It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when we sauntered through the tattoo shop doors. It is a huge place with artwork and oddities all over the walls. The first thing I saw was a car with a bear rug underneath it.
I could not take everything in with one look. The room was as
varied as the people who worked there. There was one young man in a chair waiting for someone to wander in needing his services. His name was "Coop" adorable and funny but not a happy camper. We were his first customers all day. It was around 4 o'clock and he needed to earn some money. We were more than glad to oblige because we needed two tattoos. As we were making plans for our tattoos a young woman with three children busted through the door. She was this side of mad. She yells at Coop to watch the children. One little boy was about five, the second little boy may have been three and the third one was in an infant seat asleep. She plopped the baby on the counter by us and took off in a rant to an office that we thought was vacant. The baby slept. The two brothers got in a shoving match and one started crying. Coop jumped up, separated the boys and came back to work on our sketch. I asked are these yours? He said, "God NO!!" and answered the phone. About this time the mother comes out of the office mad as all get out and rushes out the door, leaving the children behind. Coup writes in an appointment and hangs the phone up. He asked us to watch the baby while he gets the other two set up watching cartoons. About this time the baby wakes up and starts to cry. Coup runs back in the office grabs the baby and runs out the door to an apartment across the street. He is gone long enough to change a diaper. I guess he phoned the manager and asked him to come out of his office and keep an eye on the place just in case he had read us wrong and we were either thieves or kidnappers. The owner knew we were harmless but made small talk with us until Coop arrived from his mission.
When Coop arrived with the baby in tow we once again discussed our tattoos for about three seconds. That is when another tattoo artist arrives. He is talking up a storm to no one in particular. He had not had a good day either. About this time I have to go to the bathroom. I asked if I could use theirs. Coop said they didn't have one in their part of the building but I could use the one in the hallway. Fine by me. When I get to the hallway there are two doors the first one was locked and the second one opened into a bar. When I opened the back door to the bar, everyone turned to see why I was coming in the back door. I no longer have any inhibitions. I do not care what people think. I am so done with that. It is very 'freeing' to feel this way. So I just told them I had to use the bathroom and the other door was locked. The lady bartender told me I had not walked far enough. The bathroom was around the corner from the locked door. I smiled and started to order a Salty Dog when I figured I had better get back to Lisa. I turned around and made my exit. I found the bathroom and was back in the tattoo shop in no time at all. Everything was still a little on the chaotic
side. The manager went back to his office, the three children were still there. The mother was AWOL, three teenagers had arrived wanting body piercings. The lady who did body piercings was the AWOL mother. Lisa and I looked at each other and laughed.
Finally, it was time for our tattoos. Coop was as ready as he was going to be that night. I wanted to go first. We had this all planned and programmed. All I had to do was sit still and let the artist work his magic. He started with my 'swath of blue background'. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would but my arm started bleeding and Coop was worried. He said it shouldn't be doing that. There was nothing I could do about that. It is just my skin. That is when he asked me how old I am. I told him and he hung his head for a few seconds. He thought I was younger than I am and he was not prepared for the thin skin. Finally, it quit bleeding and the words were completed in a flash, However, I have a blue semi arch at the beginning that looks like it has the makings of being a comet. Anyway, that is what I am gonna do to fix it. Add a silver star at the beginning and throw a couple more stars in the mix and be done with it. It will be pretty when those things are added.
Next, it was Lisa's turn. She was as excited as I was. This was a good day for us. Her tattoo went smoothly. Coop was done in no time at all. Her tattoo was perfect.
I think Lisa'a tattoo is great. As we finished up and I paid Coop, he said, "it is dark and I want to walk you ladies out." He opened the door for us. We were still cutting jokes and laughing. Coop gave each of us a hug and a kiss on top of our heads. He said for us to stay safe and to not make this my last tattoo. Sorry Coop but this is it. I got what I wanted. "If Not Now...When?" is just what I wanted and the experience was even better.
