Strippers
have Souls Too
A.J. Lewis
© 2009 A.J. Lewis. All right reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means
without the written permission of the author.
Printed in the United States of America
November
13,
1958
A mist covered the decaying slabs of granite as
the family walked over fallen leaves. The fog
hung heavy, like a blanket over
the mourners. The sky was gray as the
mourners made their way to the newly dug grave.
She was only thirty-four years old when she took her
last breath. The tombstone read Cordelia Ann Griffin,
born December 29, 1924, died November 13, 1958.
Her family and friends gathered around to pay their
last respects to a beloved friend, daughter, sister,
aunt, cousin, wife, and mother. Tears streamed down
Jewel flushed cheeks and smoke billowed out of chat-
tering teeth, as it was an especially cold November
day. Little Jewel tugged on her older sister Jordan’s
black lace dress. Jordan shrugged her baby sister off
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A.J. Lewis
and continued to hide her tear-stained face in her
handkerchief.
Little Jewel was an exceptionally beautiful child
even at the young age of six. She had wavy brown
ringlets of hair that framed her round face. Tiny
brown freckles dotted her petite nose. Her round
cheeks set off her olive skin and complemented
her almond shaped eyes. When she smiled her dimples were
too hard to resist, so everyone had to pinch them.
Jewel, who was normally known for her rambunc-
tious nature, was confused that day. She kept asking
everyone at the funeral, “When’s Mommy gonna
wake up?” They simply gave Jewel a little sympathetic
smile and then wrapped her in a big hug as they be-
gan to weep again. Life from this day forward would
never be the same for little Jewel.
2
Happy
New
Year
The disco ball was lowered onto the dance floor.
Florescent lights shimmered in various shades of ex-
otic turquoise, rich lavender, deep crimson, and em-
erald green. It was New Year’s Eve, and in less than
one minute it was going to be 1975. She was still
beautiful, with her gorgeous thick hair, deep chocolate
brown eyes, and the clearest complexion. Her
face was still round only minus the baby fat; freckles
still dotted her slender nose, and those dimples con-
tinued attracting attention, now from multitudes of
perspective suitors. Ever petite, she stood barely taller
than 5’3”. She wore white platform boots that came
up to her knees, giving her some added height. Her
yellow and lime dress swirled around her bare skin as
she danced on the balcony of New York’s hottest new
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A.J. Lewis
club. Her glittered skin glistened in the shadows of
the pale moonlight. Yes, our little Jewel was all grown
up and the life of the party.
Jewel stumbled back into the club when the bal-
cony became too crowded.
“What’s your name?” inquired a man with mahog-
any hair; flecks of auburn highlights shown through
under the incandescent lighting of the club. He had
hazel eyes with hints of green undertones. He looked
like he had a fresh tan, perhaps from vacationing in
Florida or somewhere tropical. This stranger did not
stand much taller than Jewel herself, but even so he
still gave off a very intimidating nature.
“Who wants to know?” Jewel snapped back at the
alluring stranger.
“Feisty, ain’t ya? That’s okay. I like feisty,” the dark
stranger said with a sinister grin.
“My name is Jewel.”
“Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Jewel. I’m
Link.”
“What’s your pleasure, Link?” Jewel asked
suspiciously.
4
Strippers have Souls Too
“My pleasure? Hmmm.” Link’s eyes gradually
traced every part of Jewel, not missing a single detail
on her fragile but exquisite frame. He licked his lips
and placed his hand over his chin. “Well, I like what
I see; you could make a man quite rich.”
Jewel shook her head and gave Link a perplexed
look. “What do you mean …?”
Before Jewel could finish her sentence, Darnell ap-
proached, glowering at the stranger.
“It’s time to go, Jewel,” Darnell practically growled
through gritted teeth.
“It’s barely past midnight. I’m not ready to go
yet,” Jewel pouted.
Darnell gave Jewel a stern look.
“Fine, but I’m having one more drink.”
Darnell did not want to press his luck, so he obliged
her request.
“I’ll get you one more drink, then we leave.”
Darnell gave one last less-than-friendly glance back at
the stranger and then stomped off to get Jewel her
drink.
“Here.” Link handed Jewel a card. “I can tell
your boyfriend doesn’t like me much.”
5
A.J. Lewis
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Jewel quickly snapped.
“Whatever you say, Miss Jewel.”
At this point Darnell was already approaching with
Jewel’s drink, glaring at the bronzed stranger. Jewel
quickly tucked the card into her knee-length boot.
“I guess I’ll be off.” Link disappeared into the
crowd.
“You didn’t have to be so rude!” Jewel bellowed.
“You don’t have to speak to every guy who gives
you a little attention; you know not all of them have
the best of intentions,” Darnell calmly responded.
Jewel rolled her eyes and then downed her last
drink for the night as she stumbled out of the club.
There was snow on the ground, but Jewel felt
nothing except for her self-induced alcohol buzz.
New York was a cold city, but Jewel’s heart had grown
even colder. She could barely walk at this point, as
she leaned over and threw up in a garbage can. Darnell
held Jewel’s hair in one hand while rubbing her back
with the other.
“Do you think you can continue, Jewel?” Darnell
asked in a sympathetic manner.
6
Strippers have Souls Too
“I’m fine!” Jewel snapped at Darnell as she lost con-
trol of her footing and went crashing to cold con-
crete. Darnell hurried to her and gently picked her up,
cradling her in his arms. He carried her for the rest
of the trip home. When they got home, Darnell gently
placed Jewel onto his bed. He retrieved a garbage pail
and placed it near the foot of the bed just in case.
He tucked Jewel’s hair back behind her ears and then
covered her with a soft pale pink comforter as he
delicately stroked her tender cheek. He whispered,
“Good night, my dear Jewel.” Then he made his way
to the couch.
Darnellian Warner, Darnell for short, was Jewel’s only
true friend. Darnell was a handsome young man. He was
quite tall, standing about a foot taller than our very
petite Jewel, and he was very muscular. He worked
out often, sculpting his already chiseled muscles to
perfection. Darnell kept his jet black hair short, neat and
trim. His glimmering eyes were
a soft chestnut with flecks of gold, and his warm com-
plexion and warm smile had a personality to match
and made him simply irresistible. Even with Darnell’s
entrancing good looks, he remained surprisingly
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A.J. Lewis
humble, quite content with living a simple life. He
was a gentleman with a very chivalrous nature about
himself. Darnell was born and raised in New York City.
He was an only child and had a very close relation-
ship with his parents, still attending church with
them every Sunday morning. Darnell lived a rather av-
erage life. He worked first shift at a local newspaper
and lived in a small apartment. His only hobby was
hiking. He and his friends would go to Canada and
hike their way around the trails every June. Darnell had
a very calm nurturing nature. He had exceptional
patience and needed every bit of that patience when
dealing with Jewel.
Jewel had met Darnell three years earlier when she
first arrived in New York City to pursue an acting
career. She showed up in the city that never sleeps
with a twenty-dollar bill and a small bag contain-
ing only one change of clothes, a hairbrush, a bar
of soap, a toothbrush and toothpaste. Jewel tried to
blend in with the rest of the New Yorkers, but she
could not resist gawking at the buildings that were so
large they could practically touch the heavens. The
lights and sounds of this never-calm city left Jewel
8
Strippers have Souls Too
in awe. She was from a small town in Pennsylvania,
Scranton to be exact, and this was a far cry from her
simple roots.
When Darnell saw Jewel, he immediately felt the
need to take care of her no matter what it would
cost him. He saw this beautiful young woman step
off a bus with barely anything and nowhere to go,
so he took Jewel into his tiny one-bedroom apart-
ment. Darnell gave Jewel his bedroom and decided to
sleep on the couch. It was love at first sight for Darnell,
but it was not her beauty that intrigued him; it was
her eyes. She had the most beautiful but sad brown
eyes. Those haunting, deep eyes held within them
a glimmer of hope. Darnell was immediately captivated
by the penetrating glimmer hidden deep within her
awestruck face.
Unfortunately, when Jewel saw Darnell she imme-
diately saw her next meal ticket. Over time Jewel
started to develop feelings for Darnell as well, but she
would never admit to it and tried her hardest to block
out these new warm feelings. Her fear of rejection
was always in the way. Jewel was positively terrified
of growing attached to anyone. That fear consumed
9
A.J. Lewis
her body and soul. Jewel never intended to grow so
dependent on Darnell, but she was too afraid to leave.
This brought about great internal strife within the
young lady. She despised herself for taking so much
from Darnell; Jewel truly felt unworthy of Darnell’s kind-
ness and affection. But what other choice did she
have? Jewel knew she could not survive in New York
by herself, and she vowed to never return home to
Pennsylvania as the same nobody who had fled the
small town some years ago.
10
Candy
Anyone?
“Where are my boots?” Jewel questioned in a
clearly annoyed voice.
“What boots, Jewel?” Darnell answered in his usual
calm tone. Darnell was used to taking care of Jewel, so
outbursts like this no longer fazed him.
“My white knee-high boots. I’m going out to-
night with Teresa and I need those boots! I can’t find
them anywhere. They’re not in my closet.” Before
Jewel could continue, Darnell interjected with a sigh
and said, “Did you check under the bed?” Jewel’s eyes
lit up.
“The bed! You are brilliant!”
“I know, I know,” Darnell said in a somber tone.
Jewel put one boot on and then struggled to put the
other one on as she dashed out the door, throwing
11
A.J. Lewis
Darnell a smile and informing him, “I’ll be back later.”
When she got in Teresa’s car she felt something pok-
ing her foot.
“What are you doing?” Teresa questioned Jewel.
“There’s something in my shoe.” Jewel pulled out a
tiny white card. The card read “Link Allen, owner
and operator of Lucifer’s Lounge, Men’s Gentlemen
Club.” It listed the address and the phone number of
the lounge. Jewel immediately flashed back to New
Year’s Eve and to the bronzed gentleman with the
sinister smile.
“What have you got there?” Teresa asked.
“This guy gave me his card on New Year’s Eve,
but it says it’s for a gentlemen’s club. Why would he
give me a card for a club for men?”
“Let me see that.” Teresa’s long slender fingers
snatched the card out of Jewel’s hand. Teresa stared at
Jewel and rolled her eyes.
“I swear, Jewel, you can be so naïve at times.” Teresa
was anything but naïve. She had lived in New York
her whole life and knew the tricks of the trade. Jewel
had met Teresa two years before when Teresa lived in
the apartment across from her and Darnell. Teresa and
12
Strippers have Souls Too
Jewel hit it off immediately. Both beautiful women
just looking to have a good time. The pair started
to go out all the time. They became quite regulars
on the party scene. Darnell was not particularly fond of
Teresa. He thought she was a bad influence on his
fragile Jewel, but no one could tell Jewel what to do.
Jewel was beyond stubborn. Darnell was, however, right
to distrust Teresa, for she did have a very tempting
nature about herself.
Teresa found herself an older but filthy rich man
and had moved in with him a few months ago. Darnell
was relieved a bit because at least Jewel was not going
out with Teresa every night…. just a few nights of
the week instead.
Teresa was gorgeous, tall and slender with cascad-
ing light brown hair and eyes to match. Her nose
and chin were petite but angled to sharp points. Her
complexion had a subtle cream color with peach un-
dertones as she glared back at Jewel.
“Jewel, this is one of those new clubs. They are for
men only, but he doesn’t want you to be a guest. He
wants you to work for him.”
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A.J. Lewis
“Oh,” Jewel stuttered out, “he did mention some-
thing about ‘make a man rich,’ or something on the
lines of that. I mean I think. I was kind of well …”
Teresa interrupted, “You were hammered, weren’t
ya?”
“Yeah, I was. I forgot all about Link.”
Teresa’s eyes brightened up and a cocky grin ap-
peared on her face.
“What?” Jewel questioned.
“I think we should pay Link a visit.”
“What? Why?” Jewel blurted out.
“Oh Jewel, would you calm down, please? You
could make money, a lot of money by working for
this guy.”
“I don’t understand. What would I have to do, be a
waitress or something? I’m horrible at waiting tables.
I got fired at the last restaurant I worked at and fi-
nally got settled at this store. I mean all I have to do
is check people out. It’s not that hard …” her voice
trailed off. “Okay now, what did I say? Why are you
looking at me like that, Teresa?”
“I still can’t believe you are really this naïve,”
Teresa said in harsh tone.
14
Strippers have Souls Too
“Huh?” Jewel was still confused.
Teresa sighed, “No, Jewel. Link doesn’t want
you to wait on tables. He wants you to entertain the
clientele.”
“Entertain?” Jewel said, perplexed.
“Yes, Jewel. You entertain the men by dancing for
them and taking off your clothes. These clubs are
popping up everywhere; I’m surprised you haven’t
heard of them,” Teresa said with a devilish grin.
“I have to take off my clothes?” Jewel said, quite
alarmed.
“Oh please, Jewel. You may be a bit naïve, but
you are far from innocent. I have seen the way you
manipulate men to get what you want. You could get
anything you ever desired from those men once you
take your clothes off, and you know it.”
Jewel was intrigued by the idea of having men
swoon over her. She loved attention, and to get it
every night was too enticing to pass up.
“Hmm,” Jewel mulled the statement over. “Okay,”
Jewel began, “let’s pay Mr. Allen a visit. There won’t
be any harm in a preliminary meeting, I suppose.”
15
A.J. Lewis
“Off we go then,” Teresa said with a sinister
chuckle.
They drove to the address on the card. A very
dim-lit brick building with no windows and a solid
black door was all they found, but Jewel doubled-
checked the card and the addresses matched. She
tucked the tiny card back into her boot, and the two
girls stepped out of the car.
“This is it?” Jewel said in a shaky voice.
“Oh, don’t be such a chicken, Jewel. It’s not like
they can have naked women posted all over the place.
I’m sure the clients want their privacy, considering
most of the men are probably married and use this
place for their extracurricular activities,” Teresa said
in a surprisingly bitter manner with an eye roll to
match. “Come on, Jewel. Link invited you, not
me.”
“Listen to her—Link. She’s on a first-name
basis with this guy and she never even met him.”
Jewel muttered under her breath and then sighed,
“I’m right behind you.” She glanced around, check-
ing out the area. This was not familiar territory, and
it did not look very safe either. Teresa pulled open
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Strippers have Souls Too
the heavy black door. The two girls took a few steps
into the long gray corridor when a tall, very well
endowed redhead with piercing emerald eyes ap-
proached them. She was wearing nothing but a black
lace corset and black lace panties with fishnet stock-
ings and unbelievably high platform shoes.
“Can I help you?” She questioned in a stern
voice.
Teresa nudged Jewel and whispered, “The card.”
“Umm … yes,” Jewel stuttered but then regained
her composure. “This guy Link, Link Allen,
gave me his card on New Year’s Eve, so I finally de-
cided to follow up on it.”
An evil grin crossed the tall redheaded women’s
lips as she uttered, “Ah, I see, fresh meat. Right this
way, dear.”
Jewel and Teresa were led down a very small corri-
dor that led to an old stained red door. “Your name?”
The redheaded woman asked.
“Jewel, Jewel Griffin.”
“I’ll let Mr. Allen know you wish to see him,
Jewel.” Then the tall woman gracefully slipped out
of sight behind the stained red door. Jewel and Teresa
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A.J. Lewis
could hear loud dance music in the background and
the whistles and taunts of several riled-up men. It
was only a matter of a few moments before she came
back out.
“He’ll see you right now.” The two women slid
past the door into a very ill-lit room. An olive green
stained shag rug rested on the floor, the off-white
paint on the walls was chipping, and there were also
noticeable cracks in the aged walls. Link stood up
from his desk and shut the door. The sound of the
music faded to a distant hum.
“Jewel, my dear, I’ve been waiting for you.”
Link approached Jewel and stroked her hair. “Still
as breathtaking as I remember, and I see you brought
a friend.”
“Yes, this is Teresa,” Jewel stuttered.
“Well, hello, Teresa. It is a pleasure to make your
acquaintance.” Link nodded his head and then
turned his attention back to Jewel. “So, Jewel, how
would you like to work for me?” Link inquired
with his sinister smile.
Jewel regained her composure and with her best
poker face leaned into Link with a dazzling smile
18
Strippers have Souls Too
and asked, “What exactly would you like me to do
and when would you like me to start?”
“Eager, aren’t we? Well, you can start tonight.
It’s early, not even nine yet. Shimmer will find something
for you to wear and show you a routine. You look
like a quick learner. I’m sure you won’t have any
problems.”
“What about payment?” Jewel demanded in a
stern voice.
“Ah payment, of course. Private shows are ten
dollars, and you get three dollars of every private
show’s proceeds. You also must turn over half of the
tips you receive to me every night. Is that clear?”
“Crystal clear,” Jewel said sharply.
“All right then. We have a deal.” Link called
for Shimmer. The beautiful redhead slithered into the dark
office. “Jewel this is Shimmer. She is my assistant.” They
both grinned at that, for it was obvious that Shimmer was
more than just an assistant. “Shimmer is going to get you
ready for your first night.”
“What about Teresa?” Jewel questioned.
“Oh, I think I would like to get to know Teresa
a little bit more. Please close the door on your way
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A.J. Lewis
out,” Link ordered. Shimmer glowered at Teresa, and if
looks could kill Teresa should have been dead on the
spot. Teresa just shrugged it off and smiled widely.
“Okay. First things first. We have to get you a
name,” Shimmer said, clearly still annoyed.
“A name?” Jewel asked.
“Yes, you know—a stage name.”
“Right, right. Of course, I need a stage name.”
“Any ideas?” Shimmer asked, her voice a little calmer.
“Umm … not really.” Then Jewel remembered
one of her favorite movies about strippers. “How about
Diamond?”
“Diamond,” Shimmer repeated. “Yeah, that will do. How
about a last name?”
Jewel thought for a moment and then blurted
out, “Candy, Diamond Candy.”
“Diamond Candy. Okay, I like it.” Shimmer was in agree-
ment. “Now let’s get you an outfit.” She led the way
down a long hall at the end of which was all sorts
of lacy see-through lingerie. “I see a certain inno-
cence about you. We’d better stick with white.” Shimmer
handed Jewel a satin white bra with matching pant-
ies that had a slight lace detail and white thigh-high
20
Strippers have Souls Too
stockings. “You go change into these while I put
together the rest of your outfit.” Jewel disappeared
behind a curtain to undress. She emerged a few mo-
ments later wearing only what she had been given.
Then Shimmer threw a shimmering metallic silver dress at
Jewel. “Put that on,” Shimmer bellowed at Jewel. Jewel did
as she was told. Then Shimmer showed Jewel a couple of
moves and walked her to the stage.
A dark-haired woman had just finished perform-
ing. Jewel’s heart was pounding the whole time, but
to her surprise dancing came quite naturally to her.
Men were surrounding her, and Jewel loved it. When
Jewel finished her dance Shimmer pulled her back in the
changing area again. “You really shouldn’t be doing
this,” Shimmer warned her very severely. At first Jewel
thought Shimmer was just warning her out of jealously,
but Jewel could see the sincerity in Shimmer’s eyes. “This
isn’t the safest profession. Girls get hurt. I’ve seen
what can happen, and well … you’re so young.”
Jewel cut her off immediately. “I don’t need your
permission.” Then Jewel stormed back behind the
curtain and changed back into her clothes. Jewel
looked Shimmer square in the eyes and with teeth gritted
21
A.J. Lewis
said, “Tell Link that I’ll be here tomorrow at the
same time.” Shimmer frowned and just nodded her head.
Jewel stormed off half aggravated by the confronta-
tion with Shimmer and half elated by all the applause she
received from the men. She found Teresa, and the
two set off for home.
Jewel bit down on her lip when she got in the
car.
“What’s the problem?” Teresa asked. “Didn’t you
enjoy yourself?”
“What?” Jewel was lost in a thought.
Teresa repeated herself, “Didn’t you have fun
tonight?”
“Fun? Fun doesn’t even come close to how I feel
tonight; more like ecstatic. Did you see how those
guys threw themselves at me? I don’t have to prove
anything to them. They don’t expect anything from
me, just a couple of dances, show some skin, and
damn, they were all over me.” Jewel beamed.
Teresa looked confused, “So, then what’s your
issue?”
22
Strippers have Souls Too
Jewel looked troubled now, “Well, it’s Darnell. How
am I going to tell him what I just did and what I plan
to continue doing?”
Teresa looked at Jewel, concerned, “Well, if Darnell
gives you a hard time you can stay with me.”
“It’s not that. Darnell would never kick me out.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Teresa inquired.
Jewel sighed, “Well, it’s just that I know Darnell and
I can already see the disappointment on his face.
Darnell thinks I should go to college, and the minute
he discovered I can paint he offered to send me to
art school.”
“Wow!” Teresa was surprised. “He sounds like a
pretty good guy. Why don’t you take him up on his
offer?”
“Ugh.” Jewel was frustrated. “He has good inten-
tions, but I’ll never amount to much. I don’t have
the slightest idea why he puts so much faith in me.
What I did tonight, now that is what I’m good at.”
“Looks like you got your mind made up.” Teresa
reminded her, “It’s your life, Jewel. Live it as you
choose.”
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A.J. Lewis
“You’re absolutely right, Teresa. I am going to live
my life how I want to live it. See you tomorrow.”
Teresa blew Jewel a kiss as Jewel disappeared into
the dark apartment building. Jewel decided to go
straight to bed and not mention anything to Darnell.
“He’ll figure out something is up soon enough.
Why should I have to break it to him tonight?” she
mumbled to herself.
Darnell was of course waiting up for Jewel, as he did
every night she went out. “You’re home early,” Darnell
said in a surprised but inviting tone.
Jewel grimaced as she slipped off her boots and
tossed them to the corner of the room. “Ah yeah, I’m
tired. I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Before Darnell could reply, Jewel slammed the bed-
room door. He slipped under the covers on his couch,
preparing for a restless night of worrying about Jewel.
Even when Jewel was home, Darnell still found himself
worrying about her. He nestled in for his restless
somber. “She’s up to something. I guess I’ll have to
wait until morning to find out,” Darnell mumbled un-
der his breath as he turned the light out.
24
Strippers have Souls Too
Jewel stared blankly up at the milky white ceil-
ing. A million thoughts flooded into her mind: the
fear she felt stepping onto the stage for the first
time, which soon transformed into a pure adrenaline
rush. How her delicate body gracefully flowed to the
rhythm of the music. Every movement sent her pulse
racing, and her tender snow white skin suddenly be-
came flushed with color. Jewel let a smile cross her
usually hardened face. Then she closed her eyes. All
she could see was the pained face with which Darnell
would glare at her when he found out. She shud-
dered at the thought and pushed it to the back of her
mind. “Hmph,” Jewel sighed, “I can’t focus on Darnell.
He’ll never understand me. Why can’t he see that I’m
not worth all the faith he puts in me? I’ll disappoint
him eventually. That’s the only thing I am actually
sure of. It’s just better to get the disappointment out
of the way before he gets his hopes up even further.”
Jewel sighed and then quickly closed her eyes, wait-
ing for the blackness of the night to envelope her like
a steel cage. Instead of the usual darkness crashing in
to devour her, a memory flashed into her melancholy
mind….
25
A.J. Lewis
“Daddy, look at the picture I drew for you.”
“What? Oh, Jewel yeah, ah put the picture over on
the windowsill. I’ll look at it later.”
“No, Daddy, please look at it now.”
“Jewel honey, Daddy is busy. I said I’ll look at it later.
Now please go find your sister and the two of you can
play.”
Jewel immediately flung her eyes open to find a
small glimmer of moonlight shining through the tiny
window adjacent to her bed. She hastily bounded to
the window and pulled down the tattered shade. She
was ready to let the darkness consume her. Jewel was
most vulnerable at night. The feelings she tried so
hard to block crept in and toyed with her fragile sub-
conscious. Jewel could not escape the gaping wounds
she carried with her wherever she went, but she did
her best to suppress the pain. Night, however, was
a different story. All her loneliness and rejection
washed over her in a tidal wave of pure despair.
Jewel had so much potential, but she refused to
let anyone in, and she absolutely never had even
the tiniest bit of faith in herself. It was like she built
this brick wall around herself and refused to let any
26
Strippers have Souls Too
emotion penetrate through, even her own. The poor
thing just existed. She had given up on acting and
lived a life void of any aspirations or goals; just an
empty hollow existence was all Jewel had to offer
anymore. The tiny glimmer of hope in Jewel’s eyes as
she stepped off that bus three years ago had almost
completely disappeared. Only Darnell, on rare occa-
sions, could see the faint remainder of hope in her
sapphire eyes. He had an uncanny ability to sense
what Jewel tried to suppress.
At one time Jewel was a girl with a dream. She did
not imagine herself becoming an actress. No, Jewel
only considered acting as a way to make a name for
herself. Some way to show the world—especially her
father—that she was not the loser she believed she
was. Jewel dreamed of becoming an art teacher one
day. Unfortunately, since her father never showed up
at any of her art shows, she gave up painting at the
age of sixteen and had yet to show the slightest bit
of interest in venturing back to her long-forgotten
hobby. Darnell had never even seen any of her artwork.
Jewel boxed up her paintings and stashed them
away deep within the decaying walls of her father’s
27
A.J. Lewis
basement before she ventured to New York. In fact,
Darnell had no idea Jewel could draw until one boring
Sunday afternoon when Teresa came pounding on
their door.
Teresa was interested in getting a tattoo. She
described the design she had in mind, a pink heart
being pierced by a dagger. The dagger’s handle had a
very intricate design. The handle had a stem of thorns
wrapping around itself. Tiny blood droplets oozed
from the pierced heart. Jewel sketched out the design
perfectly for Teresa. The tattoo symbolized some-
thing for Teresa, but Darnell could not have cared less.
Darnell was flabbergasted to find out that Jewel was such
a talented artist. She was so secretive that any new
glimpse into her highly concealed world enthralled
Darnell. He immediately suggested she enter art school
and he would pick up the expenses. Of course, true
to Jewel’s form, she refused. Jewel could never accept
such an offer. She had no idea what she could offer
Darnell in return other than failure, because she truly
believed that she would inevitably screw up.
28
Against
His
Will
Jewel awoke in a cold sweat. She had the same
dream again. This awful nightmare perpetually
plagued Jewel. The dream was the same every night:
she was alone and frightened and always searching
for someone, but no one ever came to her rescue. She
faced the same terror-filled void night after night,
unable to escape until her eyes opened. Not that be-
ing awake helped much considering that she did not
allow much in her life to fill the real voids within
her.
Jewel never recovered from her mother’s death.
Jewel’s father, James, was a good man. He provided
her and her sister with whatever they needed. He
kept food on the table and clothes on their backs. He
never lost his temper with his kids, but then again he
29
A.J. Lewis
never showed any emotion after his beloved child-
hood sweetheart slipped out of his life forever. James,
who at one time in his life would call Jewel and Jordan
around the fireplace and read them stories from the
Bible while his graceful wife cooked dinner, became
a changed man. It was almost like someone had shut
off the light in him.
Then there was little Jewel, who went from hav-
ing two loving parents to, in the blink of an eye, a life
devoid of love. Jewel was always trying to win over
her father. She would do anything for his love and
affection. She worked very hard in school, getting
straight A’s. When Jewel discovered she was talented
in drawing, she began to enter art contests. She
could paint the most breathtaking scenes that could
rival Monet or Van Gogh. She even won first place
at her school’s art shows every year from fifth grade
right through her freshman year of high school. All
of her efforts went to no avail, and her father never
showed the least bit of interest. He never uttered
a single word of recognition or encouragement to
young Jewel.
30
Strippers have Souls Too
Jewel blamed herself, thinking that she just must
not be good enough. She eventually gave up trying.
Unfortunately, Jewel carried with her a bitter temper
that often flared. She tried to suppress the aggression,
however, at times her emotions got the best of her.
Each emotion stewing away at the girl, percolating
into furious rages.
The sun was barely able to shine through the tat-
tered shade as a groggy Jewel awoke. She stretched,
reaching for her favorite t-shirt, an old gray tattered
rag, but Jewel loved it. The bleak faded color along
with the many frays in the aged fabric represented
the mess that composed Jewel’s life. Then putting
on some cut off shorts, she made her way to the
kitchen.
It’s time to face the music, Jewel thought to herself.
Darnell was intelligent and was able to pick up on the
slightest change in Jewel’s moods—which required
much diligent attention for Jewel was known to be