curmugeon | Strange times and people I've known.

Prostitution. It is the oldest profession. I've known a few ladies who worked this game. I remember one German girl who said she quit her job as a secretary because she could make a week's salary in one night. She had become a high priced call girl when I knew her, living in a nice apartment and working through the concierge of one of the finest hotels in Berlin. She drove a new Mercedes and had a very nice apartment in one of the better neighborhoods in town. I've known a few who worked locally picking up clients in bars. Their life is much different. Not classy but always a struggle. I've known a few who worked El Cajon Blvd in San Diego. They used to gather at a coffee shop late at night. I'd stop there on my way home from my girlfriend's place. She knew some of the girls as they lived in her building. Then there are the amaruers, the women who spend late nights soliciting customers at casinos. For some it's all for the money. For others it is a search for a safe place to sleep in exchange for a little pleasure. It's all around.

Nevada has made it legal in some areas. Las Vegas is not one place but nearby Pahrump is open for business. Drive north on 95 from Vegas you'll see the well lit "ranches" where working girls provide all the variety you can think of. There is one madam of note. I met her through a friend who had been her patron for decades. She runs a place just outside Beatty Nevada. She has lived her whole life there and is still shunned by some in town, some of those she says are really her best customers. A good hearted lady who said she just plays the free market. She provides the good to meet demand and it has made her quite wealthy.