But after a few months and several auditions and sample stories sent out, I was broke. I was lucky that I had a good safe place to live. My mom’s best friend from college had a daughter a few years older than me that took a two-year internship in Beijing and wanted to keep her affordable large studio on the Upper East Side. So I sublet for next to nothing and took care of her sweet kitty as well. Cut to six months later, no job except for waiting tables at a local cafe without enough hours, my savings gone, and my student loan payments coming due in ten days. It was also coming up on Christmas and I wanted to send some presents home since I was not going back for a visit. I lied about working on a great investigative piece for the Village Voice. I scoured craigslist every few hours in every category, looking for work. The same ad kept getting my attention, “Come in today, and work tonight! Go home with cash for rent!” I knew it was an ad for a strip club but it had a good address.
