sleeping around

Big confession:

I am not a virgin. Obviously.....since I have 2 kids and don't have the religious background for immaculate conception. What fun would that be anyway?

Nor was I a virgin before I got married... thank goodness because I didn't get married till I was 33 years old. And by then I never would have been bridal material because I would have grown the hairy palms of an ape.

As mundane as marriage can be sometimes I would never consider cheating on my husband. Despite his dirty socks and his packrat tendencies.... I just love him too much to even entertain the thought.

However, when I go to work at the firehall... I sleep with several men a night.

Now hold your horses. Get your mind out of the gutter. We're stand-up, straight-up blue collar folk at the firehouse.

Let me explain.

The fire department has been traditionally all-male, up until the past 20 years give or take. So firehouse sleeping quarters were a common dormitory. And still are in our department. The Captain gets his/her own room. The crew shares the dorm in the back. During a 24 hour shift we try to get some shut-eye at night when we can. It's policy that we wear our station t-shirt and boxer shorts. I sleep in my clothes on the nights that I am the engine operator not out of being prim but because I don't want to fumble around getting dressed in the dark when the alarm goes off... especially since we are timed on how quickly we respond to the call.

Some of my single (and married!) girlfriends were quite envious when they found out about the sleeping arrangements. But hey, come spend the night... knock yourselves out.... as handsome and charming as these guys are... the belching, snoring and farting after a 5-alarm chilli dinner is enough to take the bloom off the rose. And has left me many a night curled up in a chair in the kitchen with a sleeping bag.