Grocery Shopping in the Afternoon

One of the benefits of not workinng a traditional 9-5 job is that I can do a lot of errands during week at mid-day. While shopping at Publix for groceries this afternoon, I was surprised to see just how many people were actually there. Is the era of the 9-5 disappearing? Have lay-offs hit Miami harder than I previously thought?

Sure, there were people I expected to see shopping -- mothers with young children, senior citizens, as well as a few college kids who have probably stayed in town for either summer classes or internships. Everyone seemed pretty at ease, focused on filling their carts and getting on with their day.

When I first began escorting, I was terrified of being found out. Not by the authorities -- in this city, they have bigger problems to worry about -- but by regular citizens. There I was, well-dressed and young, doing things that I normally wouldn't be able to do on account of my "job".

And yet, as time went on, I discovered that no one really asks any questions. Once, I was at an Armani Exchange store buying some clothes, at around 2 p.m. on a Wednesday. I paid cash, and as the sales girl handed me my receipt I could see her thinking, "I wonder what this guy does for a living."

Still, she didn't ask. She gave me one of those fake, retail smiles and wished me a nice afternoon. At Barnes & Noble, no one seems suspicious that I sometimes spend a hot afternoon drinking a green tea and browsing through books and magazines. Ditto for the gym.

So it seems my fears of being branded a whore and ran out of town were false. Looking back, I doubt that anyone ever considered that I was a whore, but even if they did, who's to say they would care? Miami doesn't have the faux-puritanical ideals that you'd find in the south or the mid-west.

I do have a client later on tonight, so I'll make another entry tomorrow to recapture the moment. This blog thing sure is addictive.