I had just started fall semester of my freshman year at a college in south Georgia. Being six hours away from home had its pros and cons, but mostly pros. I had so much freedom and there was no longer a curfew I had to follow. Unfortunately, I was in a small town, albeit a college town, but small nonetheless. This was a private school that I was able to attend via scholarships and with some funding from odd jobs I had during my junior and senior high school years.
What I found coolest was several of my closest friends from high school were also attending college with me. It made the transition just that much smoother. Unfortunately, there was only so much partying we could do, especially with us being in a dry county.
Things got stale fast. Within a couple of months of starting school, I was getting desperate for some sort of fun and excitement. I was closeted to most people, including my family, but my closest friends knew and in fact, several of them were also closeted, which strengthened our bond even more.
On one particularly boring Friday, my roommate Josh was doing some browsing on Craigslist when he came across an interesting ad that was listed under "gigs>talent".
"Looking for a very special way to celebrate my friend's 75th birthday," it began. "Would love for a young man, preferably college age, even more preferably a first year college boy, to come celebrate and give him the gift of a lifetime. If interested, please send e-mail with your name, ht/wt/age, some photos, and a good contact number. Your job, if hired, will be to attend to his every need for the night. Opportunity to earn up to $2000."
"Swallow some geezer gravy, pocket 2 Gs. Seems pretty straightforward, am I right, Ash?"
I squinted at the screen once more to catch the details. "I guess...I mean, I'm not really into the gramps scene..." my voice trailed off just as my other roommate Ben chimed in.
"I think we should all reply back and see who gets called! Let's fucking do it!"
I was a bit hesitant, "I dunno guys...if they actually call back, then what? I am not about to go suck on some geezer with a wet noodle."
"It'll be alright Ash, your face would look perfect while it's getting some Super Soaker action by a wrinkly wet noodle, it's more dick than what you've ever had, HA!" Ben smirked before bursting out with laughter. I was quietly embarrassed since I was hoping to meet people here and perhaps hook-up here and there, but the prospect of that happening was approaching zero, at least for this semester.
"Come on, bro, it'll be alright, it's just something fun, boring as fuck around here otherwise!" Josh added, doing his best to sound re-assuring without sounding desperate. I sighed, defeated. "K, whatever, let's get it done," I said in a low tone.
For whatever reason, I replied back to the man's email with photos from a trip to the beach back in early August. I added the requested info at the top.
"Hi, I'm Ash, I just turned 18 a month and a half before school started and I'm a freshman. I'm 5'5 and 120 lbs. You can reach me at XXX-XXX-XXXX." I hit send from my phone and I felt a deep pit in my stomach almost immediately.
The other two also sent replies and we sat in silence for a moment, realizing what we had just invited upon ourselves. After a while, we went about our business, playing video games and doing some reading for school.
A few days went by and I had actually forgotten about the whole thing, that is until I got a phone call from a number I didn't recognize. I was alone in my room that night when I received the call, but I let it go to voicemail. I was hoping it was just a spam call, but then I received an alert on my phone that there was a voicemail.
"Hello Ash, this is Gary. You responded to an ad for a birthday present for my best friend. After careful consideration, I have decided I really would like for you to join us at my place tomorrow evening. Please call me back when you receive this message."
My heart began racing, I felt a mix of emotions, some of fear and hesitation, but I also felt flattered that I was chosen over my friends and whoever else may have responded.
"H-hey...soooo...I got this phone call from a guy named Gary. It was about that ad we replied to," my voice quivered as I told Josh and Ben.
"Well? What did you say?!" Ben asked, his voice full of excitement.
"I didn't...just let it go to voicemail," I responded in a low tone. "God...I don't know what to do now, I feel so stupid, he's got my number too!"
"Bro, you're gonna have to call him back. You're gonna get laid!" Josh teased.
Much to my shock, the phone rang again. Same number. "Answer it! Dude, fucking answer it!" Ben yelled out.
"H-hello...hey...I got your message and I was going to call you back," I stammered out.
"Yes, well hello. Ash, is it? I'm Gary. Loved your photos, just loved them. You are very attractive. My friend will truly enjoy your company," Gary said.
"He sounds nice enough," I thought to myself as Josh and Ben snickered.
"Tell you what Ash, do you drive?"
"Mm-hmm," I replied my voice shaking with fear and embarrassment.
"I live out in the country, right outside of town, exit 48, make a left at the stop sign and about half a mile down on the left you'll see a little red house. There's not much else there, so you shouldn't miss it. Come around, let's say, 9 PM tomorrow evening? Will that work for you?"
"Y-yes, sir," I said in a high-pitched voice, still frozen in fear as my buddies teased me in the background.