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Cailin:I had my first post-divorce make-out session. Eeek! This is happening. I’m back out there.
Fiona:Isn’t it the best feeling?!
Harper:I felt so alive my first time.
Tori:Did you get it in?!
CAILIN MCCALL CELEBRATES DIVORCE IN HER 20S WITH NEW TATTOO
CAILIN
The buzzing isloud and I can hear the vibrations as a needle hoovers above my arm. I always get nervous when the needle is just about to start digging into my flesh. I have seconds to decide if I want to back out, but I never do.
“What brings you in today?” Rob, the tattoo artist asks. He’s slender, has a pierced nose and is wearing a metal band shirt. His tattoos are all black outlines. I wonder if that’s intentional or if he will eventually fill them with color. One is of a box of french fries, so I wonder how badass he really is. Or maybe, he just really likes fries.
“Documenting my goals and keeping them top of mind as I start a new chapter,” I say. My eyes are focused on the needle.
Most of my tattoos are for show, meaning that they’re cute and I like to look at them, but they don’t have much meaning. I have a star behind my ear because I thought it was cool. The flowers on my shoulder were strategically placed to show off when I wear tank tops in the summer. Those turned out to be a bad move because no one told me how painful it would be to sit through that session. But nothing at all prepared me for the pain of my foot tattoo. It’s a tiny arrow with the word “believe” between the end and tip of the arrow. But the pain was big. Tattoo studios should have pain level charts to warn you, but I suppose if they did, not many would stay in business.
This tattoo I’m getting is symbolic to me. The heart-shaped lock with a vintage keyhole in it represents the lock I had on my diaries when I was younger. This is going to symbolize that I’m not going to open my heart again and settle for another man unless it’s completely right. It’s going to remind me to follow my passions and all the dreams I wrote about when I was younger. I’m going to make myself proud.
But first, I need to make myself stop squirming.
“Sorry,” I say. Rob already wiped down the inside of my wrist and placed the outline of the tattoo on my skin. He’s ready to start and waiting for me to give the okay.
“I’m ready for this.” I close my eyes and clench my jaw.
The needle sinks into my skin and in an effort to distract myself, I make conversation with Rob. “So how long have you been tattooing?”
He doesn’t look up as he replies. “You’re actually my first. Can you tell I’m nervous? I don’t think that line I just made looks too shaky, do you?”
I take a minute to process that information and try not to show that I am completely freaked out. I didn’t sign up to be someone’s first real client.
“Oh, wow. Did you practice a lot on oranges? Or whatever tattoo artists practice on?”
I look at how much progress Rob made and debate asking him to stop right now.
Rob bursts out laughing. “You handled that better than most people I tell that line.”
“You’re joking with me?” Thank heavens.
“Gets ’em every time. I’ve been doing this for about ten years, so don’t worry, you’re in good hands.” He wipes off my wrist to show me his work and relief washes over me.
About twenty minutes of minimal pain later—thankfully—my tattoo is being covered with a special gel and wrapped. I’ll have to keep it like this for about an hour. I can’t wait to remove the bandaging, wash my tattoo, and snap a picture.
* * *
I missed a few notifications while my phone was on silent in the tattoo parlor. The first thing I see is a text from Ethan. I click on it and read:
Ethan: Just thinking about you and hoping your day is going well. Bummed Gary interrupted us last night. I’d love to pick up where we left off, though.
He left that open ended, which means the ball is in my court. Before I respond, I see an email come in from Marisol. The subject line reads: “Offer letter.”
My heart races as I open the email.
Dear Cailin,
It was a pleasure speaking with you today. I feel that your experience and passion for the work you do would make you an incredible asset to our team. Attached is an official offer, which details salary and benefits, as well as additional information.
