Can you be :) and :( at the same time?

First visit to the new club. (Seems that I never reviewed the old one, but too late for that now.) Inside, the club felt like a recreation of the old club without the wear and tear. The layout is a bit different, but it was really like they just wanted to recapture as much as they could about their previous environment. So, prepare to feel transported back in time a few decades, to when those esthetics were actually in style. The lighting is dim, and you don't want a seat on the side of the club where the entrance is if the sun is out. Every time the door opens, your eyes will have to adjust to the darkness all over again. Sit elsewhere.

Not many girls working, but Katya was the second one I saw take the stage. I tipped the $5 required to get a dancer naked in Jax. Wow. It had only been a few years, I thought, but they showed. Still, with few other choices, I wanted a dance or three. On previous visits, she would sit and chat with me, whether or not I'd tipped her on stage yet. This time, she came over to thank me, and told me where she would be sitting if I wanted a dance. Lost the lease on the beverage I was drinking, so I visited the restroom and on return sat next to Katya to confirm LD particulars. On the surface, nothing seemed to have changed.

In the booths however, it just wasn't the same. She was checking over her shoulder more that ever, and things just felt mechanical and boring. Had to insist, yes, I want a second dance. At the end of it, she said "that's it." When I asked why, and she said it was the end of the song, I asked why we couldn't keep going. She said "I don't want to make you broke." I laughed. Did I look that bad? I told her that making me broke wasn't possible, and we did the third dance. Sure, things ended happily, but sadly too. This was not the experience I remembered. Is this what they mean by "hollow victory?" I think it is.

If I return, I will have to look for newer talent.