Beautiful Apparation (Tony Perry FF)

four

"Audrey, meet Hannah," Lynn gestured to the tattooed girl. She's thin, like a model practically, her hair short with bangs, and makeup done perfectly.

I smiled before giving her a handshake. "Nice to meet you Hannah."

"Back at you. We're delighted to have you on board." Her accent is something I'd have to get used to.

"So what exactly do you need me to do first?" I asked a bit anxious. What if I messed something up?

Lynn looked around the store. "We don't have any scheduled appointments for piercings to happen today. So just chill behind the register. Sound easy enough?"

"Totally." I went to where she appointed me and watched as customers came and went.

The diversity of people is so beautiful. We can all learn so much from each other if given the chance. I remember going to pride in San Francisco where diversity is celebrated. Nobody judges, not counting the observers who went down the wrong way.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when a customer approaches. Don't screw up, I thought.

"Hey, do you guys take walk in's for piercings?" He asked.

Luckily, I knew how to answer this.

"Yes, we do, but it will cost a little more than usual. What did you have in mind?"

"A monroe piercing," he answered.

"Okay, cool. All I need from you is some type of I.D.. I'm sure you're over 18, but they make me do this," I shrugged.

Without a fuss went into his pocket and presented it to me, Mike Fuentes.

"Okay Mike, follow me."

I leaded him through the curtain, to the back where my station was. It was nothing compared to the one next to mine. Unlike mine, it had stickers and photos of what I guessed were family members.

"Go on and take a seat."

He obeyed, and let his hands rest on his stomach. Yesterday, Lynn gave me some tips on how to talk to customers. Make them feel welcome and try not to let it get too quiet. I started with what Lynn asked me once she sat me down.

"So what brings you to the mall?" I asked as I got my things ready.

"I've been meaning to come get this done. My brother is shopping for his wife and he dragged me with him. Instead of waiting for him to pick between a black or pink sweater, I came here."

I laughed. "Isn't that nice? But I'm sure you know how it feels. Shopping for wives isn't easy."

"I actually haven't popped the question yet, but hell yea it is," he sighed.

"Okay, you ready Mike?"

He nodded sitting up straight.

I put on my gloves before using a disinfectant wipe to clean the area. I brought up his upper lip and picked the right place to insert the piercing. The guy didn't flinch once which I wasn't surprised by. He has a lot of ink on him so this must've felt like nothing. After screwing the piercing on, I cleaned him up.

I was actually satisfied with my work, first time in awhile.

"That was fast," Mike said surprised.

"Hope you like it," I passed him a mirror.

"This is rad, thanks."

"No prob-"

I was cut off by the ringing of his phone. He answered it, looking frustrated.

"I'm in Inked. Get over here." He hung it up. "My brother. Anyways, how much is this going to cost?"