From Exotic Dancing to Motherhood

At the age of 21, I decided to quit my hostess job and work at a local strip club. My boyfriend, at the time, fully supported me. I auditioned, got the job, and started that upcoming weekend. I shopped around for sexy lingerie and high heels. No one told me that there’s a specific type of high heel that is made for exotic dancing and I found that out right after my first night of aching feet.

It felt natural for me to dance because I loved to do it, but getting naked in front of strangers, did not. Soon after, I got the hang of it and once I seen the money I was making, getting naked was no longer a problem. For the next couple of months, I made friends among the other dancers, we were carpooling to San Francisco to make better money. It was a lot of fun, it really was. Although it was fun for me, I noticed, among the other girls, that industry, can make a good girl turn bad. Drugs, money, sex, they all fit into one building with nothing but curtains and dimmed neon lights. By the time I had made enough money to move out of my parents home and into an apartment with a roommate (friend of a friend), my then boyfriend and I had broken up. I worked longer shifts and my goal was to save up money for my own place. One night I was working, I didn’t make any money so I stayed for another hour. Staying that extra hour changed my whole life. I ran into one of my childhood friends from my grandmas neighborhood. I was on stage and surprisingly, spotted his face in the crowd. He was sitting in the very back. Once I got off the stage, I quickly ran to the back and touched up my makeup. As I approached him and introduced myself. To this day, I still believe that I kind of came off like I was only trying to get a private dance.

So after introducing myself, I said “I know you.”

He replied with such confidence, “No, you don’t.”

I then asked “Is your name Bruce? You grew up on my grandmas street.”

It hit him, “Amelia?”

I shook my head, yes and from there, we conversed for an hour until he left me with his phone number. I typically never took down anyone’s phone number but he was an obvious exception to that rule. Our first date was at the gym because we both put on a front that we liked to worked out. Three years later we are living together with two beautiful babies and our Belgian Malinois. Anything can happen to anyone working in that industry. I am very fortunate that I got out and gained the best that life can offer. Love can happen anywhere, at anytime.