Strip Club Memories – Color Me Harold

Working at the strip club wasn’t always bad, in fact, there were a lot of good times I shared not only with the girls, but customers as well.

Over this past weekend, while writing another Strip Club Follies installment, I remembered an instance where all the dancers I worked with showed kindness and compassion to a very special customer.

 

His name was Harold.

 

The first time I met Harold, he came bumbling into the club with a big smile on his face, and a backpack slung over his shoulder. He immediately sat down at the table where Queen Bee and myself were sitting.

“Hi, my name is Harold! Will you be my friend?”

Harold was an older mentally handicapped gentleman who exuded sunshine and happiness. You couldn’t help but smile when he was around. He always ordered a ginger ale.

Music and dancing were Harold’s favorite thing in the world. When I told him I was the DJ, he started talking about his favorite songs, most of which were 80’s and 90’s music, so we had lots to talk about.

Harold’s favorite song was I Wanna Sex You Up by Color Me Badd. Of course, when he would come into the club, I made sure I programmed the song into my playlist for him. When it would play, he’d get the biggest smile on his face, get up and start dancing.

The dancers on the day shift were so nice and personable with Harold – and it wasn’t because he was paying them. None of us ever accepted money from him, other than for his drinks. He just wanted to have fun and dance, and the girls would do just that with him. “You girls are so nice to me!”

After he had come in a few times, he disclosed to us how girls at a few other clubs in town treated him. They would take him for all his money and then have him kicked out once he was broke. This pissed us all off – and it broke my heart.

Harold was one of the sweetest guys ever to walk into the club. I understand in that type of environment you have to hustle while working to make money, but to do so with such a sweet and special man like this – especially knowing he was on a fixed income – took some really loose morals.

We always made sure when Harold came in that we treated him like a celebrity and gave him the party he always said he wanted to give us. If I was in the DJ booth when he came in, I would get on the mic and say, “Harold is in the house!” 

I made Harold a mix CD of his favorite songs and I will never forget the look on his face when he realized what it was I gave him. It still warms my heart to this day to think about him and the fun times we all shared.

This is just one tale of happiness I have from my over seven years at the strip club. I’m not certain, but I’m sure Harold still visits the club every first Friday of the month. If in fact, he does, I can only hope that the dancers and staff still treat him like the kind man he is.