Next time, I'll just STFU and smile.
Mid 70s. Working as a bellhop in the Hotel Drake Wilshire in downtown San Francisco. Dressed as an organ grinder's monkey, schlepping a couple of cases downstairs for a couple. Standing in the lift: They are chattering away in machine gun Russian. I am zoning out staring at the brassworks around the floor numbers.

At the lobby, I hold the door open for them. They say "Thank you" in moderately accented English. I give them a polite you're welcome / "Pazhaloosta" in reply. The woman steps around and presses the Close Door button and then hits Stop. The guy, chattering excitedly pushes me up against the far wall without really touching me; asking how much I spoke, where I learned it, etc, etc...

What the unholy fuck they were talking about, I had no idea; desperately telling them that I got the sum total of my rooski from the movie Patton, that I was a student, this was a temp job, I wasn't a CIA operative, and certainly not stupid enough to blow my cover if I WAS. (The CIA was a little bit smarter back then, ... or ... at one time I used to think so.) Took several minutes before they let me out. Scared me no end.
(shamblinthru Grasshopper! Next time use the potholders!, Thu 27 Nov 2014, 18:31, 6 replies)

San Fransisco in the 70's. I thought this was going to be a "my journey into the hard core gay porn industry." I am feeling let down.

( d.r._and_quinch when will you be famous?, Thu 27 Nov 2014, 18:46, closed)

SF / Gay Life? Sure, plenty of that
The city was a pageant of weird. Had some whistles. Had some smiles and winks. Even an offer to have my rear end jacked up and my undercarriage lubed ... in clearly a non-automotive context. Took it as a compliment. Bum still virgin. A/C all the way. Have a pragmatic view of the lifestyle: Gay/Straight means non-overlapping hunting grounds. Women are so very much more intoxicating.
(shamblinthru Grasshopper! Next time use the potholders!, Thu 27 Nov 2014, 19:26, closed)

^
SF / Gay Life? Sure, plenty of that
The city was a pageant of weird.

The rest though I would like as my epitaph.
(Dr Doctor Can't you see I'm burning burning?, Fri 28 Nov 2014, 8:37, closed)

I struggled to make any sense of it.

( d.r._and_quinch when will you be famous?, Fri 28 Nov 2014, 9:23, closed)

It's ok. It's nothing to be ashamed of.
There are a lot of people who can help you with reading comprehension.
( DukeEuphoria Comes highly reccomended, Wed 3 Dec 2014, 15:49, closed)

great story
If only you had the record button pressed.

I'll click now instead.
(justin(e), Thu 4 Dec 2014, 8:06, closed)