Jethro grins. “Well, I didn’t want to scare off any of the kids with my size. I mean, they’d have questions, right?”
I giggle again.
“Yeah, it’s probably better to avoid those conversations for now.”
Then, my man leans forward and takes my hand.
“Okay, pretty girl. You ready to hit the slides?”
I beam happily, practically bouncing up and down on my toes.
“Yes, please!”
With that, we start going crazy sampling the different waterpark attractions. We hit up a twisty slide, a weird fountain with bubbles that reminds me of a vanilla swirl, a pirate ship ride that has water cannons, and endless others. But finally, lunchtime rolls around and sure enough, my stomach lets out a loud rumble.
“Dang, I just can’t control it at all,” I say in a rueful tone. Jethro merely grins and leans in for a kiss.
“No, it’s fine baby. I’m starving too, so let’s go eat.”
Grabbing our towels, we find a wooden table under a red and white striped umbrella, and I sit while Jethro forages for food. He comes back with a huge plastic tray loaded with hot dogs, fries, a burger, and lemonades for each of us.
I take a huge bite of hot dog and moan rhapsodically. “Mmmm. There’s nothing like a hot dog on a hot day.”
Jethro grins. “Yeah, dogs are awesome. Did you know that they’re derived from pigs in a blanket, which are derived from Czech kolaches?”
I tilt my head at him, puzzled.
“Kolaches? What are those?”
He grins and takes another huge bite of hot dog.
“They’re basically pastries with a bunch of different fillings in them. Some have sweet fillings like jam and jelly, while others have meat and cheese. Basically, when a bunch of Czech immigrants arrived in Texas, they brought kolache-making techniques with them which then evolved into pigs in a blanket.”
I laugh, the sound musical in the air.
“OMG, who would have guessed? I had no idea that hot dogs have a genealogy.” But then I tilt my head at my man. “You know a lot don’t you?” I ask.
He merely laughs.
“Yeah, I haven’t always been a male stripper. Although I love the life, I have to admit.”
I nod again, trying not to seem to curious. “But how did you get into dancing, anyways? Have you been with the Corinthian long?”
He shakes his head and chuckles. “Nope, I did a career change and just started actually. But do you know Randy Sterling? He’s one of the other dancers, good looking with black hair? Sometimes his wife comes around with their baby?”
I nod. “Yeah, I’ve seen him.”
Jethro nods.
“So basically, we’re buddies from way back when. We actually used to be firefighters together back in New Jersey, and when he moved out here, I decided to follow and try something different.”
I stare at him.
“Wait, really? You quit firefighting to become a dancer? That sounds like quite the career change.”
Jethro shrugs and grins. “It does, doesn’t it? But it’s good because to be honest, I got tired of putting out fires. It takes a toll on your body and your mind, and I was on the job for twenty years.”
I stare at him.
“Seriously?”
My handsome roommate grins, flashing a bright white smile.
“Yep. So technically, dancing is a retirement career for me because after twenty years of service with most fire departments, you qualify for a pension. I did my time, so now I’m getting mailbox money.”
I giggle then.
“Mailbox money? I like that. But two decades is a long time. You really fought fires for twenty years?”
He nods.
“Twenty-one to be exact. You know I’m in my forties, right sweetheart?”
I stare at him, disbelieving.
“No, I wouldn’t have guessed. I mean, I definitely knew you were older but I thought maybe thirties. I never would have guessed forties.”
He grins.
“Yeah, working out and taking care of yourself do a body good. But how old are you, honey? You’re in college, right?”
I nod.
“Yeah, I’m nineteen, and I’m at Clark Community College. That’s why I always have those huge textbooks with me.”
He chuckles.
“Yeah, I’ve seen you studying in the break room sometime.”
I make a wry face.
“OMG, so I guess everyone probably knows that I’m becoming a nurse, and not trying to work my way up at the Corinthian.”
Jethro just grins.
“No, it’s fine. I don’t think anyone thinks that they’re going to stay at the Corinthian forever, and besides, nurses make good money, especially given the huge shortage recently. I heard the United States is importing nurses from all over the world and training National Guard members as medics, just to try and fill the gap. But more importantly, do you like it? I mean, the job can be really taxing.”
I sigh a bit.
“It’s a complicated answer. Would you judge me if I said no, not really?”
He stares at me.
“So you’re not interested in medicine?”
I shrug my shoulders helplessly.
“It’s kind of a weird turn of events. Everyone says I’d be good at it and like you said, it’s good money. I can’t just get a degree in the liberal arts where I can’t find a job afterwards, so my parents want me to do this.”