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with a wink.
    Ingrid was
quickly learning they were called "pole tricks" for a reason; the
pole itself spun on its own, and the girls were really only limited
by their fear of heights. "I mean, there's more to it," Bambi
called as she climbed to the top upside-down, her bare breasts
poking down at Ingrid. "You'll get the hang of it." She turned
herself right-side-up, then spun rapidly down the pole, her body
moving to the music, her legs out. The crowd around Stage 1 thinned
as people gathered around Stage 2 to watch the girls who didn't
seem to care whether anyone watched. Even though she fell more than
anything else, Ingrid made around
$250 — on a Tuesday
night.
    She lay on her side next to Victor, whose chest
rose and fell rhythmically. She fell asleep smiling.
    * * * * *
    When she woke up the next afternoon, she made
herself a bagel and sat at the kitchen table, her laptop open in
front of her. Her email was empty except for a few advertisements
from Victoria's Secret, where she bought some lingerie to fit in
with the other dancers after a few nights of dancing in her own
boring underwear.
    She called Josalee. "Hey," she said when
Josalee answered. "I'm sorry I let you go so fast the other day. I
have to tell you something." She heard Josalee sniffle on the other
end. "Jo? Is everything okay?"
    "No," Josalee sobbed.
    "I'll be right over," Ingrid said, standing and
grabbing her car keys.
    She found Josalee with her head down on her own
kitchen table. Ingrid sat next to her and rubbed small circles on
her back. "What's wrong?"
    Josalee laughed
bitterly and lifted her head. "I knew I shouldn't have told Kimie.
I knew it." She sat back in her seat and looked at Ingrid with
large, watery eyes. "She told my parents, and then my father called
me. He yelled at me mostly in Japanese, but I know the words for
'whore' and 'bastard.' And then he said whatever's wrong with my
baby is my own fault." Tears flowed down her cheeks and snot burst
from her nostrils.
    Ingrid glanced around the kitchen table for a
napkin or tissue. The screen of Josalee's laptop caught her eye.
"Are you pregnant, Jo?" she asked, gaping at the WebMD
page.
    Josalee nodded, blotting her eyes with the
corner of her tee shirt. "And something's wrong with my baby," she
wept. Through her tears, she told Ingrid about her blood
work.
    Ingrid ran a hand through her hair, biting down
on her lower lip. She stood and grabbed a paper towel off the roll
above the sink and handed it to Josalee. After pacing for a moment,
she took a deep breath and sat once more. "Damn, Jo." She rubbed
her friend's back again. "I'm sure it'll be okay. Your parents will
come around." Josalee snorted. "Well, okay, maybe they won't, but
fuck 'em. You've got us. I bet David's excited!" She tilted the
other woman's chin up and smiled. "Right?"
    Josalee pulled her chin away and looked down at
the floor. "David doesn't know."
    "Why not?" Ingrid asked. Josalee broke down
again, tears splattering onto her clothes. "Are you guys fighting?
What, he doesn't like the guy?"
    "No, Ingrid,
David is the
guy!" Josalee spat.
    Ingrid's blue eyes widened. "What? When?!" she
blubbered. "I thought he was gay!"
    "He is , Ingrid. That's why
my father said my baby is cursed." Josalee stood and turned the
burner underneath her tea kettle on. The stove clicked and flames
burst around the metal, hissing. She pulled out two mugs and set
tea bags in them.
    Ingrid stood. "So why did you guys hook up? How
does that even happen?"
    "Tequila," Josalee said, leaning against a
counter.
    Ingrid half smiled. "Tequila," she repeated,
shaking her head. "Yeah, that'll do it. So what are you gonna
do?"

Chapter 12
    Victor shoved his change into his front pocket
and went straight back to the bar.
    "The usual?" the bartender called over the
music. She wore another tight corset.
    He nodded and drummed his fingers on the
counter. His eyes were dull in the dim lights, and dark circles
underlined them. The bartender placed his rum and