Oil & Ink

Chapter 4: Tourist Season

Thousands of tourists headed west to get to the national parks in various waves from April to October each year. April and May had beautiful weather that was perfect for hiking and outdoor sightseeing. July and August were the most popular months to visit the parks, even though the weather was hotter. September and October were great for tourists who didn't want crowds and appreciated milder weather.

These crowds, of course, benefitted Tucker's and other stops along the route. It was easy to count on busy days during those months, but it was much quieter from November to March. It wasn't totally dead then; there were more seasoned tourists who liked to brave the weather to catch the sight of deep snow.

Charlie knew that those colder months were obviously not great for business, but he also knew that lots of cities had seasonality. There were places that thrived during festival seasons or cities that made their annual income just during the winter holidays.

It was the beginning of May, and Charlie knew the days ahead would be busy. He stayed late on a Wednesday night to take inventory of his supplies so he could place an order and get ahead of the crowd.

He pulled out boxes of latex gloves, cleaner, and the ink cannisters and started to count them. He recorded the numbers in his notebook, recalling how busy he was this time last year. He didn't want to overspend, but even if he ordered a little bit extra, it would get used eventually.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" Sara asked him, leaning her upper half over the short wall.

Charlie didn't look up. "I'm counting everything I have so I can order enough for the rush," he said.

"Sooo... how busy is it going to get?" she asked. She had only worked during the slower months.

"It's usually pretty steady," Charlie said. "Not like a big crowd at once or anything, just constant."

"Hmm...ok." Sara let her voice trail off. "Do you think I'll get more hours?"

"I mean... did you ask for more hours?" Charlie asked, putting the boxes back on his shelf.

"I wrote down my availability for summer, which is every day," she said.

"Trying to save up for school?" Charlie asked.

"Mmm... no, not really," she said. "I still live at home and take online classes."

Charlie assumed Sara still lived at home, just because she didn't work full-time at Tucker's. There probably wasn't a way she could be fully on her own making the minimum wage he assumed Tucker's provided. But Charlie hadn't thought much else about it.

"Oh yeah? How is that?" Charlie asked.

"I don't love it," she said, pulling her long, dirty blond hair up into a ponytail on top of her head. "I wanted to go away for school and meet new people, but my parents made me stay home."

Charlie grunted. "I know what that's like," he said.

"You stayed at home for school?" she asked, feeling understood.

"No, I went to school a few hours from where I grew up," Charlie said. "I meant that I know what it's like to have to do things your parents say."

Sara crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah," she paused. "That's why I was hoping for more hours during the busy season so I could get out of the house."

"I get it," Charlie said. "I'm sure if you tell Hank you want more hours, he would give them to you."

"You think the schedule for next week is up?" she asked.

But before Charlie could answer, she'd turned on her heels and hurried to the back room. A few moments later, she came back out holding a clipboard with the schedules on it.

"I grabbed this from his desk," she said, grinning. She started flipping through the spreadsheets clipped onto the board. Tucker's was in no way technologically advanced. Schedules were still handwritten, and everyone manually clocked in using a sheet by the back-office door. Charlie didn't get paid by the hour — only by way of his customers — but he kept track of the days and hours he worked in his notebook, just in case.

"It looks like I've got more hours next week," she said, her eyes still scanning the pages. "But who is Barb?"

Charlie looked up from his now organized and counted inventory. "Huh?" he asked. "Probably someone new. They usually hire a few more people during the busy season."

Sara shrugged and pulled her phone out of her back pocket to take a picture of the schedule. She ran to the back and returned without the clipboard. She had a dust broom and started pushing it around the parameter of the store.

Charlie packed up his things, ready to head home. He waved in Sara's direction. "See ya tomorrow," he said.

"Goodnight," she yelled back without looking in his direction.

On his drive home, he thought about the possibilities the busy season might bring. He looked forward to seeing more people come in and hearing about their tattoo ideas. Of course, it was an opportunity to pay down some of his debts and set aside money for those slower months, too.

This would be his third busy season at Tucker's and each time, he had bigger expectations for it. This was partly because he felt more established each year. He hoped more people would come to Tucker's specifically to see him and not just because they were passing through the area.

When he got home, Charlie got on his laptop to place the order for his supplies. He hated spending so much money at once, but he knew turning away potential business because he didn't plan ahead was much worse.

His supplies would arrive at the shop within the next week. With that, he went to the fridge to make a sandwich. He ate while scrolling through Instagram, liking posts from some of his favorite artists. He felt hopeful about the season ahead.

It was the first time in a while he was really looking forward to something.