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This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this speech from him. He’s been telling me how much he hates me nearly every day since I was born. Sometimes with words, sometimes with a blow of his fist. You think I would’ve built up a tolerance to his nastiness by now, but it still stings after all these years. If I had any sense, I would’ve cut him out of my life a long time ago. Maybe I’m a little bit of a masochist.
“Well, Dad…we can’t all be as successful in life as you,” I grit.
“You shut your fucking smart mouth.”
I easily block the fist he throws at me, gaining the attention of everyone in the bar. I’ve been bigger and stronger than him since I was fifteen, but the bastard has never stopped trying to prove his dominance over me.
“You can’t talk to me like that, boy.” He swings at me again and I move out of his way, causing him to stumble and fall into a nearby table.
There’s so much commotion in the bar now, with people coming to their feet and things crashing to the floor. Before I know it, he’s coming at me again. Only this time, I’m not quick enough to move out of his way.
“You’re going to learn some respect, you little fucker.”
I feel the sharp bite of metal in my chest, and everything starts moving in slow motion.
Screams surround me as he pulls the knife out and plunges it back in. My mind is telling me to move or fight him off, but my body is frozen with shock.
He continues his assault as my vision goes black.
The last thing I remember is falling to the ground with a thud.
The buzzing stops, and the deafening silence pulls me from my dark thoughts.
“We’re all done, man. You want to take a look?”
I nod and he hands me a mirror.
He’s done a great job. It’s exactly as I described, but I’m feeling too raw with emotion to tell him that. I can only manage another quick nod of my head before handing him back the mirror.
When I turn my attention to Lizzy, she’s inspecting my ink. “What does it mean?”
There’s a little black symbol over the worst scar on my chest—the date I received it in roman numerals just below that. It’s the one that nearly took my life. If it had been even a hair more to the left, things would have gone much differently.
The look in her eyes when she saw my scars earlier nearly slayed me. I could see and feel it all: her sadness, fear, compassion. It was overwhelming, and part of me regrets my decision to share this moment with her.
“Embrace life,” I answer, struggling to speak around the lump in my throat.
It’s strange how the worst day of your life can become the very thing that changes it for the better. The way I see it, you can choose to let the darkness consume you, or you can banish it with the light. I choose the light. I lived in the darkness for far too long.
Her face glows with a warm smile. One that makes me want to wrap her in my arms so I can soak it all up.
“That’s perfect,” she beams.
“I’m glad you approve.” I give her a wink, shoving my emotions back down. “Now, let’s talk about what you want to get.”
She frowns, squaring her shoulders as she stands. “I told you, I’m not getting one.”
“Uh, I’m going to step out. When you’re ready, you can pay up front,” Kyle interjects before rushing out the door.
She crosses her arms, her face bunching with anger. “You promised you wouldn’t try to pressure me.”
“I’m not,” I reassure her, coming to my feet to stand in front of her. “I’d like to think of it as encouraging you to face your fears.”
She huffs out a laugh. “I’m not afraid. I just don’t want to get a tattoo.”
“Yes you do. You’ve simply allowed someone else to tell you who you are for so long you don’t know what you want anymore.” My response is too harsh, my exposed emotions bleeding into my frustration.
“What the hell does that mean?”
