Backstage Blackout

I remember it was a Thursday night, Ray's birthday in fact, and he came over to invite me to come to work with him. What the hell, I had nothing better to do. Throughout the night as I watched Ray work I kept thinking, "Hey, this is really cool; I could do this." If he even hinted at the possibility of bringing me into the business, I'd jump at it. No sooner had I run those thoughts through my mind when Ray said "How would you like to run a spotlight?" "Well Ray, I don't know, right now, I'm working 48 hours on shift, 48 off, making a third of the money you do, and-- holy shit, was that a naked girl I just saw? Okay, I'm in." When I first started working at a showroom as a regular employee, I just couldn't believe that I was in the stage business. When family or friends would ask me about my new job I felt like a big shot. "Yes, I work backstage at the such-and-such show. It was so glamorous. Later, ten years down the road, I remember someone asking me about my job and I told him something like this, "Well, I play cards, drink beer, and watch naked women." Finally I was expressing myself like a true stagehand.