I have a friend...let's call him 'Byron'. Right after his divorce, he became a regular at the club a few blocks from his new batchelor pad. Byron is one of the greatest guys I know - a real stand-up guy (he was actually the best man at my wedding). He's the kind of guy whose friends would take a bullet for him. Well - maybe not a bullet - but they'd pick him up at the airport or help him move or spot him cabe fare if he was too drunk to drive home. In addition to being a stand-up guy, he's an optimist to a fault.
A few months after his divorce, he became the guy who showed up for the weekday lunch buffet at the club a few times a week, ifyouknowwhatimean. He became friends with one of the dancers (let's call her 'Misty', because that's my favorite naughty girl name).
So - back to Byron - he kept talking about this girl Misty. Misty this, Misty that...it was clear that he was falling in love with her. And by listening to the stories he'd tell about shooting pool with her after her set, hanging out after the pool games in between sets, it was clear that he thought she was falling in love with him as well.
Now, I'm not a regular strip-club goer. Not because I don't like looking at naked ladies (which I do), but I always thought it was kind of silly to make a habit of giving money to girls who are, for the most part, guaranteed to not sleep with you. That having been said - during my single days, when Byron pitched the idea of going to the local strip club together, I often took him up on it. I'm kind of shy in the strip-club environment myself...I'm often the blushing guy with the "aww shucks" look on my face as the girl grabs the $5 bill in front of me. As much as I love watching the bouncing bewbies, I love watching a girl completely own the room just as much.
So...I went with Byron to see this girl Misty do her thing. Misty was a beautiful girl - absolutely gorgeous - and she knew how to work a brass pole with Warrant playing over the PA. After her first set, right on cue, Misty came over to us and asked if we wanted to shoot some pool. With neither of us being stupid enough to turn down billiards with a foxy lady, we played a few games. It became evident to me that Misty's friendship with Byron was genuine - she wasn't hustling him, and she wasn't trying to milk his wallet. After all - Byron is the nicest guy I know, and he's extremely respectful towards women (including ones who get naked for cash). It was completely natural for her to gravitate towards him in a crowded room full of skeevy dudes.
Then came the moment that broke Byron's heart. I asked the question that Byron really wanted to know the answer to, but didn't have the balls to ask during his numerous journeys to the club:
"So, Misty...are you seeing anybody?"
She replied yes - she was seeing somebody.
The owner of the club. (doh!)
At that moment, it all came crashing down on poor Byron's head. His '96 Saturn and admin job at a local tech company simply could not compete with the guy that owned the strip club.
Byron stopped talking about Misty after that. And he started showing up a lot more for pick-up basketball games instead of going to the club.



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