Across the road from a diner a neon sign flashes, “Beyond
Taboo Tattoo”.
"I wonder what they would do if I rolled in there with my
walker and demanded a tattoo on my rump.”
“Oh Claire, you are such a card. I suspect they would call ….”
Nadine stopped and stirred her chili. “They
would think you had lost it.”
"Nadine, they put a tat on an eighteen year old, why wouldn’t
they put one on an octogenarian.”
“Oh my, first blonde tint, now you are doing all that ‘jive’
talk, tat, good lord. My dad told my
brother when he went to fight in World War II, “Don’t you come home with a tattoo or foreign woman.”
“Wasn’t your sister-in-law from Germany?”
“Leroy didn’t get a tattoo. My son, Jerry hates tattoos more
than Leroy and dad put together. It must be in the blood.”
A thin man with inch wide stretchers in his ear lobes,
hipster jeans, and worn black Metallica t-shirt enters.
"You know who he is Claire?"
"He does look familiar."
"It’s Kenny Alvarado."
“How could I forget him and all those aggravating parent
conferences with his mother Jeannette."
Kenny Alvarado gives a polite nod to Claire and Nadine as he
approaches the lunch counter.
The lunch counter manager says, “How’s business?”
Kenny shrugs, “I just finished working on this smelly and I mean smelly dude today. Tattoed
his girlfriend’s name on his chest. Imagine someone wanting to be in the same
room with that smell. Boss says, he don’t care if an old dude with a smelly
diaper wants a rose on his ass. Business is slow.”
“Gotta make hay while the
sun shines.” Intones a man sitting next to Nadine.
"Hmmm, I think I’ll have a piece of cheesecake Claire."
"I thought it gave you gas Nadine."
"So does chili. Today is the day I get a tattoo from
Kenny. I want my son Jerry to tell Kenny what he thinks about my tattoo."
I am quite familiar with tattoo parlors and I can only hope the smell of antiseptic and ink overpowers the smelly guy xD
ReplyDeleteI would like to visit one. I have nothing against tattoos. I was just born to go against the flow. I've seen some great looking tattoos on some great looking bodies. I've seen some bad tattoes. I'm aesthetically ruled so the metaphysical aspect eludes me.
DeleteAnd why not get a tattoo when you're old, guess you won't have to remove it... :-)
ReplyDeleteThere is a woman around seventy who has a huge dagger on her leg. She uses a walker and weighs close to 300 pounds. I can understand the fashion and appeal of a tattoo. I had thought of getting a small one when I was young. I was teasing my 82 year old mom about lets go get a tattoo when we were shopping in town. This came from that joking.
DeleteOh, and I love the tattoo she is thinking of getting, too!!
ReplyDeleteFun read, this piece!
They children who were difficult fade as time goes by. Usually, they had difficult lives. The bratty ones usually paid their parents back in spades for the grief they made at school. In the end we are all flawed and human. I just like the idea of giving a kid heck as an adult as payback.
DeleteNadine is one feisty lady. Kenny would take the afternoon off he knew what was good for him :)
ReplyDeletelaughs, an eye for an eye.
DeleteI would get one if my skin weren't so sensitive to everything. Have it all picked out and know where I'd want it. Seems many in my age range desire tattoos or many got them for their 50th birthday ;-O I'd want it in a non-smelly place though...spa atmosphere. Really like this story. Makes me still want to get the tat.
ReplyDeleteI'm open minded about tattoos. I don't like someone 18 getting one for obvious reasons. I'm just at that point where I am aging in a visible way. I don't want a tattoo out of vanity.
DeleteAge is a number, attitude is a constant, I love Claire and Nadine LM x
ReplyDeleteMy dad would always say he had young blood. He just kept it in an old container. Thanks.
Deleteprobably best to wait. I've seen several on patients after many years of gravity taking over...they don't usually end up like they started out
ReplyDeleteYou have probably seen some roses become long stemmed ones. I always liked that joke.
DeleteThis was a priceless story; very well-structured. I loved the humour in it all the way through. Claire and Nadine are really well-thoughtout characters. Thanks for a really good story. I enjoyed it a lot. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteHaha - great back and forth, and I love Claire's rebelliousness.
ReplyDeleteTo steal someone else's line from last weekend's post, we all love a bad guy. lol
DeleteGreat characters, I really liked this piece.
ReplyDeleteA rose on his ass. That sounds French.
ReplyDeleteHaha I do not think Kenny is aware of the peril he is in right now!
ReplyDeleteI know. laughs.
DeleteThis is so fun! I can picture the two ladies having this chat. Wonderful piece!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteGreat dialogue.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteHooray for tattoos on octogenarians! This is the kind of grandmother I hope to be one day. Of course, I've already made a lot of headway in the tattoo department, but I'm sure I'll still have some open skin at 80 ;) Loved this, great conversation.
ReplyDeleteMight have to temporarily flatten out the folds at 80. lol, I hope you live long enough to follow through.
DeleteEwwww. :-) I love this. Such a unique place to take the prompt. Thanks for linking up.
ReplyDeleteLoved this fun read Ann:-)
ReplyDelete