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• huiyjohns

Many strippers insist that this is a temporary gig, and they have their sights on bigger and better things. In my experience, many of them mean it, but only a few of them believe it.

My MO at a club has always been to establish a good vibe, and then frequent to secure a sure thing. Both my ATFs (at different points in time) ended up sometimes catching movies with me, or dinner. I have dropped one to the airport before. I would not say we were friends, but we were very friendly. We overshared at times, but nothing I would call our deepest darkest secrets.

Both my ATFs were in their mid-twenties. Both eventually left stripping.

One pursued a modeling career in NY, and actually made it onto some kind of small-time media personality role, doing interviews and expositions on stuff - I’m not sure exactly what her job entails, or who she did or is doing to get it, or if she actually just has the skills for the job and got it on merit. But from where I’m sitting she parlayed her modeling into something she’s happy with and that’s a success story to me. Soon after she found some legitimacy, she stopped responding to my texts. Years later we crossed paths via social media and a common acquaintance (an active stripper) and she said that back then she thought she needed to cut ties with people that reminded her of her past, but since then she realized that was unnecessary. Was not quite an apology, and we never did pick up on the old vibe, but she at least was honest that she was wrong to cut people off - that’s more than you get from most folk.

The other one is graduating this month. Her self-esteem is on 11 right now, which is a remarkable turnaround. She never believed it would happen, and now here it is. I’m going to her graduation. I encouraged her when she was considering school, and I encouraged her when the classes were getting too heavy. Heavy for her meant a simple assignment was due and she wanted to party that weekend. She was incredibly irresponsible sometimes, inexplicably unconcerned about pissing off a teacher or not getting a textbook or missing a class because she didn’t feel like getting dressed. She just didn’t believe it was something she’d make her way through I think. Her last year is when she started thinking this could actually happen. She was still stripping but she would talk a lot about school, and what would come after school. Now she’s set to graduate, and already secured a job. She is still a party girl, the type that might come back to strip for a night for the hell of it. She will probably never stop doing that ridiculous ex of hers who she hates, but can’t get past. But she’s graduating, and she’s got a legit job that she’s actually qualified for. That’s a success story to me.

My first ATF is lost to her new career. My second ATF has a job, but I suspect I’ll always have access to her; it’s OK if I don’t though. I’m happy for them both.