PULSE [H.S]

003

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away."  — Philip K. Dick

I flip the 'closed' sign on the door to 'open,' signaling that the tattoo shop is open for the day.

This shop is my biggest accomplishment. She's my baby. 

If there is one thing I am proud of, it is this business and how I started it all on my own. It was a risk to open a tattoo shop when there are already so many of them in Seattle, but it turned out to be the best decision of my life.

I look through my client list, relieved to find that my schedule isn't super packed. I prep some stencils in advance to help speed up the process when the clients get here. I love when they send me their designs in advance, or come in for a consulting session, so that I can prepare for the appointments before they even arrive.

The bell rings, and Danny, my coworker, walks in.

He says, "Hey, whiz."

'Whiz' is the nickname I acquired from being a really quick tattoo artist. I'm efficient, and there's nothing I hate more than wasted time. I think the efficiency stemmed from wanting to make as much money as I could when I first opened this place. Being quick allowed me to take on more clients.

"Hey, Danny," I say, giving him a smile.

Pen walks in after him. She says with a loud voice full of accusation, "Who took my parking spot? Was it you, Danny boy?"

Danny raises his hands up in defense. He says, "Not me. It must be someone from the hair salon next door."

Pen groans, "I hate those fuckers. I miss when that was a Chinese takeout place. Now we have all these stuck up rich people coming to pay $300 for blonde highlights to hide their graying hair so they can stay in denial about their aging."

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today," I say, laughing.

She's never been a morning person. Most days, she doesn't even come in this early, which is fine with me. I'd rather she come in late than be cranky to clients. I'd also prefer not to have to deal with her crankiness myself.

Pen rolls her eyes as she turns the Keurig on. She looks at me and says, "What does that saying even mean?"

The smell of coffee quickly fills the room, filling my nostrils with a heavenly scent. I love coffee, but I think I like the smell of it even more than the taste. Buying a coffee machine for us was definitely a good call. It's great to have caffeine available whenever we need it.

Danny scratches his head and says, "I think it's superstition shit. You know how some people always have to put their right shoe on first?"

"Like how you have to fill in dragon eyes of a tattoo last," I add. They both give me a weird look. I clarify, "That's what brings them to life? I don't know, one of my Asian clients told me that years ago, and I just started following it."

Pen says, "Well, the more you know."

The first few clients walk in, ending our conversation. My first one is an anime character that I've never heard of, so I had to spend some time researching it. I show him the design options, and he picks one out. Shortly after that, I started my first tattoo of the day.

By the end of the day, my hand is cramping slightly, like it usually is after a long day. I ended up having some walk-ins, which made my day busier but my pockets fuller. I clean up my station and get ready to head home for the night.

Pen says, "Got any plans tonight?"

"Aaron's coming over for dinner," I tell her. I can see the judgment in her eyes as she looks at me. I say, "Don't look at me like that."