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“Okay,” I said, rubbing my palms together as I looked around the shop, trying to find details I’d missed or things I’d forgotten to do. It was only eight-thirty, but it looked like everything was ready. “Should we open the doors early?”
“Why not,” Xavier said. He turned on the stereo, found a funky upbeat playlist, and I unlocked the front door.
The women milled in, looking nervous, their eyes darting around. I’d been here for so long now, I’d forgotten how intimidating it could be for a newcomer: the tattoo designs, equipment, and the three bulky guys didn’t help, but I could. I plastered on my widest smile and spread my arms out in a gesture of openness.
“Welcome to Tattoo Workz! Are you all getting nipple tattoos today?”
The women visibly relaxed and nodded. I handed them the print-outs, and they sifted through the pages, occasionally holding them up to their chest to get an idea of how the nipple would look on them.
“What’s your name?” I asked one woman, who’d settled on a nipple that was a light coffee color.
“Lana,” she said. She wasn’t as old as the other women, perhaps in her mid-thirties, and I wondered if she was my age when she was first diagnosed. “What do you think about this one?”
Without seeing her naked, it was hard to tell. She was wearing a thin white sweater that obscured her shape, but the nipple’s color looked like it would suit her skin tone.
“I think it looks great,” I said, and gave her a consent form to complete before introducing her to Xavier, who made her feel comfortable by explaining the process before steering her into his curtained workstation. The next woman picked a wide nipple with a pink hue, and the one after her selected a darker one that looked like it stuck out more prominently.
Now that all three artists were busy with clients, the rest of the women waited while the sound of buzzing filled the shop. I cranked the music up, unsuccessfully trying to drown it out, but reduced it to our normal volume when I realized it was making it harder to hear what people were saying.
After an hour or so, the first woman emerged from her session with a massive grin on her face.
“How’d you go?” I asked.
“I love it!” she exclaimed and pulled up her sweater to show the waiting women her cling-wrap covered nipple. “How realistic does this look?”
I smiled, so happy that she was satisfied with Xavier’s work. He opened his curtain and scrolled his pen down the list of names I’d made, based on the order people had come into the shop.
“Yolanda?”
Another woman followed him behind the curtain, and I crossed her name off the list. The queue of waiting women was getting longer now, and it snaked outside the shop. We had to prop the door open, so I kept watch for Nathan. So far, there had been no sign of him.
Jackson finished with his client as well, and he called out the next name.
“Kristen?”
I knew they weren’t going to rush their work no matter how many people were waiting, and it was already nine-thirty. The chances of us getting through everyone outside were slim, and that was assuming nobody else turned up through the day.
I didn’t think it was possible, but maybe I’d advertised the eventtoowell.
I wished I knew how to use a tattoo gun, then I could have helped. I briefly wondered how hard it would be — my sketches had improved by leaps and bounds since I’d arrived here, and although my skills weren’t in Jackson’s league, I was sure I could draw a fairly realistic nipple.
Don’t even think about it, I warned myself. The guys made tattooing look easy, but I knew that was because they’d been practicing for years. I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting a tattoo from someone who’d never done one before.
The idea that we might have to turn people away made me nervous, but when I suggested it to Xavier, he said not to worry about it.
“How can I not?” I asked. “I’ll feel terrible if they wait all day and have to leave.”
“We’ll get through everyone, I promise,” he said, and gave me a wink. “Why don’t you buy donuts and coffees with my credit card.”
I hesitated. What if Nathan found me? Xavier saw my reluctance, and his green eyes widened as he realised I thought he meant going to the shops by myself.
“You can get them delivered, of course,” he said. “I’ll cover the delivery fee.”
I did as he instructed, ordering enough coffee for everyone and an assortment of snacks that people could graze on while they waited.
I’d expected Cora to show up to see how everything was going, but I hadn’t seen her. When I checked my phone, she hadn’t left a message either, which seemed odd.
Maybe she’s at work, I thought. Cora’s nursing job was intense, and this wouldn’t be the first time she’d forgotten to contact me.
