I'll Page You, When I Need You

Shortly after receiving my NY and CT massage therapy licenses, I began to peruse job postings to see if there were demands for massage therapists in the area. I was already working a full-time job in the corporate world but considered taking on a part-time position to fine tune my newly learned trade. I was sort of half serious in my attempt, until one particular classified ad in the Norwalk Advocate caught my eye. The ad read:

CT (Connecticut) LMT (Licensed Massage Therapist) wanted, good pay, in Stamford and Greenwich CT.

Figuring I had nothing to lose, I called the number. A woman with an accent answered the phone - I recognized the accent - she was Korean. She asked me some questions – was I licensed in CT, how long I’ve been practicing. When she asked for my name, she immediately recognized that I was Korean. She told me that I could call her Mrs. Kim and wanted to meet right away since her current LMT is moving out of state and needed a replacement CT LMT. She asked to meet, 10pm, Dunkin Donuts on Route 7, in Norwalk. My first reaction was that 10pm seemed a bit late but curiosity pushed aside my logic and I agreed.

A whiff of spent frying oil, sugar glaze and coffee greeted me as I set foot into the Duncan Donuts. Beside for a guy holding a coffee cup and fumbling for change in his pocket, the shop, brightly lit by florescent lights, was empty. Walking down a gray tiled floor of a narrow dining area, I sat down, facing the entrance, on a small wall mounted table for two with swivel chair. Shortly after 10pm, I heard a swift sound of a door opening as an Asian woman in her early 50’s, looking like the typical Korean shop owner, walked in. Being curious and a bit skeptical at the same time, I decided, right then, that I would only speak English and not let her know that I speak and understand Korean. I stood up from my swivel chair and after a cautious and brief handshake, we both sat down to discuss business.

“Do you speak Korean?” Mrs. Kim asked, with her Korean accent.
“No.” I said with a straight face.
“Do you understand Korean?”
“No.” I lied again and then asked “So how many nail salons do you have?”
“Well, it’s not a nail salon… it’s a spa.”

A SPA??? The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I felt blood rushing to my head. I knew what I was in for. I played stupid and asked what type of service her spa provided and she stated that most of her clientele are men and that she does full body massage and “things like, body shampoo”. I thought, what the hell is body shampoo??!! I’m sure there were some other services, but I got the point. But she stated that this was not the reason she needed me. According to Mrs. Kim, she needed me for my CT massage therapy licenses and if her spas were ever raided, or as she put it “inspected” by the state, she would need me to be available during the inspection. All I had to do was to tell the state inspector that I was out to lunch. As I listened to Mrs. Kim explain, in Connecticut, these “spas” are allowed to operate as long as there is a state licensed massage therapy practitioner on site. Mrs. Kim said that she would give me a pager and would pay me $500 per week to be “on call” just in case she was “inspected”. All I had to do was to allow her to display my licenses at the spas and be available when I get paged. She sated that her current LMT, who has been with her for the past five years, was moving to Colorado.

About 15 minutes into our conversation, another Asian woman walked in the donut shop and headed towards our table. We both looked at her as I said hello. The other woman, who spoke in very broken English, asked me if I can speak Korean.

“He doesn’t speak Korean”. Mrs. Kim answered, in Korean, to the other woman
“How is he?” the other woman asked, speaking in Korean.
“He checks out okay”.

We chatted for just a few more minutes, as the other woman sat motionless, staring at me as if I was an unwanted stray dog she would have to house train for the next several months. Watching her ugly gum chewing face, my feelings were mutual. Suddenly, I had the urge to get out of the stale donut shop air. Weaving through the narrow dining area, heading for the exit, I noticed that we were now the only ones in the donut shop. Walking to my car, I noticed a man waiting in a green Chevy Suburban, with the motor running, in the parking lot. He was Caucasian, but I knew he was in somehow connected with the two women I left in the shop.

Driving home, I kept thinking to myself, I don’t have to do a thing and I can make some money, but what about my reputation? If all goes bad, I could lose my licenses, what shame I would endure. What made the other CT LMT to allow her licenses to be used? Did she not have any morals? Was the money that attractive? Does everyone have a price where they will put aside all morals and ethics?

I got home and told my wife about my meeting with Mrs. Kim. Without hesitation, my wife stated that although she does not support the idea, she will allow me to make the ultimate decision.

I didn’t sleep well that night. The idea kept running though my head in different scenarios. What if I got busted….What if I didn’t get busted? At one point, greed got the better of me and I was thinking about a counter offer, by asking $1000 cash per month - $500 per spa…that’s $52,000. per year… then reality sank in. The following morning, I called Mrs. Kim and told her that I was not interested and she seemed surprised and very disappointed.

“You’re Korean and I’m Korean…we help each other out!….We’re all hardworking!” Mrs. Kim pleaded.
“Yeah, but I just don’t want to get involved.” I said, holding back my true feeling.
“Okay, I understand…I have a son in college...in Syracuse...he's just like you.”

Not knowing exactly what she meant by her last comment, we ended our conversation. Mrs. Kim asked me that if I knew anyone who might be interested, to let her know.
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August 2006, a sex ring operation was discovered and arrests were made in NY, NJ & CT. The owners, all Koreans, were charged with prostitution, human trafficking, and illegal immigration. Upon hearing the news, I wondered about Mrs. Kim.