The dragonfly tattoo artist

19

The fifth month someone else died.

Christmas was approaching and the typical meaningless decorations began. Now there were lights and shines and a tree in the studio, plus special promotions that everyone had been waiting for.

The day had started well for Camila. A young cancer survivor had come out of the shop with tears in her eyes, and a little boy had admired with innocent eyes her work on one of his father's arms.

She decided to talk to Troy when her break came. She wanted to do it a long time ago, but only that day she got the courage.

"Do you have a moment?" She asked when she arrived at the warehouse. Troy smiled, and seemed to have been waiting for her.

"Only if you accompany me while we have lunch. These hours are usually very lonely."

The tattoo artist agreed. She had nothing else to do.

"Are you going to talk to me about Ally?"

"How do you know?"

"You're not very subtle, Mila."

It was something she already knew.

"Did it hurt you?"

"Knowing she was cheating? Yes. Knowing she was happy? No."

"You must love her very much."

"Yeah, and that's why I let her go. I don't want her to be by my side just because of me. I want her to be happy, and next to me she won't be."

Camila didn't understand it, she didn't know what it felt like to lose a love, but she imagined how difficult that must be.

"And why didn't you tell anyone the real reasons?" Camila questioned it. It was something she'd wanted to know from the beginning "I love Ally, but she was an idiot. I would've understood if you were angry."

"I was angry, Mila, but I didn't think it was enough reason to tell everyone about all our problems. People are cruel, and with only one mistake forget all our successes" He explained with melancholy "...I couldn't do that to her."

Camila was silent. She didn't know what else to say.

"How about you? Do you have anyone else?"

"Not yet, and I really don't care. I don't need anyone by my side to be happy."

"That makes me happy."

It really did.

"Thank you, Troy."

"Why do you thank me?"

"For not being that kind of person."

***

The painter didn't appear at the usual time, but Camila didn't have time to worry about it. The store was crowded, customers arrived in huge groups and orders increased with the passing of hours.

Lauren came at a difficult time. Several clients were waiting for their turn, a girl with little resistance to pain passed through her hands and her wrist began to hurt.

"Lauren's here." Troy notified her while the girl being tattooed, Joy, was asking for her third break in less than five minutes.

"Tell her to come in. She can always come in."

"She wants to talk to you in private" In his voice there was caution.

"Fuck, Troy. I'm really busy right now. Do you think she can wait?" Camila wasn't angry, but the pressure was on her.

Troy thought about it before he answered.

"I don't know. She looks good, but..."

"But?"