Page 70 of Margo's Got Money Troubles

Nadia read them, her eyebrows creeping ever higher as she took in the numbers. “Margo,” Nadia said, “maybe this is a good time for you to tell us a little bit about your schedule and work-life balance?”

“There are two components to my work,” Margo began. “The shooting of content and the posting of content. I tend to shoot content usually one or two days a week. The video shoots are not held in my apartment but at another location, and my dad watches Bodhi for the day. The rest of the time, I’m just posting and answering emails, a lot of boring administrative stuff, editing video, that kind of thing, and I do that kind of work while Bodhi naps.”

“So would you say that on most days, you are taking care of Bodhi the entire day?”

“Yes,” Margo said.

Nadia changed tack. “Can you tell us a little about your father and his history with violence? Are you concerned having him in your home?”

Margo tried to smile. “Oh, absolutely not. My father is an actor. I’m sure you know—maybe Mark doesn’t realize—but professional wrestling is fake. My dad isn’t a tough guy, he only played one on TV. As far as I know, he’s never gotten into a real physical altercation in his life. It’s extremely unfortunate and inappropriate that he called Mark—”

“And threatened me,” Mark said.

Margo nodded. “And threatened him. He was angry at the way I’d been treated, at the abuse of power. You can understand why a father would feel that way.”

“What abuse of power exactly?” Nadia asked, turning her head so that her silver fairy earrings wobbled.

“Mark was my college professor,” Margo said. She did not like using this against him because on some level it felt like a lie. She’d been too young and dumb to understand what she was signing up for, but she’d signed up all the same.

“Please don’t pretend you have the moral high ground here,” Mark said.

“I’m only trying to give Nadia the context as to why my father would call and yell at you,” Margo said. Did Mark think he had the moral high ground? “I’m sorry, can I ask something?”

Nadia gave her a shrug that said, By all means.

“Mark, do you genuinely believe I’m an unfit parent?” She looked directly into his face, trying to get a read on him. Something about this just wasn’t right. She’d thought he was doing it to punish her, that it had been Elizabeth’s idea, that Mark himself would feel sheepish and gross and might ultimately be reasoned with. Now she wasn’t so sure.

“One hundred percent,” Mark said, meeting her gaze.

Her hands were shaking, and she hid them under the table. “Why?”

“Margo, you’re a kid.” He said this almost gently, pleading with her to understand. “You have no money. You have no plan. You’re doing porn. I mean, is this what you want? Really?”

“Yes!” Margo cried, her voice coming out a little strangled.

“See,” Mark said, looking back to Nadia. “I find that even more concerning. You have to understand, we are talking about a girl not even of legal age to drink, no college degree, on her own with no real financial support, trying to raise a baby while doing porn. It seems crazy to me that I even have to explain why this is a problem. It seems obvious!”

Nadia was frowning. “Let’s try to refocus our conversation on what is best for Bodhi. It seems Mark is worried that this life isn’t best for Margo. But our concern is for Bodhi. Mark, can you be specific about the kinds of harms you worry might come to Bodhi under Margo’s care?”

“Well,” Mark said, “what about when Bodhi grows up? What about when one of his little friends finds your account and everybody at school realizes his mom is a porn star? I know you think that’s far off, but as a dad to older kids, I can tell you, it goes pretty fast.”

Margo had never considered this question before, and she faltered.

Mark went on to Nadia. “It’s going to affect every aspect of her life: the jobs she would be able to get if she decided to stop, the relationships she’ll be able to have. Most decent men simply will not seriously consider a romantic partner who does sex work, so that means the guys she’ll be bringing around will be of a lower caliber. She’s doubtless going to have friends who also do sex work, and they’ll be around in the house. This kind of thing, it’s insidious.”

“What’s insidious exactly?” Margo asked, swallowing. Some of what he said was true. Rose and KC did come to the house. Bodhi was growing up in a house full of sex workers. Was it weird that she didn’t think that was so bad?

“Let’s try to focus this on the here and now,” Nadia said. “What is best for Bodhi at nine might look a lot different from what is best for Bodhi as an infant. So, Mark, what are you currently worried about in terms of Bodhi’s well-being?”

“Well, when you’re doing sex work from home, how can you be sure the proper boundaries are in place? He might see inappropriate content; he might see nudity, for example,” Mark said.

“This baby literally came out of my vagina!” Margo exploded. “I’m not sure my body is what we need to be protecting him from! I mean, he breastfeeds, Mark! He sees my breasts every day.”

“Well, now so can everybody else,” Mark said, his eyes trained on his folded hands on the table.

The logical inconsistency of his argument made her want to strangle him—he was supposed to be the smart one; he was a college professor, for Pete’s sake! “And how does it hurt Bodhi for other men to see pictures of my breasts? What tangible harm is it doing to him?”

Nadia cleared her throat. She turned to Margo. “Would you prefer I separate you in two different conference rooms and hear your arguments that way?”

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