The Body Art

by

JANINE HILLTOP

Picture - #14
DISCLAIMERS: The names have been changed to protect the innocent. 

‘Ohhhh they’re gonna kill me,’ was the thought running through my head.  It was all my idea to get this done and I had talked them all into it.

It was the craziest idea we had hatched on our vacation. Not only did I drag my buddies from all across the world there, not only did we climb up one of the biggest mountains in the state in one day, we were all going to get our first body art to celebrate our achievement. For months we had planned the hike and the tattoos. 

‘A cat scratch, that’s all it feels like,’ the artist kept saying the whole time I was psyching myself up. 

‘Ok... Now don’t move’ I flinched just because he told me not to.  Then, buzzing from behind.  Being the body art was on my shoulder I couldn’t see what was going on but a look at Kim’s face told me I was gonna hurt.  I closed my eyes to concentrate on my ‘happy place’. 

‘A cat scratch,’ I kept telling my self. ‘I can do a cat scratch.’  I felt the pressure from the needle and waited for the searing pain that my overactive brain had concocted.  I peeked one eye open and looked at Bette’s face.  She was smiling and gave me a thumbs up sign.  I couldn’t see Donna; she was behind watching the artist. Kim was studying my face and waiting for the searing scream of pain. 

‘Cat scratch my rear end! A freaking mountain lion was chewing on my shoulder!’ I was in pain. Searing, intensely burning pain.  It felt like he was carving the design into my back with a knife.  ‘Oh my god… Why did I ever think this would work?’ I tried to keep from tensing up and pulling away from the needle.  ‘Is that a needle he’s using? This was a torture device! I’ll bet the Spanish inquisition didn’t have such horrible devices…I’m gonna look later and see blood running down my back, I just know it.’

‘Wow.. That’s not bad at all,’ I muttered keeping as neutral a face as I could.  The artist chuckled and continued his work.  When Kim turned away to watch her design being drawn up I had a chance to really let my true reaction show.  My eyes bugged out, my mouth dropped open and the tears started pooling.  Bette started laughing at me and I had to quickly close my eyes to keep the tears from spilling.

I felt someone in front of me and opened my eyes, trying to play it off as I was just relaxing.  Kim was standing there again... studying me.

‘Is it really that easy?’ she asked in a small voice.

‘Yeah... no problem. Now let me go back to napping here,’ I scoffed and closed my eyes again. ‘OHHH GOD … I’m in PAIN!!’ 

Breathe I told myself…be the pain... own the pain... live the pain... I kept repeating to myself. 

‘OHHH they are so gonna kill me!’ I just knew I was dead. ‘I shoulda just fell off the side of the mountain when I had a chance. They’ll never forgive me! Oh my god... how much longer?’

‘Ok... I’m ready to do this!’ Kim announced to everyone in the shop which was only us.  I peeked at her as she settled on the stool and the prep work began.  All too soon for my comfort the artist working on her was ready to start as I was just getting finished up. 

‘Ok, don’t move,’ I heard as I pulled my shirt back on and slowly moved to the front door trying to escape with my butt in one piece.  I had almost made it out of the shop when the scream stopped me in my tracks.

‘I AM SO GONNA KICK ….. !!!’ was the last I waited around to hear as I took off running for my life.  Oh yeah… I was dead meat.

End


Story by: JANINE HILLTOP
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