, and they would try on every single outfit paired with the perfect shoes and pearl necklaces. Her father would come back from work and chase Emma and her mother around the house while they wore their sometimes ridiculous outfits. They were so happy, and as a little girl Emma felt like they were the perfect family. Emma missed those days. She missed her mother.
After her mother’s death, everything changed. Her father was stuck with a five-year-old girl and a newborn baby. There was no time for him to grieve. Emma was too young to understand, to know that she also needed to grieve the death of her mother. Everything just seemed like it had erupted into chaos around her. Her dad started yelling at her, her new baby sister never stopped crying, and all Emma had left of her mother was the closet full of clothes she had left behind, a closet that became increasingly empty as time went by.
Emma was nine and Lizzy four when her father one day returned home with a woman they didn’t know. He introduced her as Lillian Monroe and that was the day everything changed.
“Cinderella?” Tracy knocked on the door.
Emma shook the memories from her head. “Yeah?”
“Change in schedule. Be ready in ten.”
“What do you mean change in schedule?”
“Just make sure you’re ready in ten minutes.” And then she heard Tracy stomp off.
Emma glanced at the big clock against the wall. Usually she didn’t start until ten p.m. and it was only nine. And she needed to
From inside the halls she could hear the pounding music coming from the front of the club, and by the sound of it there definitely was a large crowd out there. Emma swallowed and then hastily made her way to her little corner in the club— Cinderella’s Booth.
“Hi, Cinderella.”
Emma turned around and saw Tracy with her wild red curly hair coming toward her, clutching a clipboard in her hands.
“Hi, Tracy.”
“You have a real busy night tonight.” Tracy glanced down at the clipboard. “You’re fully booked in fact.”
“Really?” Emma wondered if Tracy detected the disappointment in her voice.
Tracy winked at her. “I hope you’ve got your fridge stocked with some energy drinks, girl.” And then she sashayed down the hall to the other girls.
Emma leaned back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. Of all the nights, she had to be fully booked tonight , the night she really, really did not feel like performing.
“Okay, Cinderella,” Emma mumbled to herself, “pull your shit together.”
She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and walked into her little fairy tale room.
When Emma originally got the job, she was told to pick a theme and her room would be decorated accordingly. Since Emma had a thing for shoes, she thought Cinderella to be real fitting, no pun intended. Oh, and she loved every pair of stilettos she had in her little display cabinet. She had worn all of them, and it was like she became someone else whenever she slipped them on. It made her feel sexy, sensual, erotic—all the things she didn’t have the courage to be as plain little Emma.
She walked over to the cabinet and turned on the switch. Emma watched as the cabinet turned, showcasing all the beautiful shoes. Her mother used to have an entire closet filled with all the kinds of shoes you can think of. As a little girl Emma loved going into her mom’s closet. It was a place she could totally lose herself in. Sometimes she would hide in the closet and pretend to be her mother—beautiful, gracious, stylish and everything Emma wanted to be when she grew up. There were days when her mother would play dress up with her, and they would try on every single outfit paired with the perfect shoes and pearl necklaces. Her father would come back from work and chase Emma and her mother around the house while they wore their sometimes ridiculous outfits. They were so happy, and as a little girl Emma felt like they were the perfect family. Emma missed those days. She missed her mother.
After her mother’s death, everything changed. Her father was stuck with a five-year-old girl and a newborn baby. There was no time for him to grieve. Emma was too young to understand, to know that she also needed to grieve the death of her mother. Everything just seemed like it had erupted into chaos around her. Her dad started yelling at her, her new baby sister never stopped crying, and all Emma had left of her mother was the closet full of clothes she had left behind, a closet that became increasingly empty as time went by.
Emma was nine and Lizzy four when her father one day returned home with a woman they didn’t know. He introduced her as Lillian Monroe and that was the day everything changed.
“Cinderella?” Tracy knocked on the door.
Emma shook the memories from her head. “Yeah?”
“Change in schedule. Be ready in ten.”
“What do you mean change in schedule?”
“Just make sure you’re ready in ten minutes.” And then she heard Tracy stomp off.
Emma glanced at the big clock against the wall. Usually she didn’t start until ten p.m. and it was only nine. And she needed to
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