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“Gal can’t have you or her mother present when she performs.” She went for the rip off the bandage approach. “It makes her nervous.”
Erez was a great father. He kept his dismay under check, presenting to Gal a cheerful front.
“Okay, Gal, I get it. Imma and I will only ever want what’s best for you. Now, let’s go. I’ll drop you. Dafna, see you this afternoon in Rehovot for your new tattoo?”
“You’re getting a tattoo?” Gal asked, smiling at her for the first time. “That’s so cool. What are you getting?”
“I’m not sure.” She had an idea, but she wasn’t willing to share it.
“No time!” Erez said, the cheerful façade cracking. “Let’s go, Gal.”
All in all, and considering everything, Dafna thought the morning went well.
Chapter 33
Spreading Her Wings
When she thought of a tattoo shop, she imagined a dingy hole in the wall, tucked into a seedy side street, where everyone wore biker’s coats. But Waze brought her here, to a well-tended street flanked by tall trees and a large public garden. Dafna smiled at the moms with prams, happy that her boys were all grown up. She didn’t miss this stage. Hila’s tattoo studio’s address was a tall modern-looking building. She took the elevator to the eighth floor, where a smiling boy, around Tom’s age, opened the door.
“Hi.” She was unsure for a second. “Is this Hila’s tattoo studio?”
“Yes, I’m her son. Imma waits for you in the studio.”
She followed him down a long corridor and into a room. A mural covered the wall opposite her, swirling flowers and animals in green and black. A large mounted rectangular tarp dominated the opposite wall. Hila’s dark hair was shaved on one side, longer on the other, and her toned arms were tattooed. A jealous pang pierced her, a thought of whether Hila and Erez had ever hooked up.
First, envious about Zoey, and now Hila. She’d never been jealous of any man before, but she was older than Erez, and still unsure what they were to each other.
“Hi, Dafna, right? Come in. Two seconds, I’m uploading to Insta.” Hila was on her laptop, clicking through photos, and motioned with her chin towards the screen. “These are photos of the tattoos. After and sometimes before too. I can take yours if you wish.”
“Before?”
“Yes. I renew tattoos for people, so there’s a before and after. My favorite thing to do is to cover scars. If they’re willing, I take pictures of the before and after and post on my Instagram account.”
“Does getting a tattoo hurt?” she asked. Now that she was here, she had become apprehensive. A tattoo was for life.
“Yes, a little. Is this your first tattoo?”
“Yes. I mean, I’m not even sure I’m getting one. I’m exploring the possibility. If I do, it will have to be small and very discreet.”
Her voice shook a little. Sweat broke on her forehead, and it wasn’t a hot flash.
“Maybe on the back of the shoulder?” Hila suggested. “That’s discreet. And sexy.”
“I guess.” At first she thought ankle, but the back of her shoulder was an even more discreet location.
“How come you want one?” Hila had evidently heard the doubts in Dafna’s voice. “Are you doing it for you or for someone else? Remember–tattoos are hard to erase once they’re done.”
Was she doing it for herself or to please Erez? Perhaps because Ilan couldn’t and wouldn’t get one? Was she merely a reflection, or a deflection of the men in her life?
“Can I hear more about the process?”
Hila smiled with empathy.
“Sure, the first step is to pick a drawing. When you came here, did you have an idea of the tattoo you wanted?”
Before she had time to answer that, indeed she did, the doorbell sounded. Erez’s deep voice carried and her heart picked up its pace. She massaged down the goosebumps that grew on her arms, turned on and excited, just from hearing his voice.
“Isn’t he as handsome as he sounds?” Hila smiled.
