Inked Creations

CHAPTER TEN: "Birthday Surprise"

I wipe down my client's arm, clearing away the excess ink and revealing a fresh Death Star silhouette. The piece sits dead center of the man's left inner forearm. I check to ensure the underlying tattoo isn't showing through. Satisfied with my work, I slap on some goo and wrap him up.

"I really appreciate this, Hawthorn." The young man, named Eric, says softly. There are tears in his eyes. "I'm so glad I can wear short sleeves again, and have a tattoo I can be proud to show off. I promise to tell everyone who asks that you are the amazing artist who did this for me."

Eric came to me about a month ago. He walked in the front door, clutching one of my business cards, and told me he would pay any price to get his most regrettable mistake covered up. I had taken him back to my area and closed the curtain. He looked so ashamed when he rolled up his sleeve to reveal a large black Swastika on his left forearm. He begged me to cover it up. I sat him down, and measured the tattoo. I had him make a list of his top interests for a cover up. A week later, he decided upon the Death Star silhouette.

I wipe down my station and walk Eric out to the lobby area. His eyes are puffy, and the smile on his face warms my heart. Another satisfied customer whose life I was able to change for the better through art.

Eric pulls out his wallet, and I shake my head. "I told you, cover ups like this are free. You don't owe me anything, man."

He shoves a wad of cash into my hand, and tucks his wallet back in his pocket. "You erased an ugly part of my past. That's all I have to give, and I wish I could give you more. Please, take it as a tip. You won't charge me, so it's your tip."

Before I can protest, he heads to the front door. Pushing it open, he calls back, "Thanks again, Hawthorn" and darts out the door.

I walk over to the front desk where Kaylee is sitting with her iPad, watching the whole scene play out. I unroll the bills and start counting....

"Geez....fuckballs batman..." My eyes go wide.

"How much did he give yah?" Kaylee stands up, leaning forward.

I swallow hard. "800 bucks."

Kaylee's jaw drops. "My god! Isn't that how much that other shop charges as a flat fee for coverups?"

I nod, releasing a heavy sigh. "He must've asked them first, but couldn't afford it at the time...he probably saved this up over the month of design work I did...dammit dude."

"Are yah gunna try and give it back?"

"No. He'd never accept it. I'll use it to pass more good forward."

I head back into my booth and place the money into my lockbox with the rest of the tips I've made in the past four months. Today's my birthday, April 6th, and this year I decided to host a tattoo charity event. To celebrate turning 30, the first 10 people to walk through the doors on this coming Saturday will receive any tattoo valuing up to 200 dollars free of charge. To cover the income my artists will lose, I set aside the money myself. I'm grateful all four of my girls volunteered their services for the event, and I plan to split the money I saved up to thank them.

I have 1700 bucks saved up so far, and 7 more clients scheduled between today and Friday. One of those clients should be arriving in about 20 minutes. I put the lockbox away, and wake up my computer to print the next customer's stencil.

"Hey, I'm makin a coffee run to Bean Juice. Want a Chai?" I turn to find Kaylee in the doorway. "You've only got one more today, right?"

"Yes to the Chai," I nod. "and yes, this is the last piece I have today. It's a fairly simple piece. Should only take about three hours to complete."