While Damon was online looking for odd jobs he noticed an add for dancers needed. Heās had a stripper license since he was 19 and used this as a means for extra money when not deployed. He sent this to Oliver in an email prior to calling him on his way to the pharmacy.
āCheck out the emailā
As he pulled out his iPad, he saw the email
āWhat the fuck is this?ā
āStrippin....you already do way more,Ā plus a bachelorette party would get you a killing. I used to dance at a few of them when I was homeā
āBanquets, I know a lot of companies. I can send you a list of catering companies you could do work for. What you got going on right now?ā
āLaying on the couch, going into the officeā
[Really? Thatās the best you got? What part of āI want out of this life do you not understand?]
While he wasnāt thrilled about it, he took some time to think about t and he realized that bachelorette parties are for the entertainment value and he did keep his body in shape. However, didnāt want his current situation to mirror that of āThe Players Clubā.
Oliver got up from the couch to fix himself an omelette while continuing to talk.Ā āYo, I got you on speaker phone, doing some stuff in the kitchenā
āMan, remember when we were young and we would see vacationers out here, we vowed that one day it would be us taking trips with our families?ā
āI do, and when I look at where Iām at, I think to myselfĀ āWhat the actual fuck?ā
[We were lied to. In 2008, when we were in high school, we were told to go to college. That it was the ticket to a successful life. What they didnāt tell us is that the economy would tank. They didnāt go cover any alternatives. They never went over the cost of living and the fact that people here are working three jobs. I should have seen this with my own parents. Dad worked for the state and then worked as a janitor in the evenings. Mom still works as a financial aid officer at a state college. The preparation sucked. What the fuck am I gonna use creative writing for? Why was that in school?]
He cut the conversation short to eat his breakfast and get a shower in before work. Afterwards, he ironed a pair of pants and a golf shirt and heaved to the office where the direction informed him and Claudia:
āI have a project for the two of you. Our event is coming up at the mall. You two are going to be drawing outlines to these animal pieces on the construction poet right there. Weāre expecting about 200 kidsā
āNo problemā Oliver said looking at the green construction paper in front of him
āItāll be a breezeā Claudia assured him as she took a pair of scissors and the elephant trunk and demonstrated.Ā
āSo itās like build a bear type of think but with other animals but theyāre decorating their bags with them. Thatās cuteā
āYeah, so are you gonna go to the career fair next weekā
āThe one at the convention center?ā
āYea, I heard thereās going to be several companies there.ā
[Resume-FEMA, fucking, and non-profit]
āI plan on it. Do you know if any government agencies are gonna be there? I couldnāt find a roster anywhereā
They continued working while talking about goals and aspirations when he noticed an alert on her phone. Knowing the conference due to getting the same alert an hour earlier, he asked her how she knew about it? Somewhat embarrassed, she snappedĀ āWhat are you doing looking at my phone?!ā
āI merely glanced over!ā he exclaimed before taking her aside and confessing to being involved in the worlds oldest profession āI hate it. One would think attractive people and pleasure but thereās no real live and frankly it feels like a modern version of slavery. I canāt get a decent date to save my lifeā
After a moment of silence, she admitted that she was a phone sex operator and that she worked in evenings.Ā āI have a friend who also is in high class escortingā
āLetās talk about it later? How about we meet for a drink after work? We need toĀ get a bit more of this done.ā
Meanwhile, Damon was scouting on the web when his eye caught the attention of a webcam modeling website.
Ā He though about his current life and how heād mange to file his taxes. He normally got a 1090Ā at the end of the year. He also though about the repercussions of this and the thought that the clientele could Ā be from his local area. He had a flashback to being deployed in Germany where he and some buds where in a night club, partying surrounded by beautiful women. āWe are like royalty!āĀ He thought about a conversation he had with his peer about wanting to serve for eight years and then retire and start college. Little did he know that half way though that time frame that heād suffer a back injury along w/ PTSD from witnessing the death of a friend at the hands of a grenade.
He applied for work with multiple agencies and thought about how he could sporadically work vs checking in daily. With webcam modeling he could set his own schedule. With that in mind he decided to text Oliver.
āSo about how long have you with with this company?ā
āAbout six months. Iām trying to start grad schoolā
They chatted while filing paperwork. They talked about politics, racial issues, economic issues, and the like. Claudia made for good company. She graduated with two degrees. She majored in English Education and Journalism and worked as a teacherās aide for a period. She was tired of the work with virtually no pay. She responded to an add. Currently she works for a phone sex. One has seen the commercials late at night. Sheās one of them. Definitely more conventional than Oliverās current job.Ā
As he was getting ready to eat lunch, she Claudia asked him if he wanted to eat while they worked.Ā āSureā he said as he went to grab his lunch out of his bag.Ā
āWe work with several schools in their special ed departmentsā
āWhat do yāall do?ā
āWe will be finalizing contracts for events mainly. But we do outreach and after school programs on social etiquette and speech practices our goal is toĀ help those with autism be as integrated into society as possibleā Noticing Oliverās garden salad, she asked him āyou health conscious?ā
āYep. Grew up like that. My parentās rarely fried anything, but they didnāt ban them from the house. My mom was always big on vitamins and drinking plenty of water. I practice that today, to keep things under control. Being a diabetic, I have to watch it.ā
Shocked at the revelation she asked him when he was diagnosed. He was diagnosed at 6 years old.
āIām trying to lose weight, but I find myself emotionally eating more than I shouldā
Trying to avoid saying anything that could be interpreted as offensive, he simply said that he had his days too, hence the reason he goes to the gym six days/week, doing a combination of cardio and weights. After they finished eating lunch, they cut more construction paper and bagged it. They filed folders away for about an hour when Oliver signed out.āSee you tomorrow?ā
āYouāll see me in a couple of hours.ā
The sun was beaming as Oliver drove home. He rolled down his window and plugged his phone in to have some music playing. He checked the mail and saw the electric bill was in.Ā āShouldnāt be this muchā he saidĀ āIām never homeā
He checked his email as well as his escorting profile receiving three request including one overnight stay. Booking these trips back to back, he thought about his weekly check at $8.75/hr at 25 hrs per week along w/ the money from the three clientās that heād earn. Heād have enough to payĀ his final payment on his only student loan and to pay his car note.
He kicked off his shoes to give his feet some air and called his mom.
[Iām being nice. This place is a shithole, in fact the only reason my unit isnāt laden with roaches is because I frequently buy those foggers and then I have to open the damn windows and door risking my shit being stolen. Also, Bengal and Boric Acid along the cracks and corners have done wonders.]
He looked up and realized that it was time to meet Claudia. He traded in his work outfit for a pair or black cargo shorts, a zero-nineteen tank top from K-Mart, and a pair of flip-flops and headed out. He got in the truck, turned the air on and arrived to the bar 20 minutes later. Locating Claudia at a table in the bar area we walked in to meet her when the waiter took their drink order.
[Sheās a pharmacy tech and she still needs to be a lady of the evening by night? Iām fucked-literally and figuratively]
She advised him to update his profile to include massages and casual dates at a lower rate. While they were talking, A woman walks up, dark skin, about 5ā²9, in her mid 20s. She spotted Claudia and walked in the sit next to her.
āHello, Iām Aya, how are your doing?ā she said as she reached out to shake Oliverās hand
āOliver, Iām good. How about you?ā
āSo this is the guy? Heās cuteā
āActually Iām very availableā
After ordering a drink, she begin to explain to Oliver how she got into her current part time job.Ā āI started off escorting however a client of mine introduced me to a coworker of his that owned a matchmaking service. I showed up to a mixer I went out on one date. I never saw the guy again afterwards. That said, he did mention to me that he had utilized services where one would rent a dates for events. I eventually branched off and begin advertising on craigslist and the like.ā
āSo do you still...ā¦.youĀ know?ā
āSporadically, but thatāll cost extra.ā
Later that night, he decided to update his profile w/ additional services offered. He decided to try out a couple of speed dating events himself. He might even snap a client or two.Ā Perhaps, heād been looking in the wrong places, maybe it was time for more upscale social functions. His current evening work was not a glamorous job and frankly it was quite dangerous.Ā
[Prostitution can be traced back as far as biblical times. Not a new profession and itās a profession thatās always been available for the money. Sometimes, we use it to pay off a loan or some sort of debt. For others, itās the love of sex. Some just like the temporary luxury that comes with being oneās bitch. Me? Iād like nothing more than to settle down. I know thereās a way. It may take a while to find it, but I refuse to have THIS be my stop.]
