PARLOR DAZE.....(part 2).

The thousand dreams I dreamed
The splendid things I planned
I always built alas on weak and shifting sand
I lived by night and shunned the naked light of day
And only now I see how the years all ran away.....

Brett's Boys was to become my life for the next three and a half years. In reality it would affect my life for much longer than that.  I would meet friends with whom I would share my life, re-build my self esteem, indulge in my insatiable desire for sex and drugs, meet the boy who would have the most disastrous impact upon my life and face death on more than one occasion.

Initially I had it all planned out.  I would work for as long as it took me to save enough money to return to England and if necessary work in London as a prostitute before finding a real job and living in the city where it was all happening.  England was my mecca, the music, the fashion and the yearning for my 'homeland' were calling me.

It worked well for nearly a month.  I stayed as apart as I could from the other workers, trying not to get too involved in their seemingly aimless lifestyle.  I worked my shifts and returned to my apartment where I would spend my time alone - stoned and happy.

Not only was I a 'new boy', but my look, far from discouraging customers, seemed to have an appeal that many clients wanted.  Not only did I look much younger than I was but my 'new wave' style attracted many clients of all ages.  I was popular, polite, and above all possibly more intelligent than the other boys so I could hold a conversation with the clients when needed.  I was also keen to show that I cared about the business and quickly took a part in helping the receptionist with cleaning and answering phone calls, which didn't go unnoticed by my boss.

The only downside in the early days was that Graham (the owner) was adamant that no drug taking went on at the parlor.  This did not apply to what went on in the rooms with clients, but outside of the rooms we were not allowed to partake in drugs.  Not that we followed this rule.  Graham only came for a few hours each day and again in the evenings.  When he was not there then we would all sit in the back courtyard smoking bongs.  The sound of a key in the front door was an alarm that Graham was back and then it would be a mad rush to hide the drugs and bong amongst the pot plants and for us all to pretend that we were innocently enjoying the sunshine and chatting.

It was ironic actually, because later I would spend a lot of time at Graham's house where I soon learned that he was dealing heavily in cocaine and speed.  But he was a sensible businessman and knew that having drugs on the premises could cause him trouble.  I don't believe that running a brother was strictly legal in 1985, but keeping on the good side of the police (and certainly paying some money into the right hands) was the way to ensure that his business was tolerated.
 
There are a thousand and one stories to tell about my days in Brett's Boys.  To detail them would be an enormous and expansive task.  So in coming blogs I will probably deal with them in themes and chronologically when detailing my life.

But Brett's boys was my new home for over 3 years.  The establishment was a far cry from Belvoir Boys where I had first worked.  Unlike the run-down Victorian working class two up - two down terrace, Brett's was in a beautiful, double-fronted Edwardian Terrace in Paddington.  The downstairs rooms, including the front 'boys room' were all immaculately furnished and looked straight out of the pages of a Laura Ashley catalogue.  

 Upstairs there were 4 bedrooms.  The Zebra room, with it's jungle print wallpaper, zebra striped bedding, leopard skin rug and a selection of wooden African artifacts.  The Blue room, tastefully adorned with saphire blue chintz curtains and matching bedding, and a blue and green persian carpet.  The Red room, with red faux velvet flocked wallpaper, a dark wood four poster bed with red velvet drapes and a chinese style carpet.  The fourth room was smaller and simply decorated and was only used when we were extremely busy.  The bathroom was outrageous - marbled floor and wall tiles, gold swan taps in the bath and sink and a floor to ceiling stained glass window along the back wall.

The house was filled with beautiful paintings and Victorian wooden plant stands with ornate ceramic planters and pot plants. The custom made kitchen at the rear of the house had an adjoining dining area, which looked out through huge bay windows to the landscaped back courtyard.  This was where we would spend most of our time.  I had arrived......