No Regrets

Living in New York City can really put a dent in your in finances and I'm not talking about a little dent like the ones you see on car doors that obviously parked to close to another car in the target parking lot, I'm talking about huge dents like a bulldozer hitting a wall of steel, mater of fact lets just say my funds were non existent!

I worked for a direct marketing company, they pumped us up every morning in hopes to get us ready to stop and pretty much harass people to buy their ridiculous products, we stood outside rain or shine and we stopped almost every fast walking New Yorker we could...Do you know how hard that is? Any way I was fed up with this job, it took all my energy, I barely made enough to buy a metro card, I was fed up!

So one day a childhood friend of mine asked me to come out and have drinks, I hesitated because I was broke, she insisted, so I put on my best and headed to the lower east side to meet with my friend.

When I got off the subway I was waiting on the corner she told me that she will be on. Comes to find out my friend has been making some serious bank! My friend pulls up in a Mercedes of the year!

WOAH ! last time I saw my friend she was down bad, so of course I had a million questions...One being, HOW CAN I GET ONE OF THOSE??

We go to a really nice restaurant, you know the ones with no price on the menu, we start talking and she asked me if I wanted in on how she makes her money....My answer, UUMMM YES!

So then her next question was, how down are you? I didn't put much thought to it, I wanted the money... So of course I just jumped right on it with a "IM DOWN FOR WHATEVER!" answer.

My friend seemed to be really happy with my answer, we head to location number 2.

The building had a hidden door, well it was hidden in plain sight, the building had a huge art mural with funky designs, my friend knew exactly where the door was.. I'm thinking to myself... "What in the secret society is going on here?"

However, I keep my poker face on... I didn't want my friend to think I wasn't game. We walk up a few flight of stairs, there's a pretty girl sitting behind a desk, late 20s early 30's. She greeted my friend.

She started giving us the rundown on membership cost and the cost of members bringing in a guest. My friend kindly interrupts the young lady, tells her that she is already a member, hands her a card. I'm looking around curious to know what exactly is this place, but still I keep it cool.

My friend then points to me and says to the girl, "I'm going to pay for her membership" I smile at the girl, she then starts to ask for my name date of birth, address and hands me a waiver...

As soon as she hands me the waiver I look over to my friend, so confused, my friend winks at me, in my head I'm thinking "WTH THIS GIRL GOT ME INTO?!"

I smile and sign the waiver. I pass over the waiver along with my I.D the girl starts typing in her computer and I'm just standing there in silence.

She hands over my I.D, and what she says next BLOWS MY MIND!!

This girl, pulls from under her desk a basket of CONDOMS! Points to the left where there are a few steps heading to an upper level, Then says to the both of us "showers are upstairs to the left, and electronic lockers, There are complimentary drinks and snacks when you walk into the main room."

"HAVE FUN!"

HAVE FUN?! WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE WE DOING HERE!?

"Relax." My friend tries to reassure me.

she can now tell I'm extremely annoyed.

She says to me "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"You're darn straight about that!" I say back to her.

She then pulls me to a corner before entering through the curtains, the music is loud so she pretty much yells into my ear..."THERE ARE ALOT OF RICH MEN IN HERE, WE ARE GOING TO GET THEIR MONEY, BUT WE NEED THEM TO LEAVE WITH US... SO THEY CAN GO TO THE ATM." She locks eyes with me then asks me "YOU GET WHAT IM SAYING."

I understood 100% what she was saying... I wasn't exactly clueless to the streets, I just NEVER BEEN TO A SWINGERS DUNGEON BEFORE!!!

We walk through the curtain and it was something I never seen or experienced before in my life! I was shaking with nerves, I did not know what to do, it was dark and humid in the room, the walls were painted red , there were love couches and beds along the walls and private rooms where people were doing some I'd rather not say things...my friend started to mix and mingle she was comfortable.. I sat in a corner hoping to not be seen... Boy was I wrong. A man comes and sits next me, asked me if I was ok... Comes to find out his friends dragged him to this dungeon and he was looking for an escape... We began to talk and sparks were flying, we had so much in common, besides the fact that he was a DOCTOR, I was barely making ends meet. We exchanged numbers. My friend finally shows up, she has a drunk man moving to her every demand, my new friend asked me... "Is this your friend?" I smile and nod he smiles back, my friend interrupts the moment and tells me its time to go. My new Doctor friend decides to leave his friends behind and call it a night.

We are outside my friend is gathering up her new prey, they walk to a ATM close by, I stand on the corner to say my goodbyes to the DOCTOR... My friend walks back with $2000 of fresh cash in hand, hands me $1000. I'm in shock!! She laughs and says "Thanks for being with me tonight." Since this day I'm not exactly sure how my friend did it and I never asked, I was grateful that she looked out! I just know that type of gig wasn't for me. Our drive home we laughed and talked about how crazy that place was... I was so surprised how many successful rich people were in there just letting go and being free, I can never judge anyone in that place or my friend, it really helped me understand life more, if that makes sense...

I get home, as I'm turning my key to enter my apartment, I get a text. Its the DOCTOR... "Hope you got home safe, it was really great meeting you, crazy how the universe works in such mysterious ways, if you have time Id love to take you on a date... To a normal placed... LOL."

I decided to go on a date with my DOCTOR friend. We met at a BARNES AND NOBLES in my neighborhood, talk about a 360!!

We dated for 2 years, moved in together in New Jersey, things ended when he had to leave the country for work. We still talk and are still very close friends. TALK ABOUT FINDING LOVE IN A HOPELESS PLACE!

NO REGRETS! GOTTA LOVE A NEW YORK CITY LOVE STORY!!