The Strawberry Letter: I'm Falling In Love With A Dancer

Dear Steve and Shirley,

I've been dating a great guy for almost two years. He’s a 52-year-old EMT and personal trainer, and he’s in tip-top shape physically. He has a past that I overlooked when I met him—he used to be one of the most popular male strippers in our city. He retired from dancing in his early forties because he was about to get married. He’s divorced now and pays a lot of child support for his two kids, so he often teases that he needs to go back to dancing because it pays so well. He knows it’s very awkward when women stare and point at him whenever we’re out, because they’ve seen him naked and probably even rubbed all over his body. He assured me that it was all in the past, and I trusted him—until I saw a duffel bag in his closet with satin boxer briefs, true leather G-strings, a cowboy hat, and accessories.

Oh, and there was a card with a QR code to pay extra for lap dances and pictures, along with a link to book a party. He admitted that he’s back to his old tricks. He said he’s in business with two other guys to do private parties, and they’re going to make a killing because the market is so hot right now. He told me he’s really doing it so he can buy me an engagement ring. I told him I’d be crazy to marry a stripper. He broke up with me, and after I tried apologizing for five days straight, he came over and poured his heart out to me. He said he’d stop dancing if I wanted him to.

He’s my person, and I want to marry him, but what about all the women he’ll be grinding on? Should I let him keep dancing or ask him to stop?