“Awh, Chloe, don’t you look lovely!” Mum says, embracing my small form and pulling me into a hug.
“Thanks, Mum. I look the same as always, but I’ll take it,” I laugh.
“Come in, come in.”
My brothers are already sitting in the living room chatting about some random football game that happened earlier in the week. Dad is over the stove, cooking potatoes, broccoli, carrots and whatever else he decided to put on today. As I walk past, I wave to each of them, sitting in the conservatory next to Aunt Lou and Cousin Kris.
“Where’s Uncle Ste?” I ask Lou.
“You know what he’s like. He’s probably sniffing out the roasties,” she laughs.
“I’m pretty sure he’s just gone for a poo,” Kris says, looking up from her phone and then almost instantly looking back down at it again.
“Lovely,” I say.
“Nan and Gramps are on their way,” Mum says, popping her head around the door, “Listen out for the door, Chlo.”
“Yes, Mum,” I sigh.
The boys continue talking about the football, seeing who could wind the other up the most. Uncle Ste and Dad tend to get involved with my brothers’ antics, taking the piss out of each other and swearing.
The girls don’t have that same vibe, but I try and make it work. Aunt Lou is probably the most fun; at least, she tries to joke about and include me. Mum is a bit more prim and proper, keeping up a good image and being friendly to everyone. And don’t get me started on Cousin Kris. She’s too attached to her phone to engage with the real world.
“Earth to Chloe,” Lou says, waving her hand in front of me.
“Hello, yes, yes,” I reply, jumping out of thought.
“The door.”
I nod, thanking her for alerting me. The bell rings again, signalling that I am clearly not quick enough to the door for my Grandparents’ liking. I continue to the door at my usual pace, opening it.
“Oh, hello, Chloe-Ann! What a lovely surprise.” Gramps says.
“Oh, Chloe-Ann, we haven’t seen you in such a long time!” Nan says.
I smile at them, welcoming them into my mum and dad’s home.
“Pass the spuds, Chloe-Ann,” My brother, Luke, taunts. Calling me by my full name was usually my brothers’ way of taking the piss out of me when Nan and Gramps are about.
“Yeah, pass ‘em over, Chloe-Ann,” My other brother, Ted, chimes in.
“God, chill out! I’m passing them!” I snap back.
Nan shot up like a rocket.
“Chloe-Ann!” she shouts, “we do not use God’s name in vain! Absolutely not!”
“Sorry, Nan,” I mutter.
The family dishes out their selection of carrots, peas, cabbage and roast chicken, plates filling to the brim. Luke’s and Ted’s plates are always stacked to the extent of nearly spilling over the edge. I’m amazed at the fact that they never leave a crumb. I put the bowl of stuffing back into the middle of the table and pick up my knife and fork. Before I can stab my fork into my roast potato, Mum is already asking me more questions.
“Have you found another job yet, Chlo?”
I put my knife and fork down, resting them on the sides of my plate, knowing that my food would be cold by the time I finished getting quizzed.
“Yes, Mum,” I smile at her, “Believe it or not, I have.”
“Oh, that’s fantastic news! I thought you’d be stuck as a bartender for the rest of your life!” she laughs..
This was a common occurrence for Mum. A lot of my friends had well-respected jobs after going to university. My family will never stop giving me shit for going to university for performing arts and never doing anything with it.
“I still work in the bar, Mum. Just got another job on top of it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with working in a bar, Chloe-Ann,” Gramps says.
“Yeah, getting all that old money from the flirty old men!” Luke laughs.
Nan shoots him a disapproving look, and he instantly stops laughing. Sometimes, it feels like the family is embarrassed by me, but it isn’t like I leach off their money. I have my own flat and can easily fend for myself, so what’s the issue?
“I don’t take shit off those flirty old men, thanks!” I say to my brother.
“Seriously, Christine, keep your children in check! Their language is horrendous,” Nan says to Mum as she picks a carrot on her fork.
I hear a phone ring in the living room. After a few seconds, I realise it's mine, as I don’t have it in my pocket. I excuse myself from the table, gaining a disapproving look from Nan and another from Mum. When I enter the living room, I see the screen light up with a missed call and five messages from Joanne.
MISSED CALL: JOANNE
(5) NEW MESSAGES:
JOANNE: ?????
JOANNE: Hello?????
JOANNE: Girl, you there???
JOANNE: Let me know ASAP.
JOANNE: Are you free at 3pm? Kay phoned in sick.
I look at the time at the top of the screen. It reads 14:32. I realise why Joanne was so panicked. I drop her a quick text explaining that I didn’t have my phone but would be there. Joanne is a fantastic boss; we’ve been friends since college, so when I heard she was hiring, I took the opportunity and ran with it.
I walk back into the dining room and clear my throat in the doorway, gaining everyone’s attention.
“Sorry, everyone, I’m going to have to leave early,” I start.
Nan buts in before I can continue, “But you haven’t finished your dinner!”
“I know but I’ve been called into work, so I need to go.”
Nan shoots my mum a glare, silently asking her to do something. Mum shrugs and looks at Dad for some help. Nobody speaks.
“You’re going to miss your family time,” Nan says, “It’s a Sunday you shouldn’t be working! It’s a day of rest!”
“Well, I’ll have a rest another time,” I say, getting frustrated.
“How about we come and see you at the pub. We’ll have a little drink in the lounge!” Mum suggests.
The rest of the family nod in agreement. I freeze in my place.
“Only if I don’t have to pay for my drink,” Luke chimes in.
“You really don’t have to,” I say.
“Oh, don’t be silly!” Gramps says, “You better get going, you’ll be late!”
I grit my teeth and wave goodbye to my family, trying to work out how the hell to get out of this situation.
“Thank you so much, Chloe,” Joanne says as I enter the venue.
Joanne notices my stressed expression and pulls me to the staff room.
“What’s up, girl?” she asks.
“My family want to come here.”
“Woo! Woo! Partayyy! You get to party with your mama!” she laughs.
“No, no. This is bad,” I say to her.
She looks at me, confused, and I watch realisation hit her in the face like a brick.
“They don’t know you’re a pole dancer, do they?” she says.
I shake my head no.
The family think that I’m a bartender, which is true. However, it isn’t the only thing I do here at the bar. On a Sunday and Wednesday, we host a pole dancing class in the back rehearsal room. This wouldn’t be too much of an issue if the room was hidden, but as you walk to the bathrooms in the pub, you can see the rehearsal through the glass window.
“Can I just go to the bar today, and you can teach the class?” I ask her.
“I’m sorry, girl, I gotta go in five,” she starts, “I’m meeting my sister’s baby boy today.”
“Ah, have fun,” I fake smile, trying to be happy for her.
“I’m sure they won’t see you anyway.”
I nod and smile, watching her disappear into the corridor where her bag and coat are hung up. Joanne grabs her stuff and waves goodbye to me before disappearing into the bar area.
I look down at my phone to see a notification from my mum. She tells me that Kris can’t come to the pub for a drink this afternoon because she’s made other plans and has to leave early. At least that’s one less person to judge me. It hits three o’clock. I turn my phone off and shove it into my bag.
“Hello, Sunday afternoon dancers,” I cheer with a big smile and wave to the class as I walk in, “Kaylee is unwell this week, so you have me! My name’s Chloe. Are we going to have a good time today?”
The class cheers and I start their warm-up.
After the warm-up, I notice a girl open the door.
“Sorry, I’m late. Traffic was awful today.”
I freeze and look at the girl. She stares back. What the hell was my cousin doing here? In this class!
“Kris?”
“Chloe? Where’s Kay?”
“She’s sick,” I tell her, still in shock.
She puts her bottle down and finds her space in the room. I carry the class on as usual, trying to forget that I’m teaching my younger cousin until I give the class a break. Walking over to her felt like a trek.
“Nan and Gramps and the family are meant to be coming here for drinks soon,” I tell her.
“What, why?”
“Yeah. We’re fucked. They think I’m working a bar shift here.”
“Oh my God,” She panics.
We gradually make it to the last practice of the day. It felt like a lifetime of wondering if they would make an appearance, but it seems that we’ve dodged a bullet.
Until a woman who looks awfully like my mother and another like my nan strolls past the window, they both peer through it, looking in. Mum seems to clock me and is smiling. Nan’s jaw is on the ground. After a few moments, they walk off as if nothing has happened. As the class finishes, I pull Kris aside and explained that Mum and Nan saw us.
“They’re here,” I tell her.
We leave the rehearsal room and head to the bar where our family are sat. Nan instantly stands up, approaching us.
“I cannot believe you two would lie to us like that!” she starts, “Sneaking off to do some slutty version of dancing?”
“Nan-” She cuts me off.
“No! You skipped out on family time and lied to us, even to your mothers! It is not acceptable.”
Nan storms out and my gramps follows.
Silence falls between the remaining family members.
“She’ll get over it,” Mum says, “It’s not like you’re both off drug dealing for Christ sake! It’s just dancing!”
“I’m glad we’re on the same page!” Auntie Lou laughs.
“You guys don’t care?” Kris asks.
I’m just stood in shock that my Christian family are being so okay about this.
“Nan and Gramps are a bit more traditional than us let’s say,” Auntie Lou says, “You girls are free to do whatever jobs you want or have whatever hobbies you want. As long as you’re happy.”
“Seriously,” I ask.
They nod and embrace, me and my cousin into a hug.
“Can we have a drink now?” Mum laughs.
We laugh at her and I head to the bar, where my friend Bobby is working and order four cocktail pitchers for the seven of us to share. I carry them back to the table, plopping them down in the centre.
“Maybe you girls can teach us some of your skills,” Mum says.
We all laugh, enjoying the time together.
Maybe it would be interesting to give Kris, Aunt Lou and Mum a private lesson.
About the author
Gracie Jones is a writer, poet, and playwright who is studying creative writing at the University of Gloucestershire. She has had two poems, RECIPE FORE APPROVAL and THE WEB OF YOUR LOVE, previously published in the university's 2024 UNBREAKABLE anthology.
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