Page 50 of The End of Summer

“Got it.”

“So, scooch over a sec.” I shuffle to the side. “When you walk, you want to hold the pole up high using your inside arm. Follow the natural flow of your body, which means that as you walk forward, you’ll automatically be moving counter-clockwise, like this.” Gretchen takes a few steps around the pole. “Now, watch me.”

Gladly, I think.

“I’ve got good posture, right? Head high, shoulders back, and be sure you make eye contact with the audience.”

I try to imitate her posture, which makes her giggle.

“Now, for the feet. With toes pointed, you’ll start with your inside foot and take a step. Then, you drag your outside foot behind you until it comes up in front, and again, toes pointed, slowly step into a walk. Your hips need to sway dramatically and your free hand should do sexy stuff, like trace up your side or run through your hair – not that you have long hair, but you know what I mean,” she continues. “So, it would looklike this.”

Gretchen pulls a remote control out of her sports bra and points it at the stereo, turning the music up a few notches. It’sBody Partyby Ciara (another great throwback). The slow, sexy R&B rhythm reverberates through the space, charging the moment with electricity and heat. She waits for the beat to drop and then walks exactly as she described, with her hips alternating out into each step, her toes dragging, her head swaying so her hair cascades down her back, and her free hand snaking its way up her torso, over her right breast, and into her tousled locks.

“God damn,” I cannot help but say.

This gets her chuckling again. She hops away from the pole and says, “Okay, big talker, Your turn now.”

“I can’t do that. First of all, I’m a guy. Secondly, that washot.I’m, like, lukewarm at best.”

“Just try it,” she encourages me. “Remember, you asked me for this.”

I begin to walk, letting my performance exude the humor of the moment. Gretchen’s laughter is an elixir to my soul, so I play it up even more dramatically, and she hollers and catcalls at me in response. “Woo! Yeah, hottie!” she yells.

Finally, I stop walking and attempt to catch my breath from laughing so hard. “Who knew justwalkingcould be so challenging?”

“See? So, you can imagine how the girls who come here take forever practicing it,” she explains. “Plus, they’re in groups, like three or four of them sharing one pole, so they all have to take turns, which sucks up a lot of time.”

“Gotcha. So, then whathappens?”

“Well, then we teach them the most basic spin, which is called a dip turn. Ever heard of it?”

“Can’t say that I have.”

“Okay, so watch me first.” She approaches the pole again, in the same spot as before. “Inside arm high, outside arm reaches across to grab the pole. Take one step with your inside foot, and then lift your outside leg and let it trace a nice big circle around the pole. Next, lift the inside foot and step it back through the space between your body and the pole. It’s simple and pretty, and you can make it very dramatic with the leg extension.” She does the spin once, twice. “Nice, right?” she asks, when she’s done.

“Very nice,” I agree.

“You think you can do it?”

“No. But I’ll give it a whirl.”

Gretchen steps back, and I approach the pole. I follow the steps she showed me and inadvertently end up tripping over my own foot. I try again. Still no good. “Well, it’s confirmed. I think I have elephant feet.”

“Definitely not. It’s not easy,” she explains. “Lots of people assume it’s simple, but so much of it is core strength and honestly, like, basic gymnastics.”

“Okay, but it makes me feel like a clown, so I think we should stop now, before I make myself look any worse.”

“I think you look cute, for what it’s worth,” she says. I’m pretty sure she’s blushing but it’s too dark to be 100% certain.

“If elephants are your thing, then sure. I’mkilling it.”

“Fine. Let’s be fair about this. It can’t be much easier dancing the way you do. So, go ahead. You teach me a move now.”

At this, I can’t help but snort. “Really? You wantmeto teachyou?”

“Well, not thestrippingpart, obviously. But one of the dance moves, sure. Why not? You don’t think I can hack it?”

“Oh, I’m sure you could,” I say. “You’ve got plenty of upper body strength. Which move do you want to learn?”

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