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“Yeah, I’ve been talking with Freddie too. My buddy Joe Johnson referred me.”
She nods. “I know Joe. He’s got some beautiful art.”
From the back, out walks a clean-shaven dude with slicked-back gelled black hair. He has to be in his fifties, and his pale skin is colored with intricate ink.
“Hey, you must be Marco. Give me a second to set up and I can show you the stencil I’ve got for you.”
I follow Silvia to my chair and Marco tags along behind me.
She gives me a reassuring smile. “You ready to do this?”
“Yeah, I’m ready. I’ve always been a wuss when it comes to needles though… I pushed four kids out of my hoo-ha naturally because I’m literally more scared of needles than I am of that so…”
She laughs merrily. “I’ll be gentle.” Then she winks at me again.
We spend a few minutes going over the stencil she created and it’s absolutely perfect. The blooms are so realistic, even in the purple outline, that for the first time today my excitement bypasses my nerves.
“You like it?” she asks with eager eyes.
“Oh, it’s wonderful.” I smile at her.
By my side, Marco leans over to see the paper and gives me an exaggerated two thumbs up. His playfulness is much appreciated, and I find myself smiling wide, ready to embrace this new part of me.
Silvia puts on her black gloves and readies her station while I remove my shoe and get comfortable.
“Marco, I’m ready for ya,” Freddie calls.
Thankfully, his chair is right next to mine, but unfortunately, we’re not close enough to hold hands.
Marco kisses my head before he walks over and pulls his arm out of his shirt. The familiar sight of his creamy brown skin gives me a different kind of flutter in my stomach as he takes a seat in his chair.
You can do this, Ellie. Let your inner badass out.
Interrupting my internal pep-talk Silvia says, “Place your foot at the bottom of the chair in a comfortable spot because you have to stay still the whole time.”
After doing as I’m told, she places the mockup tattoo in position and looks to me for confirmation. “Last chance to bail.”
I laugh but nod my head. “I’m ready.”
Marco looks my way as his stencil is being placed and says, “You got this, babe. Deep breaths.”
“Here we go…” Silvia starts up her gun and the loud buzzing makes its way to my foot in slow motion. She starts on the first line, and I hold my breath until she picks up the gun to wipe away the excess ink.
“Owww. Fuck. Shit. Owww. Fuck.This really hurts,” I say as I squeeze my eyes tight.
I’m trying not to focus on the pain that mimics what I imagine is a million bees stinging my skin.
A few minutes later, I open one eye and look down. She’s barely got the outline of the first cherry blossom done but I could totally call it now. I’ll just say I wanted something simple and understated.
“You’re doing great,” Marco shouts from his chair over the now two tattoo guns buzzing. I nod again and shut my eyes tight once more and lean my head back on the chair before I hear him say, “You got this.”
The calm in his voice is reassuring butouch.
A few minutes of torment later, I open my eyes again to distract myself by watching Freddie work next to me. Marco’s design is simple but significant. His face is unchanged from his usual easy-going stare as he watches the TV on the wall.
That’s my husband, always the calm in the center of the storm, steady in the face of any turbulence.
“Does this hurt more or less than when you got tasered in the academy?” I ask him.
