What My Clients Told Me About Their Wives

🌈 Abstract

The article explores the shifting allegiances and perspectives of a sex worker as she navigates her relationships with her clients and their unseen wives.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Shifting Allegiances

1. What were the shifting allegiances of the narrator?

• The narrator's allegiance was constantly shifting between the men she went to bed with (her clients) and the women back at home (the clients' wives).
• She felt sympathy and understanding towards both the clients and their wives, as she recognized the complex dynamics and challenges in their relationships.

2. How did the narrator view the clients' relationships with their wives?

• The narrator wondered about the clients' wives - whether they permitted the infidelity while pretending ignorance, or if they were relieved to be free from the imposition of sex.
• She also observed that some clients had active sex lives at home, despite claiming otherwise, and that the clients seemed complacent about their wives' potential infidelity, likely due to their financial status and the avoidance of local scandal.

3. How did the narrator's perspective shift between the clients and their wives?

• The narrator would sometimes feel bad for the clients who claimed their wives denied them sex, and be unhappy with the wives for "wasting" the clients.
• Other times, the narrator would empathize more with the wives, understanding that their position was the only conceivable one, and that she would have outsourced or refused the "onerous chore" of sex work if she could.

[02] The Narrator's Experiences and Observations

1. What was the narrator's relationship with her client, Roger?

• Roger was one of the narrator's best clients, as he was communicative, proactive, direct, and reliable in his interactions with her.
• He was also assiduously honest with the narrator, though he did not extend the same courtesy to his wife.

2. What did the narrator observe about the clients' personal lives and relationships?

• Some clients would share unsolicited information and images about their wives, children, in-laws, pets, and homes, which the narrator found interesting due to her curiosity.
• The clients would often boast about their wives' attractiveness and fitness, indicating an awareness of their wives' desirability, yet they did not seem concerned about being on the receiving end of infidelity.