Mike’s story: A john talks about what it’s like from his perspective.
This piece is verbatim with permission from a larger interview.

“I worked in South America in the eighties when I was in my twenties. Some older guys took me to a club where all the girls were working. That first night I was offended by the whole situation. After a few months I softened up and took my first girl home on my 25th birthday.

I paid for girls a few times after that including one amazing night in Amsterdam, but met my wife and except for a lap dance here and there did nothing for 25 years.

Due to family, and a few health problems, sex life in my marriage completely dried up. I figured if I ended up traveling for work I would likely try to get into an affair.

I moved to St. John’s a few years ago and tried to meet people. I found a few things:

  1. 1. Women my age in St. John’s had been burned by an unfaithful husband and had no interest in a married man.
  2. 2. Younger girls did not care, were more attractive, but really weren’t interested.
  3. 3. Strippers do not judge and were very nice to whoever was spending money.

I was actually surprised, given my position, the places I visited, and all the news that there were many working girls in St. John’s, that after half a year I did not get propositioned once. Finally a girl I ran into on the street propositioned me and I brought her to my apartment.

After that I found myself in the strip clubs more often and met a girl from the mainland who eventually changed things. She did something new to me - she exchanged cell numbers with me. Then she would text me when the club was slow or she was bored. She returned to her home and a few months later my assignment ended.

This is really where my life changed. I got hold of her and we started seeing each other regularly for almost two years … While there is sex and money, you can see that a lot of it is also about relationships, perhaps completely screwed up, but still real.”