Thread by @RalphKadurira

An excerpt from the novel “Short Time” by yours truly.
Ladies what do you think?
Gents is this really true?
#shorttime

1/One day Sharon’s friend, Priscilla visited. Thoko had only heard about her but had never seen her before. She came wearing designer clothes that cost more than an arm and a leg. She looked like someone who had a top white-collar job.

2/Thoko knew that she was never too far from the truth. Priscilla was also in the business of commercializing her private parts.
A few drinks later, Thoko and Priscilla got into a topic, which Thoko found rather interesting.

3/”One of my most profound memories of my sex work happened when I was approached by a man in the introduction lounge of a brothel. Evidently disturbed, he edged over to me and offered me a thousand rands, asking what kind of service he could receive for that amount and

4/whether there was anywhere nearby, we could go, quickly. It only took a quick conversation to find out that this man had a wife who had cheated on him. His wife had slept with someone else and he had found out a few hours earlier.

5/Desperate for something, revenge, comfort, or a mixture of the two, I don’t know, but he had decided what he sought lay inside a brothel,” narrated Priscilla.

“Mmmmm I don’t think I can handle sleeping with men knowing they are married”, commented Thoko.

6/“When I started working, I told myself I would refuse to see any married clients but I quickly realized that men would pocket their wedding rings before stepping over to greet you. I never draw back at seeing married men. They have told me fascinating stories:

7/as they shower or as they dress up. When they are done with their ‘business’ they get chatty and start to talk about their wives and their home lives.”

Thoko sat there listening very intently.

8/“I have listened to tales of all sorts of relationship problems, wives who travel frequently, those who live abroad, wives who work ‘too much’ or, for some reason or another, have lost the drive or desire to be intimate with their partners.”

“Mmmmm this is sad,” Thoko said.

9/Priscilla continued, “Some men have told me heartbreaking stories of their own search for intimacy after their partners passed away or became unwell; then there are others who gave excuses that were almost offensively fluent. Do you know what one of them said to me?”
“Yeah"

10/“It is very funny. He said ‘My wife is really skinny, and I’ve always wondered what it was like to be with a bigger girl.’ Imagine that!”

‘Iiih eish, men are so evil. Why did he even get married to the skinny wife at all?” cried Thoko.

11/“You know we are often blamed for luring men away from their happy homes and marriages, it is difficult to imagine that these men come and choose to do so of their own free will”

“But why step outside a marriage for a quick thrill?”

12/“You know the services we offer go far beyond the sexual. When I think back, the majority of bookings I have had, they may have included some form of sexual activity focused on conversation, intimacy, and confession. Some men do see us as people with which to chat, or cuddle.

13/Many come for sex, but stick around afterwards to talk about the stresses of their job, or their problems at home. I believe that for some men, the pillow talk they have with a sex worker is the only time they allow themselves to talk about their feelings and worries.

14/Perhaps knowing that they will likely never see us again helps them truly let down their guard.”

“Yes sure I think with the demands of work some may even struggle with family issues.” Thoko agreed. “Of course, it’s unrealistic to think that every married man who comes

15/comes to us will be seeking emotional connection. I’m sure some do it simply because they are horny. Some, because they are bored.”

“Peer pressure occasionally plays a role: I was once chosen as the lucky lady to see a man on the night before his wedding.

16/His friends had taken him to the brothel for his bachelor’s party, pooled their cash to buy him an hour in a deluxe suite, and cheered as I took him away down the corridor. Once I shut the door, his bravado disappeared and he practically leapt from my side:

17/he explained that he had no interest in cheating on his fiancée, but did not want to embarrass himself in front of his friends. We spent the hour sitting on the bed, fully-clothed, talking about his honeymoon plans.” Priscilla chuckled before taking a sip of her wine.

18/“Mmmmm Priscilla I guess with all these experiences, you should write a book or something, married women may also need to know these things.”
Priscilla laughed. “Don’t make me laugh Thoko. I am not a writer. I think all I know best is what I am doing now”.
They all laughed...

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