Chapter 13: Haiku
Author's Notes: Now, here's the deal. In California, laws were recently passed regarding strip clubs and what may or may not happen within them. These more recent laws don't work in my story, so I've decided to completely ignore them and assume pre-1999 strip club regulations are in place, the kinds of clubs you see on tv and in the movies, where it's a more libertine atmosphere. It's just less complicated that way. Hope you understand. Please don't get upset that I haven't got it right in the new legal reality, as it's intentional on my part.
Three Months Later
May 2004
There was something tacky and crude about a strip club during the daylight hours. Faith couldn't put her finger on it, because you'd think with no windows to reveal the time of day from the inside, the time of day wouldn't have any effect, but there was definitely something tawdry about the club during the daylight hours. The image of a cheap whore in the light of day sprang to mind.
She knew Robin would be here at this time, stocking the Monday deliveries, and doing the books for the weekend receipts. He didn't know she was coming, and she was nervous about it. She needed to talk to him, and she had no idea how he would react to her news.
*He said he loved me, it's gonna be okay, don't be nervous, be strong, don't be nervous, be strong, don't be nervous...*
Faith usually found that when you had to talk yourself into something with such determination, that it was usually the wrong thing to be doing. But it was too late now, she was committed to this plan and hadn't come up with any realistic alternatives to avoid this conversation. *Don't be nervous...*
"Hey!" Robin walked into the room and spotted Faith immediately. "To what do I owe this very welcome interruption to my otherwise dreary day?" He strode up and gave her a big hug, and then took her elbow and walked her over to a nearby table. The club was closed on Mondays, so no one else was around to overhear their conversation.
*Be strong...*
"Um, well, I..." she trailed off and stared down at her hands, which were nervously playing with the hem of her jacket.
Robin frowned in concern. It wasn't like Faith to be so nervous, especially around him. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" He reached across the table for her hand.
"Yes...no....sort of....I don't know," Faith fumbled. "This was a stupid idea." She rose from her chair but Robin held fast to her hand.
"Hey," he gentled, "Whatever it is, you can talk to me. What's wrong?"
He was so sweet to her, so good. How would he feel when she told him what she wanted? *Stop it Faith. Just get it out there. He said he loves you. He can help. He will help.*
"Faith, sit down." Robin said with quiet authority. He wanted her to relax and tell him what was wrong, and that wasn't going to happen unless she got control of herself and told him. He was becoming alarmed by her demeanor. What had his Faith so flighty and scared?
"Okay," Faith sat again. *Here goes.* "The thing is, and I wouldn't ask you if I thought I had any other options, but...I don't and...the thing is...." she looked up into Robin's concerned eyes and decided to just spit it out. "Frank fired me three weeks ago."
Robin leaned forward and took her other hand in his. "I'm so sorry, baby. I know you didn't like working for him, but I know that job was important to you. I don't understand why you didn't say something sooner. Three weeks ago?"
She nodded and looked deeply into his eyes. "Yeah, it pretty much screwed everything up. He said I made too many mistakes in the ordering, and I tried I really did but I just hated that job so much, and...." she trailed off and looked away. "Anyway, the rent's a week and a half late now, and Buffy, she don't earn enough to pay for it, for much of anything really, except for food and stuff for her and Katie, and she's just a kid and I can't ask her to support
me, you know, even if she could, which she can't, and Frank badmouthed me to a lot of shop managers so no one will hire me now, and anyone who calls for a reference, he just says all these bad things about --"
"Faith. Stop. It's okay."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Of course."
Robin smiled at her and she felt such a sense of relief. Robin could help them, she should have just trusted him in the first place.
"That..that's great. Thank you." Faith smiled at him with her whole heart. "And you know, I'm good for it, I will absolutely pay you back."
Robin leaned back and looked at Faith a long moment. "You misunderstand me. I'm not lending you money."
Faith's smile froze as she tried to take in this unexpected turn. "I guess I don't understand..."
"I can get you work. You don't have to work for peanuts at any auto shop."
"What do you mean?" she tentatively asked.
"I'll give you a job."
"Here?" She flicked her gaze around the room as his words sank in. "I'm not even nineteen for another month, so I can't tend bar or anything, so I don't know...."
"No, not at the bar. But you've got the beauty and the moves to do well as a dancer, Faith. In fact, you'd be great." Robin smiled gently at her, but he was still leaning back in his chair, and she couldn't help but notice he hadn't taken her hand again.
"A dancer?" She looked down at her hands fidgeting with the hem of her jacket again.
"Absolutely. You'd be fantastic, I've always thought so," he nodded.
Faith was floored. She hadn't expected this kind of help, but it was the only offer she had right now and Mr. Kralik was not going to hold out another week on the rent. She needed the money, and she needed to get it fast. She just couldn't believe Robin was asking her to be a dancer in this club. It kinda shot the hell outta exclusivity in her opinion.
She looked up into Robin's eyes again, and saw there a shrewd calculation, sure, but also the same man who declared his love for her almost daily. She couldn't believe she was gonna do this, but she was gonna trust him. If he said this was something he thought she could do, then she could do it. He didn't seem disturbed by it that's for sure. And he'd often said the money the girls made was pretty good. And it wasn't forever, it was just until she found something better. Right?
"Okay, if you think I'd be any good at it. It's just another job, right?" she sounded so young, so uncertain, to her own ears.
Robin leaned in again and took both her hands in his. "You'll be great," he said gently. "It's a job, like any job. Except you'll earn a lot more money doing this and work half as hard. And the rent and food and clothes, whatever you need...no more problems. You get taken care of and we get the prettiest girl in Sunnydale to grace our fine establishment. It's a win-win." Then he smiled that smile that always turned her to goo.
And she knew she was going to do this, and that it would be just fine. She'd be okay. She thought, though, that she might not mention it to Buffy for awhile, at least not until she got used to it herself. What Buffy didn't know couldn't hurt her. Right?
Faith graced Robin with an optimistic smile. "So. What do I do first?"
~~~~~~
While Faith was in San Martine making some hard decisions about where her life would take her next, Buffy was in Sunnydale enjoying her afternoon. She'd taken the bus to the library this morning to check out some books on world history, and passed by a coffee bar that had piqued her interest on earlier trips through the nicer parts of Sunnydale.
The Espresso Pump. It called out to her every time the bus drove past, but she had never gotten off and explored it further.
But on that afternoon, after rebelliously checking out books on the history of fashion design - instead of world history as her 'life plan' required - she decided to splurge a little on herself and stop in and get a latte and a chocolate chip croissant. She felt very naughty while doing both, as neither were part of the budget or the 'life plan' she'd laid out for herself, but it was a beautiful day and she felt young and carefree and wanted the feeling to last a little while longer, even if it meant scrimping a bit later on. Katie was safe with Fred this afternoon, and for just a short time she wanted to be a sixteen year old girl whose worries were more along the lines of which boy to allow to take her to the dance than wondering if that new detergent was any better at getting baby vomit out of a silk blouse than the current brand had proven to be.
Sitting down at a small table situated next to the front windows of the establishment, she settled in to read one of her new books while she slowly picked at her croissant and tried to make the afternoon slow down. She was in absolutely no hurry to catch the bus back across town today.
While Buffy occupied herself with the history of Western fashion, a few high school students wandered into the Espresso Pump after school had let out for the day. A couple sat down near Buffy, and although she tried to be polite and concentrate on her own reading, their conversation caught her attention and she found herself listening in on their discussion. Apparently, a member of their group - not present - had found himself publicly cuckolded and the subject of intense interest and sympathy.
"Did you see him in World Lit today?" The redheaded girl scrunched her eyebrows in an expression of pained sympathy. "It was so sad."
The tall brunette boy nodded wisely. "I think pathetic is more like it. He's wearing his heart on his sleeve -- the better to get it stomped on and wrung out like a... bloody... spongy... heart... on a... sleeve....... Okay, that analogy could use some punching up," he shrugged.
Little Red-haired Girl grimaced but nodded just the same. "Not liking that visual, but yeah, he's really not taking this well." She sipped her coffee.
Brunette Boy shook his head sympathetically. "Fifteen haiku on the heartbreak of young love. It was brutal."
"Drusilla was his
world." Little Red-haired Girl sadly noted.
*Drusilla? What kind of a weird ass name is Drusilla?*
"I especially liked the one where he compared the hopelessness of young love to the mating ritual of the praying mantis. They have sex - she devours him alive. Very moving." Brunette Boy pondered thoughtfully.
Little Redhaired Girl nodded, "I thought the sucking quicksand one was very good."
*Don't laugh...don't laugh...don't laugh...* Buffy knew she couldn't react or they'd know she was listening. But it was hard.
Brunette boy shook his head and sighed, then offered his take on the bitter breakup. "He's better off without the loony tunes. He needs to find a nice normal girl who won't consider going down on half the band a little harmless 'exploration of boundaries'." Brunette Boy sighed wistfully, "I wish I was in a band."
"Okay, that's a little more than I want to know about your fantasy life," Little Red-haired Girl declared. She took a quick long sip of her coffee and turned several shades of red.
"Sorry. Teenage boy here. Hormones and kinky fantasies are kinda a package deal," he explained. "The heart wants what it wants." He waxed philosophical.
"The heart?" Little Red-haired Girl asked doubtfully.
"Well, okay. The hormones want what they want. There probably isn't a lot of 'heart' involved in that particular fantasy." He grinned goofily.
Little Red-haired Girl gave her friend a mock-glare, then gathered her book bag and got up to leave. Brunette Boy followed closely behind her as they exited the bar.
*Fifteen haiku on the hopelessness of young love...I'd love to hear
that someday.*
Buffy went back to her book, finished her croissant and nursed her latte as she tried to stretch the afternoon a little while longer. She found herself longing to have high school friends again, friends like those she listened in on today.
*That part of my life is over, so
get over it, Buffy.*
She looked at her watch. Time to catch that damn bus. Back to real life again. Her life. Her drearily adult life.
*I wonder what kind of haiku someone would write about me.*
~~~~~~
Hope you like. Tell me what you think. Thanks.
Sara