He goes to shake Leo’s hand before introducing himself. “You must be, Leo. I’m Eddie.”
Snapping out of whatever mood has taken over Leo today, he finally opens his mouth to speak. “Nice to meet you, Eddie. Thank you for fitting us in on such short notice.”
“Of course, glad I was able to fit you in while I am in town. I’m heading to another shop in Jersey tomorrow, so you caught me at a good time,” Eddie says, smiling. His demeanor is the opposite of how he looks. On the outside, he looks rugged, but upon meeting him, he seems poised and sweet.
Leo nudges me forward, as if Eddie couldn’t see me standing right in front of him. “This is my girlfriend, Sienna,” he introduces me to Eddie, who has his hand out eager for a shake.
“Hi,” I say awkwardly.
Eddie shakes my hand quickly, unfazed by my awkwardness. He grabs his sketchpad and pencil, directing his attention to both Leo and I, clearly ready to start what we came here for.
“Alright, so, you mentioned something about a locket tattoo?” Eddie starts. Leo reaches for the page he tore out of my notebook last night to give to Eddie for a reference. I still can’t believe we are getting matching tattoos, let alone ones inspired by something I wrote. I don’t know whether I want to cringe or jump for joy. In a weird way, I want to do both.
Eddie takes the now crumpled page and gives it a quick read.
“Alright, cool, man. Let me see what I can come up with. Make yourselves comfortable. You can start filling out the paperwork while I draw something up, and then we will get started,” Eddie says enthusiastically, pointing us in the direction of a crimson velvet couch in the corner by the door.
“Thanks, will do,” Leo says as he grabs two clipboards from the front desk, where Eddie was sitting before. Leo hands me one of the clipboards, and as I go to grab it from him, he lets out a loud sigh. I know that sigh, it’s his “I’m fucking pissed off” sigh.
Irritated by the shift in his demeanor today, I go to kiss his cheek in the hopes that it will soften his mood a bit.
As I bring my lips closer to his face, I notice him grinding his teeth. He sighs once more, this time louder than the last one. “Just fill out the paperwork, Sienna,” he snaps without even making eye contact with me.
“Whatever,” I mumble under my breath, slipping back into my seat.
What the fuck? This was his idea.
We both sit on the cramped couch, which squeaks every time we make even the slightest movement. Judging by the weathered condition of the velvet, this couch has most definitely seen better days. Between the annoying sounds the couch springs are making, and the vast array of flash designs scattered about the walls, not to mention Leo’s stoic behavior, I feel too distracted to fill out the paperwork. I just start checking “no”for each of the questions about health history and such, most of which do not apply to me, anyway. I just want to get this over with already.
I rush to finish checking the boxes, and just as I am about to sign the waiver, my eyes catch a section of flash art with different variations of the grim reaper. All of them contain the classic image of the reaper in his black, hooded cloak, holding his scythe, though each design is done in a different style. All so unique, all so beautiful in their own way. Though, out of all the reapers displayed, the one with “MEMENTO MORI” etched on the scythe catches my attention.Remember, you must die.Somehow, the inevitability of death seems less ominous when it is portrayed in such an artistic way.
I look over to Leo when I hear his pen tap against the clipboard. He begins tapping his leg, shaking the already questionably stable couch, making me shift back a bit. I grab his arm and rub it, trying to put him at ease from what I assume are first tattoo nerves.
“You ok, babe?” I ask, continuing to rub his forearm.
“Yea, I’m fine, I just want to get this going,” he says, not sounding too convincing.
My gaze falls to his leg that is still tapping. Just as I tilt my head down, he grabs my chin, lifting my head up to face him. A half smile escapes his mouth as he leans in to give me a kiss. I close my eyes, taking comfort in the small gesture that is much appreciated given how off he has been acting today.
“Alright, we are all set,” Eddie interrupts as he motions for us to follow him.
We rise from the couch and follow him to the back corner of the shop where his station is set up. There is so much artwork on the walls surrounding Eddie’s back corner of the shop that I don’t know where to look first. Then, through a host of morbid images, my eyes are drawn to a canvas painting of a hummingbird kissing a vibrant red flower with its bill.
The bright, yet hauntingly beautiful piece is striking against the otherwise dark aesthetic of artwork surrounding it.
I inch closer to the painting, feeling a magnetic pull to it. I can’t look away. The way the colors drench the canvas captivate me. I continue to admire the painting, trying to memorize every detail of its beautiful simplicity, when I notice in small cursive the word “siempre” beneath the hummingbird.Always.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Eddie asks after noticing me admiring the painting, as he pours ink into the small cups that are on the tray near his seat.
“Yes, very. Did you paint this?” I ask as he now begins sanitizing his station.
“Nope, that would be my wife, Maria. She is from Puerto Rico and always had a fascination with the myth of Alida and Taroo.”
My heart begins to flutter as soon as Eddie mentions Puerto Rico.Mama’s homeland.Despite having her culture intertwined with Papa’s Italian heritage growing up, I don’t ever remember hearing anything about this myth.
“Alida and Taroo?” I ask, instantly intrigued.
“Yes, according to island folklore, Alida was already promised to a man from her village. But Alida did not want this and instead began a relationship with Taroo, who was from a different village. When her father discovered Alida and Taroo’s relationship, he became furious and forbade her from seeing him. Alida was so grief-stricken that she prayed to the gods to escape her fate of marrying a man she did not love. The gods answered her prayers and turned her into a beautiful red flower. Taroo did not know where Alida disappeared to, so he prayed to the gods to find her and to reunite them. The gods listened and turned him into a hummingbird. So, in their next life, they would be together, since the hummingbird would be drawn to the beautiful red flower.”
