Lyndsey You have a trampoline when you were a kid? My friend did, it was lethal

See

Jason Just a bit of background, take the edge off

Lyndsey Come and look at Africa

Jason Africa? This is Spain

Lyndsey See those lights over the water? That’s Morocco

Jason Yeah, I know

Lyndsey Love watching boats at night

Jason Drink?

Lyndsey Sure

It’s weird how hotel rooms feel like they’ve always been yours. Six twists. It’s always six twists with the wire. A sommelier told us that. Must see a lot of hotel rooms?

Jason Yeah

Lyndsey They lost their magic?

I like your eyes. I’m actually jealous of your eyelashes. I was thinking that in the club

What part of your knee is it? In the taxi, you were talking about your knee

Jason It’s my meniscal cartilage

Lyndsey Dancers get that. You try coming down off a pole in six-inch heels. Ballet’s the worst, all the jumps. I used to want to be a ballerina

Jason What happened?

Lyndsey Got tits

Jason I saw Aurélie Dupont in La Sylphide in Milan a couple of years back

Lyndsey Aurélie Dupont?

Jason We had a game at the San Siro. Normally you can’t hang about after an away game, but I was being rested for a cup tie so I stayed on. She was alright

Lyndsey That’s one way of putting it

Saw it happen, your knee. On telly I mean, oh God, all different angles

Jason Alright!

Lyndsey Sorry, people tell us I talk too much, if I’m talking too much just tell me to shut up I won’t be offended. It’s what my sister does. Actually when it’s her I do get offended, but that’s ’cause we just never got on. Do you want me to shut up?

Jason My knee’s fine, cheers

Lyndsey Cheers. Can I just do something? Do you mind?

Jason Do I have a choice?

Lyndsey Not really

I been wanting to do that all evening. Your abs are actually amazing, go on, don’t be shy.

Honestly, are they drawn on? Ah, you can smile

Sorry, I’m doing it again, it’s second nature. Your patter, I mean, you got to talk to the customers, interest them in a dance and –

Jason Right

Lyndsey Like some of them just want a straight flirt. You know, in another life they might actually have a chance. You get the odd dick likes to act all superior so you have to laugh at their jokes and pretend you don’t notice when he takes the piss out of you to his mates. And some of them, they want to get to know the real you, you know, sincerity’s their thing. It’s like role play. (Responding to Jason raising an eyebrow.) Cheeky!

This one guy, regular customer, lovely man, he was so supportive about me doing my degree, amazing tipper. When I dropped out, I didn’t have the heart to tell him, so I pretended I was doing all my exams and whatnot. Two years I kept that going, he wanted to come to my graduation, had to fob him off, say I could only get tickets for family

People just like to be friendly, you know, like they’re not taking advantage

Jason You enjoy it?

Lyndsey Plenty worse jobs. I get to choose my own hours, great tips, on a good night I can make some decent money

Jason Bad night?

Lyndsey On a bad night, you end up with less money than when you walked in the door, yeah. Once you factor in the taxis and the overheads

Jason Overheads?

Lyndsey These nails don’t maintain themselves, darling. Plus there’s the house fees. I mean you have to pay to dance. You pay the house at the start of the night, then you have to earn that back to break even. That’s why you need your patter. Got to make hay while you can, always someone younger looking over your shoulder

Jason Yeah

Lyndsey Though I reckon you probably make a bit more hay than I do

Jason I reckon I do too

Lyndsey You’re confident. I like that in a man

I shouldn’t be telling you this, I’m giving away my trade secrets. That’s always been my problem, I’m too open

Jason You don’t seem like a normal stripper?

Lyndsey What did you call me? Did you just call me a stripper?

Jason Why, is that …

Lyndsey Stripper my arse, I’m a table-dancer

Jason I didn’t mean nothing by it

Lyndsey Do you want me to fucking brain you? Seriously? D’you see me with a pint glass collecting change? Stripper! Strippers stick their tits out and sway, I’m an artist, pal! That mouth of yours’ll get yourself in trouble you’re not careful

Jason Alright, okay

Lyndsey Stripper! But you’re right, I’m not like the other girls. Between you and me, some of them are thick as shite, seriously. Nothing up here. I mean for me this is just temporary. Don’t get us wrong, I enjoy it, but it’s just part of my ten-year plan

Jason You got a ten-year plan?

Lyndsey I’m gonna dance for a while, save enough to get a deposit on a flat, maybe finish my degree

Jason How come you left?

Lyndsey Started doing this. There was proper money in it back then, grand a night, I mean you probably laugh at that, but, you know. I mean this was to pay my student loan, but you get used to a lifestyle and … Picked up a few silly habits, started hanging out with the wrong people. Hindsight’s a wonderful thing

Jason What you study?

Lyndsey Business. It’s great, you get a bit of everything, economics, psychology

Jason I could have gone to uni

Lyndsey Never too late. You meet all sorts of different people. Opens you up, especially coming from the kind of place I grew up. You know, gives you a sense of what life has to offer, though that can have its downsides

Jason How so?

Lyndsey Some things will always be out of reach for some people

Jason E em torno de mim todos poentes incógnitos douram, morrendo, as paisagens que nunca...