Breakups·
THE STRIP CLUB BREAKUP
A man dates a strip club and porn store owner, wrestling his Catholic upbringing with her late hours and ruthless dedication to her business as their relationship unfolds.
Should she have sold for the proposal?
Be one of the first to vote.
She dumped him the moment he asked her to sell the place.
For three years, a 38-year-old man had been dating a woman who owned two very specific businesses: a porn store and a strip club. The businesses had come from her father eight years earlier, after he died and left them neglected. She took over, poured in her inheritance and loans, and turned the mess into a profitable operation. By the time her boyfriend started worrying about marriage, she was running it well.
What bothered him was not just the title on the building. He said he had "issues" with the adult industry and admitted, "I don't think the adult industry is a positive place for anyone." He also said he couldn't tell his strict Catholic parents what she did for a living. The work hours bothered him too. One Saturday she stayed late because a bartender's kid was sick and she had to cover the club until 4 a.m. He said that kind of thing happened all the time, adding, "She ended up working until 4 am at least 4 times a week."
In the comments, people pushed back. They pointed out that she clearly liked the work, that she was good at it, and that if he couldn't handle dating a strip club owner, marriage was not going to fix that. He said he didn't see why she couldn't just sell the business and open a regular bar instead. She, he said, liked having goals and managing the club. She also didn't want children, so she didn't see the hours as a problem.
Then came the update that ended it.
He told her flat-out that the sexual side of the store and club bothered him and that he wanted her to sell before he would propose. She did not hesitate. According to him, she told him she loved her work, loved the adult industry, and had no plans to sell ever. She said she had "worked too hard and too long for that sort of 'bullshit.'" The breakup was immediate. They exchanged keys, he collected his things, and she blocked him on Facebook.
After that, he went back to Reddit with the opposite story: he had broken up with her against advice because she refused to sell the strip club and porn store. He finally told his parents. They were, in his words, "shockingly cool" about it. He even said his father had known her dad growing up and had already suspected what she did.
He tried one last time to talk to her at the club. She was there covering for a bartender, dressed as Suicide Squad Harley Quinn. Before he could get anywhere, the bouncers escorted him out. Then she blocked him everywhere.
At the end, he said only this: "I want my ex back. I don't know how to start."