When Marge Kantor at the Graduate Center invited me to attend a reception for Nancy Chu, I was thrilled.
"Sharon," she said, "I know how hard you've been trying to sell pieces to newspapers and magazines. It's tough for an aspiring writer to get her foot in the door. I've known Nancy for a long time, even before she became famous. She was one of my brightest students but who would have thought she'd write a best-seller about her life as a call girl? I'll ask her to give you an interview, one you can use for an article."
I was grateful for Marge's offer and secretly excited by it. Not only was I having trouble placing my work, but my love life had evaporated. Tommy left town for a better job, so I was horny, as well as unsuccessful in my chosen field. I really wanted that damn interview.
The day of the reception I was nervous as hell. In the mirror I saw a cute and shapely college girl, but not an accomplished writer. 'No way Nancy will be impressed', I thought. 'Fuck it - I'll do the damn interview anyway.'
Nancy caused quite a stir when she arrived. She was taller than I'd expected, dressed in an outfit that showed off her curves and long legs. Rather than matching my image of a whore, she was a beautiful upscale woman, one I could easily imagine on the arm of a wealthy man. After she'd been in the room for a while, I saw Marge go over and talk to her. At one point in their conversation, Marge pointed to me. I felt stupid and wished I hadn't come. Why the hell would she want to talk to a kid like me?
Finally, Marge led Nancy over to where I was standing and introduced me as one of her rising stars. Then Marge stepped away and left us alone.
Nancy obviously knew how embarrassed I felt and was kind enough to ask me how the writing career was going.
"Not too well," I replied. "It's hard to start out as a writer. There are lots of beginners out there, all trying to get a break."
She laughed, "Tell me about it. The only way I could sell stuff was when I submitted material about my life as a call girl. Before that, my submissions went into a wastebasket, I'm sure."
"Can I ask you personal questions?"
"Of course. I was explicit in my biography and I've been on TV, talking about providing sex for money. Well... maybe not very explicit."