Glory, Glory
Continued from Part 4.
“I just don’t understand why you’d want to,” Matt sliced the mushrooms slightly violently, looking down and avoiding Nina’s eyes.
She looked uncomfortable- rare for Nina, who usually intimidated him when they fought.
“I don’t know,” she started, leaning on the counter in front of him.
That was Nina’s problem, he thought. She never knew.
“I guess I’d feel like I’d been to all these classes, met all these people, learned all these routines- and then just walked away.”
When Nina started her ‘conservative burlesque’ classes, she’d told him there was no way she’d be performing in the amateur night it culminated in.
“Maybe I’ll just help set up,” she’d told him initially, “I’d never do a routine. I think it’s sleazy- no matter how often they try and tell us it’s conservative.”
Conservative had turned out to mean that the girls always wore at least full briefs and a bra- something Matt wasn’t too keen on Nina stripping down to in front of an audience of perverted ‘friends and family’ of the performers.
“Maybe I’d do it if it was only open to friends and family, instead of the public,” she’d then told him a week or so later.
And now here she was, asking him how he felt about her getting up for a group routine. She constantly told him that she wouldn’t perform if he didn’t want her to, and he constantly told her he wouldn’t feel comfortable with her performing. So why did she keep asking?
“Nina,” he began as he practically threw the mushrooms into the pasta sauce, “I really don’t think that people will judge you for not performing in a burlesque show.”
He turned to face her, and looked her in the eyes for the first time in ten minutes.
“Pretty sure it’d be the other way round.”
“But I wouldn’t do a solo routine,” she rubbed the bridge of her nose- a nervous twitch she’d developed to hide herself a little whenever she felt uncomfortable- “I’d only do a group routine, and we don’t take off any more than boas, gloves and hats in those.”
He turned back to the pot and started stirring the sauce. Nina came along side him and started adding in herbs. Dinner always tasted better when Nina helped cook.
“I just don’t get how you’ve changed your mind so quickly. Six weeks ago you told me you’d never perform and that it was sleazy, now you’re wanting to get up there. You’re not acting like yourself!”
She turned to look at him. “So you don’t want me to?”
“Bloody hell, Nina, that’s what I’ve been telling you!” Matt rarely raised his voice when he spoke to Nina, but sometimes she seemed to take forever to get through to. Or perhaps she just refused to listen.
She stood silently for a moment while the sauce simmered quietly next to them.
“All right,” she began slowly, “You’re right.”
Matt was slightly taken aback by those two words.
“It wouldn’t be like me. I would be going against my own morals.”
Matt murmured something even he didn’t understand, and went back to cooking while Nina poured two bourbons.
“I just don’t understand why you’d want to,” Matt sliced the mushrooms slightly violently, looking down and avoiding Nina’s eyes.
She looked uncomfortable- rare for Nina, who usually intimidated him when they fought.
“I don’t know,” she started, leaning on the counter in front of him.
That was Nina’s problem, he thought. She never knew.
“I guess I’d feel like I’d been to all these classes, met all these people, learned all these routines- and then just walked away.”
When Nina started her ‘conservative burlesque’ classes, she’d told him there was no way she’d be performing in the amateur night it culminated in.
“Maybe I’ll just help set up,” she’d told him initially, “I’d never do a routine. I think it’s sleazy- no matter how often they try and tell us it’s conservative.”
Conservative had turned out to mean that the girls always wore at least full briefs and a bra- something Matt wasn’t too keen on Nina stripping down to in front of an audience of perverted ‘friends and family’ of the performers.
“Maybe I’d do it if it was only open to friends and family, instead of the public,” she’d then told him a week or so later.
And now here she was, asking him how he felt about her getting up for a group routine. She constantly told him that she wouldn’t perform if he didn’t want her to, and he constantly told her he wouldn’t feel comfortable with her performing. So why did she keep asking?
“Nina,” he began as he practically threw the mushrooms into the pasta sauce, “I really don’t think that people will judge you for not performing in a burlesque show.”
He turned to face her, and looked her in the eyes for the first time in ten minutes.
“Pretty sure it’d be the other way round.”
“But I wouldn’t do a solo routine,” she rubbed the bridge of her nose- a nervous twitch she’d developed to hide herself a little whenever she felt uncomfortable- “I’d only do a group routine, and we don’t take off any more than boas, gloves and hats in those.”
He turned back to the pot and started stirring the sauce. Nina came along side him and started adding in herbs. Dinner always tasted better when Nina helped cook.
“I just don’t get how you’ve changed your mind so quickly. Six weeks ago you told me you’d never perform and that it was sleazy, now you’re wanting to get up there. You’re not acting like yourself!”
She turned to look at him. “So you don’t want me to?”
“Bloody hell, Nina, that’s what I’ve been telling you!” Matt rarely raised his voice when he spoke to Nina, but sometimes she seemed to take forever to get through to. Or perhaps she just refused to listen.
She stood silently for a moment while the sauce simmered quietly next to them.
“All right,” she began slowly, “You’re right.”
Matt was slightly taken aback by those two words.
“It wouldn’t be like me. I would be going against my own morals.”
Matt murmured something even he didn’t understand, and went back to cooking while Nina poured two bourbons.
Comments
But... that's the detail you need to get in there!
As the granddaughter of a Vaudeville performer, I've always taken an interest in Vaudeville and burlesque. Sure, there are some venues that present smut and call it "burlesque," but originally, burlesque was all about a lot of tease and little delivery. Your description of "we don’t take off any more than boas, gloves and hats" was perfect.