It is raining tonight. The drive here was exciting, making plans and imagining what little details to expect. In the car park now, the rain is tapping on the all the surfaces of the car, on its hood and panels, the windscreen. The light of a window shines through the night, displayed in the rear view mirror. Too small, too far away to see detail, but it is the building in question.
There’s no rush. Take a few moments of time for yourself. Time to prepare. Time for one last cigarette. Check the headlights are off and the hand-break is on. Check pockets for important things, a wallet.
Take a breath and get out of the car, and into the rain. Turn the coat collars up. Notice a steady release of adrenaline. That’s fear, excitement. That’s adventure.
Welcome to Bordello for Dummies.
The neon sign in reds and blues high above says, “Classy Lady Gentlemen’s club”.
This is your guide on what to expect on your first visit to a legal, middle of the range brothel in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia.
The address of the Classy Lady Gentlemen’s Club is listed on the main street of Penrith; however the entrance is located at the rear of the building. It is tucked away here so to be discreet. It is two stories and adjoined to other buildings, whose front faces on main street are shops, a pawnshop perhaps, a tobacconist. A modern car is parked out front in a single-space driveway. Next to which a path leads between two walls of the building creating a short alleyway leading the front door.
The door is heavy, Indian Red. There is a buzzer to press located on the door frame and security camera up above. Press the button now. When the button is pressed, look up at the camera and smile, but carefully, it is raining. The door will unlock with a click. When it does, go inside.
Notice the hot old air. Notice the low light.
There is a man at the counter opposite the door dressed in a denim vest and jeans. He has a red bandana around his head, slightly greying hair tied into a pony tail that falls down his back.
He says, ‘G-day. Still raining?’
So answer him, yeah, still raining, and smile.
He says, ‘If you just want to take a seat I’ll get the girls to come introduce themselves.’
Don’t panic, they won’t come all at once. While you have this moment, notice the interior design. Deep red prevails here, burgundy carpet. The walls are painted in two tones, divided horizontally at a high architrave. Again red, Cornell Red, and a yellowing pearl above. It is quite an old style of design with high ceilings, and intricate moulding around edges and in the centre supporting a glass chandelier.
When he indicates two small rooms opposite the stairs, like two walk in closets, go in and sit down. They’re furnished with two comfortable chairs and a small coffee table. It won’t take long for the first lady to appear.
The first is a middle aged woman, at least 45 years old. She has a rough smoker’s voice and a thick Australian accent. She is friendly, so be friendly back. Don’t’ panic just yet. Just be nice. Older men are sometimes uncomfortable with much younger women. She gets work, just not with you.
She says, ‘I’m June, how are you darling?’ she says ‘I offer an exciting and sensual experience.’
Say hello and how much of a pleasure it was to meet her.
The next girl is a tall and slim Asian, and most likely aged between 30 and 35. She also has rough features and uneven teeth. She doesn't speak English well.
She says, ‘Hi Baby, you choose me?' She says, 'we go upstairs?’
Say no, politely, but say it a few times. Say it firmly, because she refuses to understand. She will give cold star and stiff expression for a moment and say, ‘ok,’ she will get another girl.
Bandana Man appears at the door to ask, ‘you don’t like that girl?’ He says, ‘You not like? I get another, yeah?’
Take this time to reflect but, do not panic. Wipe away any gathering sweat, using a shirt sleeve perhaps. Your clothes are wet still. You will sweat because of the sudden change in temperature, the rain steaming dry. Your body is running hot. Adrenalin has pushed your body into an hyperactive state, so that is also the sweat of fear. It is the sweat of fight or flight.
Clear the fog from the lenses of those spectacles. Take a few breaths, deep and slow.
There is an exchange of words in Cantonese, or is it Mandarin? She smiles when she reaches the door and sees you there in the box chair. Return the smile.
‘Hello, I am Jojo,’ she says, “you pick me, for good time?’
Feel light with relief, and say, yes.
When she offers her hand; take it. Her hand is soft and delicate, and hot.
She says, ‘Oh, you cold?’ She says, ‘It raining, you wet.’
Jojo is slim with soft features. Exchange her heat, lock arms with her and feel her radiate. The warmth ebbs from soft skin. Pay very close attention to the contrast of texture between the lace fabric of her bra and the silken skin of her back. The bra stings hyperactive nerve receptors within your fingertips. Trace the curves down her erector spinae muscles in the lower back, nerve endings again stung by the harsh lace of her panties.
Jojo rests her head on your shoulder as you stand at the front counter. Remember Jojo is a living being, every bit as complex as yourself. Behind her eye is a consciousness as vast and as limited. A complex neural network comprised of the sum her nature and her experience. She is a person totally separate from you. We can only understand fragments at a time. Like our inability to form a complete imagining of nothingness.
Pay the bandana man at the counter. Try not to scowl at the 10% surcharge for paying with a debit card.
Comments
Stan | July 14, 2012 - 17:27
Excellent. Non-fiction, too. Sounds like an exciting life you lead. On to Part 2...
White Dwarf | July 14, 2012 - 20:02
I love creative non-fiction. Makes me want to do more exciting things. I want to hang with Comancheros. Join a pirate salvage team. Protest a Japanese Whaling boat. Rescue a trafficked Moldavian.
Stan | July 14, 2012 - 22:04
Ah... done all that. It ain't as exciting as it sounds.
blighters rock | July 14, 2012 - 22:30
Atmospheric and tense, this looks like it might lead somewhere
White Dwarf | July 15, 2012 - 01:08
Oh - way to burst my bubble, Stan.
scratch | July 18, 2012 - 21:41
Well I read these in reverse order, stupid of me really. Comanchero's hey? That must be a real buzz. I always fancied a gig with those ones who lived perched high on sheer rock faces in caves - they all got jobs building skyscrapers in the end. I've seen photos of them on a lunch break sitting on a girder - it was next to a picture of dogs playing pool.
White Dwarf, this is good writing and you lend a quiet introspection to your prose that is hypnotic. Well done. And well deserved cherries.
White Dwarf | July 18, 2012 - 21:57
heh -- you lost me with the Comancheros comments. rock faces. I guess you are talking about the Comanche. Native Indians? Yes - that would be a good story too.
Comancheros are an Australian Biker gang like the Hells Angels.
Thanks for the comment on the writing. Appreciated.
Every time I come back here to view a comment I find missing words and errors in the story. Glad you liked it even with the errors I just found.
Missing words and typos would spoil any hypnotic effect.
scratch | July 18, 2012 - 22:02
There is nothing nor can there be anything on this earth like The Hells Angels.
White Dwarf | July 18, 2012 - 22:08
Yes - they are something special.
As is Hunter S. Thompson's book by the same name.
sue dinum | July 20, 2012 - 21:04
Not quite sure what to make of this one, WD. It’s categorized as non-fiction and travel, and auto-bio but appears to be fiction. I like the narrative in the 2nd Person, it somehow lends the story a dreamlike and detached atmosphere. It’s very well written, but I somehow feel outside it, and yet compelled to go on. Short dialogue exchanges good, and affected accents. I thought your intro was good and a terrific hook:
It is raining tonight. The drive here was exciting, making plans and imagining what little details to expect. In the car park now, the rain is tapping on the all the surfaces of the car, on its hood and panels, the windscreen. The light of a window shines through the night, displayed in the rear view mirror. Too small, too far away to see detail, but it is the building in question.
However, I did find one paragraph rather like a lesson in anatomy and perhaps a tad self indulgent:
Exchange her heat, lock arms with her and feel her radiate. Jojo is slim with soft features. The warmth ebbs from soft skin. Pay very close attention to the contrast of texture between the lace fabrics of her bra, and the silken skin of her back. The bra stings hyperactive nerve receptors within your fingertips. Compare it to her Angle of Scapula, her shoulder blades. Compare it to the Median Furrow between the left and right longissimus thoracis muscles. With your fingertips trace the curves down her erector spinae muscles in the lower back. Nerve endings finally stung by the harsh lace of her panties.
It had some elements that kind of jarred (to me, anyway), like it had been overworked.
But overall, definitely looks like it’s going somewhere and I was hooked by your storyline, and that’s 99% of this game. Sod the logistics.
Trev
White Dwarf | July 21, 2012 - 00:25
Thank you for reading, Trev, and for the depth of your comment. It certainly has made me think.
I am a strong believer in a writer should be able to justify every word choice, and every sentence.
The paragraphs that you refer to are packed with fancy medical terms. While writing them I believed they served a purpose. I liked the idea of breaking the flow of pure action. I liked the idea of looking at the female body in this clinical language, contrasted by the surroundings that objectify the woman’s body.
I also wanted the reader halted, and exposed to words that are unfamiliar, yet are very rich sounding. “longissimus thoracis” “Anterior Commissure”.
I love the contrast the words make. I also love their texture as they are subvocalized. Some people will skip the words altogether while reading, and that is ok too.
Since they have stood out for you, and their respective paragraphs seemed to be overworked and indulgent, perhaps I have gone too far. Perhaps they need to be pulled back. I will have to give it some more thought.
It is meant to be creative non-fiction. The way any “For Dummies” book is non-fiction. I struggled for a long time finding a way to tell this story, finally coming across that device. And that device seemed to lend itself toward 2nd person, present tense. Whether this is unique or just confusing is subjective. It certainly can be criticized as being too far removed from non-fiction, either way.
I will look again at those passages and see if the piece is improved by pulling back on the fancy words. You may be right. Perhaps I am hampering the reader from full emersion in the story.
Thank you very much for your comments.
I hope others might read them and give their opinion on the matter.
sue dinum | July 21, 2012 - 09:58
Hi WD, I thought you wouldn't be talking to me anymore. I always was slow on the uptake. The clue was in the title. I've not read any of those books, but at least now your piece makes sense, and in the context of that writing style your words are probably more than justified, so I apologize. I think I got thrown on the wrong track because you had mentioned to me you were working on a piece of erotica and this was not what I was expecting. I think you have in that case succeeded in what you set out to do with aplomb. As I have already said, this is fine writing and perhaps on reflection you should scratch my comment. Well done.
Best regards
Trev
White Dwarf | July 21, 2012 - 10:32
A little context confusion is fine. I think your points on an overworked paragraph are still valid.
It did indeed start out as an erotica piece. I guess it just evolved differently.
No need to apologise. I really do appreciate poeple taking the time to think about the piece.
And am still interested in what other think about the use of scientific terms here in. Effective? or Distracting?
scratch | July 22, 2012 - 13:45
Ok white Dwarf. I have read this a few times now and have pondered on your question.
First off, I like it as a piece of writing of that I am certain. In fact it didn't feel like I was reading at all, that is a good thing because I have a notoriously fussy reading habit.
Now, as to the question of the anatomical accuracy of the nouns used for the prostitutes genitalia. To be honest I am not certain that they add to the narrative. As a reader I became aware of a potential sense of detachment of the protagonist from his circumstance. This could easily veer into the sinister but I don't think that this is your intention.
I read it and the language choice caused some questions to be raised - unfortunately for me they were questions out-with the narrative and so not laudable in the traditional sense. I hope that this sheds light but please remember that this is only my subjective opinion on what is a good piece of writing.
White Dwarf | July 23, 2012 - 00:43
Yes – sinister was definitely not a mood I wished to set. I agree that the descriptions are detached and can veer away from my intent. Reading from this perspective I can see Jack the Ripper preparing a subject for dissection. Haha
I will pull back that language in those thick paragraphs, for all the reasons that have been discussed. They stand out for the wrong reasons. It is a tricky bit of writing, trading off between guide and narrative, striking a balance between the two that is smooth.
Thank you for your thoughts on the subject, very helpful.