They turned out incredible.
Kelly
Glad to hear it.
That’s all you want to ask?
Kelly
Yeah.
My client Hunter and I haven’t spoken more than three words to each other the entire session. He might be as tight-lipped as I am. Fine by me, I don’t need conversation. As soon as I finish the last line and wipe him down, I kill the machine and nod.
He leans forward in my black leather chair, checking the piece in the mirror, then gives his version of what a smile would be before making a noise that’s somewhere between a grunt and a satisfied sigh.
“Is that a good sound?” I double-check to be sure.
“Mm.”
Right.
I wrap up his arm and hand him the aftercare sheet, giving him the spiel. “Wash it. Don’t pick at it. Moisturize. No hot tubs. Don’t be an idiot.”
“Mm.”
That could mean he understands or “go to hell.” Either way, I think we’re done here.
At the front desk, I take the payment since Frankie is out to lunch. Hunter digs a few hundreds from his wallet and drops them on the counter like we’re making a shady drug deal.
“Change?”
He shakes his head, then heads for the door, holding up his hand in a wave, and I return the gesture.
I think we bonded.
Once he exits, I check in Casper’s next client. He’s got a consultation with Anna Kucera next. I give her a nod. We’ve met previously, since her brother, Rhys, plays for the Minnesota Lakes with Camden, so I’ve seen her around at various Lakes Hockey events we’re expected to attend as families of the team, mostly just the big games and galas. I don’t recall ever seeing ink on her.
“First tattoo?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she replies, her voice soft and shy. She sounds nervous.
“Casper does great work. He’ll take good care of ya.”
She nods and sits on the edge of the sofa in the waiting area. Anna reminds me of a deer. Untrusting and skittish.
As soon as Casper comes to the front to get her, her shoulders relax. Everybody likes Casper, he’s warm and hospitable. Make no mistake, there are parts of him that live in the shadows, but very rarely does he reveal that side of himself. He’s a charming golden retriever the majority of the time, making friends everywhere he goes.
He greets her with a warm smile. “Anna?”
She nods and stands.
“Hi, I’m Casper.” He shakes her hand. “You can follow me back to my chair and let’s talk more about what you have inmind.” Then he leads her toward the back of the shop near his workstation.
I glance down at my watch. Frankie still has ten more minutes before she returns. Thor is in the back painting a custom sign for the shop. His hand lettering is unparalleled; people come from all over to get his script tattooed on their bodies.
Laughter comes from the piercing bay where Kelly is doing nose piercings for a group of four friends. One of them gushes, “It looks so good!” The rest chime in with positive affirmations and excited nervous energy.
“You did great!” Kelly cheers; her happy sound carries through the shop.
