I had just turned 18 years old and wanted to explore my new found adult-hood. I was finally old enough to drink and get into some places that I had been too young to visit before. I had my own car, went to a city college, still lived at home and had a small part time job. I had a steady girlfriend, great parents and life was good.
One of the biggest perks of being 18, I thought, was finally being able to buy some pornography. My girlfriend and I had not gone all the way yet, so I masturbated a lot. The old worn out Playboy magazines that I had stolen from my father's collection, or accumulated over my teen years, were boring to me death. So one of my first priorities was to buy some good porno.
At 5 foot 8 inches tall, hating my small stature, I was still bigger than my father and grandfather. Being a slim 157 pounds and so fair of complexion, all previous attempts to buy pornography had resulted in me being carded and denied. So the first chance I got to make a legal purchase, found me in the parking lot of a bookstore a few miles from my house.
I had never been there before, but the red neon signs outside the building promised all the porno I could handle. I had just gotten paid and had about $120 in my pocket when I entered the store.
I had only been inside for 30 seconds when the cashier called me over to his stand and demanded to see my identification. Pulling out my wallet, I showed my card proudly. He stared at my driver's license and face, back and forth, scrutinizing me and my paperwork. Somewhat satisfied, he finally handed me back my license and frowned at me.
"This better not be a phony, I don't need any trouble. You look a lot younger than 18 to me," he said.
Nervously, and in great detail, I babbled to him that I had just had a birthday and that it was not a fake. After that we just stared at each other for what seemed like minutes, frozen in my tracks, I awaited his next request.
Seemingly annoyed with me, he finally said, "Well, what are you waiting for, go ahead. The magazine prices are on the cover, all the video rentals are $5 each and the arcade is $8 per visit."
I scurried away to the magazines while, I felt his eyes follow my every step. It seemed like he watched me very closely until a well dressed older black man came into the bookstore and handed him some cash. As I watched the transaction finalize, I saw the clerk reach into the counter display and hand him a small yellow bottle. The man stuffed it in his pocket and walked to a door in the back. When he reached the door, a buzzer sounded, he opened it and entered.
I walked over to the door area and saw a wall of movies on display with numbers above each of them. Apparently they had private viewing rooms of these movies and I decided then that I wanted to watch some movies and would make my purchase later. I went back to the cashier, gave him my money, and strolled back to that door like I knew what I was doing.
The buzzer sounded and I entered a pitch black room with one dim red bare light bulb in the ceiling. I stopped moving when the door closed and tried to let my eyes adjust to the darkness. Gradually, I became aware of my surroundings and touching the wall for guidance made my way down a dark corridor.
As I walked down this dark hall, using one hand to navigate against the wall, I suddenly touched a human body. Accidently running my hand across a man's chest before realizing what I had done, I stopped in my tracks.
Yanking my hand back, I quickly mumbled an, "Excuse me."
"First time here. You might try this one, it's really hot," he said as he opened a door to a small room.
As some light finally appeared from inside the booth, I saw it was the older black man from out front. He looked around 30 or 35 years old and was smiling at me. Embarrassed, I quickly entered this small cubicle and shut the door behind me. Finding a latch and locking the door I relaxed, finally getting my bearings as to where I was and being able to see again.
