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Monday, September 3, 2012

labor of love

I got my first real job - meaning one where I actually reported my income to the IRS - when I was 15.  I was a hostess and busgirl in a hotel restaurant.

I won't say I loved the job, but it wasn't bad.  It provided the much handy and economically stimulating disposable teen income, and my co-workers and I somehow found ways to make the art of cleaning up after other people's meals fun.

Since we worked in a hotel, we were responsible for other duties that sometimes took us out of the restaurant.  These included things like delivering and setting up rollaway beds and cribs, delivering room service, etc.  These usually provided us with a nice change of scenery, a break from the dirty tables.

I recall some interesting room service customers.  The first time I delivered them lunch, the room was very dark, even though it was the middle of the day.  A man answered the door, wearing only a small towel around his waist.  There was a non-sleeping woman in the bed.

The man's small towel revealed that he was very happy to see his lunch.

Scenes like that weren't all that uncommon in a hotel.  My 16-year-old virgin self was able to deduce the goings on behind the closed doors.  At least I was helping to provide them with energy-giving calories.  Plus, they were usually happy customers, which often meant a nice tip.

But this particular couple continued to stay in our hotel for just under a week and continued to order room service, usually 2 or 3 times a day.  Each time, we buskids were met at the door by the towel-wearing man with the reposing woman in the dark room.

Naturally, whenever the call came down from the sex room, we would giggle and run to see whose turn it was to do a room service delivery.  We kept it a secret among just us busgirls and boys because we were mildly afraid that if we told any of the adults we worked with, they might find a reason to cut us off from the sex room business.

I have no idea who that couple was.  None of us ever saw them anywhere else in the hotel other than the darkened room.  Were they married?  Was it an extramarital fling for one or both?  Where were they from?  Why our small-town hotel?  I do know that they went through a lot of fish 'n' chips, however.

Happy Labor Day.  What was your first job?  Got any stories??
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12 comments:

terri said...

Wow! I'm sure that couple did other activities during their stay, but it sure LOOKS like all they did were bedroom activities. No wonder they needed energy!

My first job was in a family owned bakery. I have stories, but none as good as yours!

ShadowRun300 said...

My first job was at a popular fast food joint in the mall. Very busy. Very fun. It was that experience that steered me back into the customer service field after teaching ran its course.
I don't have many stories from my first job, but my current hotel job offers VERY similar stories to yours.

LL Cool Joe said...

My first job was as a student. I worked at the Wimbledon Tennis Club serving food to all the well known tennis players at the time. :)

Rock Chef said...

Maybe they were making a movie?

Maybe they spent their time playing scrabble but did the towel thing for a laugh?

Anita said...

Aside from a few babysitting gigs, my first pay check came from a shoe and accessory store. Yes - retail. I was 15; worked on Saturdays at the "wrapping desk."

Some of the characters who came through my down town shoe store were interesting and entertaining (a few drag queens, etc.); but your deliveries to the "happy" man wins in comparison. :)

Abby said...

They must've done some other things, right? I'd think a bakery would be a happy place to work.

Abby said...

I worked at two other hotels in addition to that first one. I'm positive you've got some stories!

Abby said...

Cool...uh, Cool Joe! You MUST have some stories.

Abby said...

Scrabble? Don't spoil it for me RC.

Abby said...

I think entertainment can be found in any job. Actually, a friend of mine from high school is a happy drag queen. I wonder where he shops?

CiCi said...

My very last job was in a hotel, two years ago. Interesting things to see and hear working in a hotel. I was working the breakfast room and many times a couple would arrive and sit and eat, and it became obvious quickly that they knew nothing about each other, they had spent the night at the hotel and now at breakfast they were getting acquainted.

My first real job was a clerk typist for the county and worked at juvenile probation office mostly typing for all the probation officers.

agg79 said...

My first real job was working at Jack-In-The-Box. Long hours, low pay. Worked the graveyard shift for the summer and we got all the stoners coming through after the bars and concerts closed. Got a few interesting stories of late night shenanigans. Had one guy come through the drive through without any clothes on at all.