That whole experience was just over 10 years ago. My firm landed a contract to install equipment in the steel mills outside Chicago in Gary IN. Leslie and I had been married 5 years. The work required me to stay in the area leaving only weekends for us to get together. I had reservations about leaving Leslie alone for all that time. She had been dating other men for a few years by then and it was definitely the way we enjoyed our time together. Being away for several months would mean less time like that. To be honest I was worried that she might find someone else and we might grow apart.
The first few weeks were hectic. It seemed I was working around the clock. I made an effort to try and call Leslie daily but many times it was too late or too early. Many times it would go to voice and I would leave a message to call back. If i was in the mills there would be no cell reception so we ended up playing phone tag. Our calls became less frequent and we both began to rely on the once or twice monthly weekend visits to catch up.
One day led into the next...as the installation progressed I found myself looking for ways to kill time. I was 52, still in pretty good shape from running and biking. The daily routine of sit-ups, squats and pushups were keeping me somewhat toned.
My evenings consisted of watching porn and drinking beer. One evening while watching some gay porn I went back on a gay/bi dating site I had used before I married Leslie. I had tried finding anyone local when I first got to Indiana but it was a bust. Scrolling through the site it had a feature that identified cruising spots, bathhouses, walking trails and adult theaters near you. I was surprised to find a local entry and reading further it described the spot as an adult theater with 20 private viewing booths. I couldn't believe I had been here for several weeks already and had missed this.
I googled the address and laughed when I realized I drove past the place everyday on the way to the steel mills in Gary. It was only 5 miles from the apartment I rented. The place was open 24/7 to serve the truckers off the Indiana Turnpike and the steel mills nearby. It was late and I had already sucked back several beers so wrote down the address to check it out the next day.
I drove by it the next morning on the way into work. No wonder I had missed it. It was a non-descript cinderblock building back off the road with a small sign above the door. A big parking lot out front, a few cars and two big rigs in the lot. I drove past determined to check it out further when I came home.
I was late getting out of work that evening and as I slowed down to scout out the place was shocked to see the parking lot full. Fuck I thought, I was reluctant to go in when it was so busy. What if I ran into someone I knew? Not that I knew many people in that area. I kept driving, disappointed and frustrated with myself for not stopping.
The next couple of days were the same. I was getting quite anxious. Going home watching gay porn...getting quite drunk and more determined to visit that theater. The next day I decided to leave work at 3PM. I drove up to the theater and parked at the rear of the parking lot. I sat there for awhile watching a few others drive up and go in. A big rig pulled in and a trucker got out. He wasn't too tall, in his 50's, a beer gut wearing jeans, t-shirt and an orange vest. I watched as he went in and that gave me the push to follow him. I got out of my car and went in the front door.
As I entered I noticed the trucker walking through a beaded doorway. He obviously knew his way around. The clerk was at a counter to the side and greeted me as I came in. I could see the room had rows of porn videos as well as sex toys. I wandered around for a few minutes looking at the goods trying to get my bearings. I went up to the clerk and asked how the private viewing booths worked. He said you purchase a membership card for $10 and load it to pay for the videos in the booth. He said you had to have a video playing or you would be asked to leave. I bought a card and put $20 on it. The clerk smiled at me and said," That should last you awhile."
I picked up my card and went through the beaded doorway that I saw the trucker enter.