Don't Be in the Bath When Opportunity Knocks
Sorries
"Oh my god Tre, where have you been?!" Audrey cried as she pulled him into her arms, squeezing him tight.
Tre pulled out of her arms.
"You're not mad?" he asked, looking guilty as hell.
"Of course not, sweetheart," she said, stroking his hair.
"Stop," he pulled away from her farther.
She looked at him, crossing her arms across her chest defensively. There was an awkward silence between them for a good ten minutes.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that. But, you're a minor and you should never have gone there."
He looked at her.
"You should have just told me you were a stripper," he whimpered. He was trying really hard not to cry.
Audrey sighed. "We prefer dancer."
"Whatever. I don't want you working there. Why do you have to work there? You're smart, you could be doing tons of other stuff."
"Listen to you. You're the one always talking about strippers and stuff! I don't-"
He cut her off.
"I don't want someone I care about working at a place like that. I just don't!"
Audrey held out her arms.
"Come here."
Tre jumped into her arms and started sobbing.
"I know you care about me. And I care about you too. You know that, right?"
Tre nodded into her chest.
"And I do know why you're so upset. Why do you think I didn't want you to know where I worked. I'm not proud that I strip. You should know that."
"Then why do you do that?" he sniffed.
"Because it makes more money than working at McDonalds ever would. It's the only way I can live on my own. I need to make money somehow."
"But you don't have to do it that way."
Audrey sighed at Tre's not getting it.
"I don't have a diploma. I can't get a well paying job without one. And to be able to live by myself, and with you, I need a well paying job."
Tre sighed too, snuggling into her.
"Where did you go?" she asked him, moving him over to the couch.
"Well, when I left the club, Billie Joe and Mike stayed behind. I went out to look for your car and it was gone," he said wiping his nose on the sleeve of his hoodie.
"Yeah, I left right after I freaked out at you," Audrey said handing him a Kleenex.
"Thanks," he mumbled. " So I just started walking. And I kept going until I couldn't anymore. I stayed in a bus stop."
"Oh, honey," she pulled his hair off his face. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't have left if I had known that was going to happen."
"It's okay," he said. "I'm really hungry."
"You are?" she asked looking at him. He nodded.
"Okay, let's go see what we have."
***
Tre pulled his blanket over him in his bed on the couch. He was really tired even though it was only nine o'clock and started to drift off almost immediately. It'd been a rough day.
"Tre?"
He was startled awake. "Huh?"
"Tre, will you come in with me?" Audrey said standing above him with her arms wrapped around herself, as if to shield off the cold.
"What?" he asked, very confused and not really awake.
"Will you come sleep in here with me?" she said.
"Uh, okay," he said sitting up. "You don't have to ask me twice," he teased. "Okay, you did, but whatever."
He followed her into her room and climbed into her tiny bed. He didn't know what to expect. Frankly, he was terrified.
She climbed in next to him, grabbed his hand and fell asleep almost immediately.
But he was awake. For seven more hours.
Tre pulled out of her arms.
"You're not mad?" he asked, looking guilty as hell.
"Of course not, sweetheart," she said, stroking his hair.
"Stop," he pulled away from her farther.
She looked at him, crossing her arms across her chest defensively. There was an awkward silence between them for a good ten minutes.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that. But, you're a minor and you should never have gone there."
He looked at her.
"You should have just told me you were a stripper," he whimpered. He was trying really hard not to cry.
Audrey sighed. "We prefer dancer."
"Whatever. I don't want you working there. Why do you have to work there? You're smart, you could be doing tons of other stuff."
"Listen to you. You're the one always talking about strippers and stuff! I don't-"
He cut her off.
"I don't want someone I care about working at a place like that. I just don't!"
Audrey held out her arms.
"Come here."
Tre jumped into her arms and started sobbing.
"I know you care about me. And I care about you too. You know that, right?"
Tre nodded into her chest.
"And I do know why you're so upset. Why do you think I didn't want you to know where I worked. I'm not proud that I strip. You should know that."
"Then why do you do that?" he sniffed.
"Because it makes more money than working at McDonalds ever would. It's the only way I can live on my own. I need to make money somehow."
"But you don't have to do it that way."
Audrey sighed at Tre's not getting it.
"I don't have a diploma. I can't get a well paying job without one. And to be able to live by myself, and with you, I need a well paying job."
Tre sighed too, snuggling into her.
"Where did you go?" she asked him, moving him over to the couch.
"Well, when I left the club, Billie Joe and Mike stayed behind. I went out to look for your car and it was gone," he said wiping his nose on the sleeve of his hoodie.
"Yeah, I left right after I freaked out at you," Audrey said handing him a Kleenex.
"Thanks," he mumbled. " So I just started walking. And I kept going until I couldn't anymore. I stayed in a bus stop."
"Oh, honey," she pulled his hair off his face. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't have left if I had known that was going to happen."
"It's okay," he said. "I'm really hungry."
"You are?" she asked looking at him. He nodded.
"Okay, let's go see what we have."
***
Tre pulled his blanket over him in his bed on the couch. He was really tired even though it was only nine o'clock and started to drift off almost immediately. It'd been a rough day.
"Tre?"
He was startled awake. "Huh?"
"Tre, will you come in with me?" Audrey said standing above him with her arms wrapped around herself, as if to shield off the cold.
"What?" he asked, very confused and not really awake.
"Will you come sleep in here with me?" she said.
"Uh, okay," he said sitting up. "You don't have to ask me twice," he teased. "Okay, you did, but whatever."
He followed her into her room and climbed into her tiny bed. He didn't know what to expect. Frankly, he was terrified.
She climbed in next to him, grabbed his hand and fell asleep almost immediately.
But he was awake. For seven more hours.