Previously: You Want It, You Pay For It
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[Explicit content, obviously.]
IX.
Nomi slept in the next day, and all morning she dreamed of stripper poles turning into crying infants. She awoke to a banging on the door. She opens the door, expecting it to be a Jehova’s Witness, but it’s literally the opposite. James. Wearing yet another tank top. She closes the door on him because he is a man who refuses to respect her rejection of him, but hey, ladies just love an aggressor. James sticks his foot in the door, always a good idea for a dancer.
“Hear me out, okay?” said James.
Nomi does not want to hear him out. He tries lying: “You got more natural talent when you
dance than anybody I ever seen. I've seen a lot of dancers. I studied in New York. Alvin Ailey. Man, you burn when you dance.”
“You said I couldn't.”
“You gotta hold some of it in. You gotta learn some shit. Dancing ain't fucking.” He mansplains to her.
“What is that -- more wisdom? I know that.”
“No you don't. You dance like when you fucked that guy last night.”
“What guy?”
“That guy with the chick, you took 'em in the back.”
“I didn't fuck him!”
“Yeah you did, you fucked him and her –“
“You followin' me around? I didn't fuck anybody – “
“I saw you! Everybody got AIDS and shit, what is it that you think you do? You fuck 'em without fuckin' 'em.
That's what you do. It ain't right. You got too much talent for it to be right.” He was trying something he read about called gaslighting.
“Get outta here!” She pushes James out the door and he stumbles back.
“Bitch! I told you the truth!” Why was he not THANKING HIM for this display of action?
“Talking that shit - who do you think you are?”
“You want me to go - I'm outta here!” He walked back to his car.
“I don't ever want to see you again,” said Nomi. But why was she being so unclear about how she felt about him?
“You got too much damn talent!” James yells as she drives away.
“Yeah?”
“Yea? Fuck you!”
“Fuck you too!”
Later, Molly made her come with her to wait for her to take an exam at the community college. It was really annoying, how dare Molly ask for any support from her.
“I think I got an A!” said Molly, emerging from her test.
“Yayyy!” said Nomi, but she really had to fake it. She was upset because of…stuff.
She seems very excited, but we know from how she was sitting
“Four more classes and they're gonna have to give me that degree,” which is exactly what will happen when she finishes those four classes.
They see a hot guy walk by. “Hunk City,” said Molly, guessing where he was from.
“Let's tie him up,” said Nomi.
“Look at those buns. I am frisky. I haven't gotten laid in six months. My right hand's so tired I can hardly
thread a needle.”
“Use the left one.”
“For threading a needle?” They laugh and laughed and laughed. Best friend!
They wander into the mall and see the Versace store, a black dress in the window.
Nomi liked it. “I like that.”
“I can make that,” said Molly.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. We'll go down to the fabric store.”
“I want to buy it. I've got the money.”
“Save it. I'll make it.”
“I want to buy it.”
“Why?”
“I don't know. I just do. I never had a dress like that. It will look great on me…won’t it?”
“Yeah.”
Yeah.
Nomi tried in the dress in the waiting room, and bursts out modeling the dress, which practically shows her labia.
“What do you think?”
“It looks quite good on you,” said the clerk.
“It doesn't suck.”
Nomi buys the dress.
“I can't believe I bought it!” she says, literally five minutes later, despite exchanging currency for the item.
“We'll celebrate, I'll buy you a burrito. I'll even buy you some fajitas,” said Molly. Buying Nomi shitty fast food was her thing.
“Fajitas! Oh boy!....I can’t. I’m on early. Al’s on my back.” She couldn’t believe that he hired her to do a job and he then gets mad when she doesn’t do it.
“I'll drive you.”
“Okay.”
Suddenly, Molly stops in front of a poster. “OH MY GOD.”
The poster was of Andrew Carver. His long locks tumbled over his shoulders, his sneer jumping off the paper.
“He's coming here?” Musicians usually never stopped in Vegas when they were on tour.
“Maybe you can meet him.”
“Are you kidding? I wouldn't know what to say to him.”
“Say -- "Andrew, I can't even thread a needle anymore."” They laughed. They had a new private joke!
What is this? A semi-regular newsletter about being a culture studies graduate student. Do you like it? Great. Please share it widely.
What to look forward to:
Academia shenanigans
More Showgirls, the novelization
Recommendations of culture to consume at home
Possibly some fiction…?