Quiet Storm

13| "One Step Forward"

                                       1994'

"Well lookie here." Miyoko looked up at the sound of the familiar voice coming face to face with one of the strippers Dawn. "What you doing here on a Monday? Ain't it your day off." Dawn questioned. Miyoko noticed that today her hair was dyed ginger and she still sported her pixie cut. Miyoko thought it was a really unique look on her.

"In fact it is." Miyoko replied, looking up at Dawn. "But Chrissy called and said she needed me because Melissa couldn't make it so I came. It wasn't a problem for me since I could use some extra cash."

"You're better than me because once it's my day off I act like that hoe don't even exist. I don't need no distractions especially not from no boss." Dawn chuckled taking a seat at one of the stools at the bar. "Let me get something strong I gotta go on in ten."

Miyoko nodded before placing three shot glasses in front of Dawn. She poured her three shots of her regular which was vodka. It was pretty early going on eight o'clock so the club wasn't as packed as it would be on the weekends. Miyoko was glad for that. Less work for her to do.

Dawn took the three shots to the head and took the lime Miyoko handed to her squeezing it in her mouth. She scrunched her face up from the feeling of the liquor going down her throat.

Being a stripper was tough. Not only did they have to deal with dirty looks from other strippers but also harassment and entitlement that came with the men who entered Blue Streak. Some days you made a lot of money depending on who walked in, other days not so much.

Dawn watched Miyoko wipe the counter down. She leaned over the counter a little before looking around to make sure there wasn't anyone too close to them. "Word around the street is you're seeing Arlante. Congratulations." Dawn teased a little with a smirk looking at Miyoko. Arlante was a tough one to crack so she was surprised when she heard the girls in the locker room gossiping about Arlante allegedly dating Miyoko.

"Around the street?" Miyoko reiterated with a worried look on her face. She leaned over the bar to get closer to Dawn and whispered, "People are talking about me?" She asked with arched eyebrows.

"Not necessarily. I don't know about people but I know those tricks in the locker room are." Miyoko sighed tucking a piece of hair behind her head. "Don't even worry about them girl. They're just mad your young ass got to him first. Their words not mine."

Of course she didn't want people talking bad about her over a guy. She knew Arlante was pretty popular and being popular came with women who thought they had chances with him just because they maybe had a big butt or big breast. She and Arlante's relationship had been private so far so she wasn't even sure how the word got out.

"I don't know why people act like Atlante is some kind of god in Houston. The nigga not even from here like that."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean Is that man was born in North Carolina and moved back to his actual hometown New York and once his mother got with his step father they moved to Houston when he was like nine or ten. He ain't even a real Texan." Dawn explained. "This nigga think he Tupac."

Miyoko chuckled a little. "How do you know all this?" Dawn basically just gave her a run down on Arlante and his history and was curious to how she knew this. She wasn't suspicious of anything just curious.

"My mom is his mother's beautician. She's been doing his mom's hair for ages. But you know how mother's can get. They like to tell your business to people, even the ones they don't know."

"Oh yeah I definitely know that." Miyoko and her laughed at the same time. She could remember her mother Judy bragging about her and Keena to random people she ran into. Whether is was at the grocery store, movies or while walking down the street.