I had just finished grading my latest class at the Massage Therapy school I teach at.
I must confess to being a bit proud of the latest group, all of them had proven to be relaxed and liberal, a prerequisite to success in the field today.
All had graduated with high scores, and every single one had passed the board exams, which is a bit rare, to be honest.
I looked at my schedule for the next semester, and was startled. I had just 4 signups!
I realized that this is a result of the current economy, our classes are expensive, to say the least, but I need a minimum of around 10 students to earn a decent living, as I am paid on percentage.
I could see that since my wife, Lee, was cut back on her hours, too, we had a big problem. My home massage practice was fair, but the average of 3 clients a week wasn't enough to take up the slack.
I got home that evening, and had a long talk with my lovely wife, explaining the rather dire straights we found ourselves in. As we were talking, the phone rang, another man asking about massage. "Just darn!" I thought, explaining to the caller that I only accepted female clients.
As I hung up the phone, Lee looked at me and said, "There is our answer..."
I told her I didn't want to work with men, not that I am homophobic or anything, but the truth be known, probably I am a little. Nothing against homosexuality, it's just not my thing.
"Well, you don't need to do anything out of line," She said, "But you could talk to them a bit and maybe accept some of them!"
I thought about that, I have never really accepted a male client, or even worked with any except in the classroom setting. But the truth is, I do get calls from males on a ratio of about ten to one.
As luck would have it, within just seconds the separate phone line I reserve for my massage ads rang again. I picked up, and a male voice asked about getting a massage.
So I booked him for the next evening.
I wasn't myself all day at class, thinking about the coming change in my practice. My massage style is mostly soft tissue work, combinations of kneading and stroking, combined with stretch techniques that loosen the body up nicely. It feels marvelous, but involves a certain degree of intimacy to do properly.
I would just have to make the best of it.
That evening, at the appointed time, the doorbell rang, and I greeted a well-dressed man in his mid forties, who announced himself as Terry. I introduced him to Lee, who smiled sweetly, and I noted his fleeting glance up and down her body as she turned back to the cake she was baking.
"Well, at least he isn't totally gay," I thought.