It’s only then, Stone chilling with his sunglasses on and Matty sipping a bubbly water, that it hits me. These two are the perfect people to ask about my situation.
“You both know a lot of artists, right?”
Matty and Stone exchange a glance. “Sure,” Matty answers brightly. “Why?”
I scratch my beard, trying to figure out what I want to ask. “I didn’t sell any of my illustrations last night, and the coffee shop doesn’t pay enough to cover my art supplies.”
“Ah,” Matty nods. “The eternal problem.”
“You looking for work?” Stone asks.
“I guess so,” I admit. “Something that pays better, but doesn’t devour all my art time.”
“Freelance gigs?” Matty asks.
I shake my head. “You have to hustle to find the work. I’m no good at that. I’m a bad professional.”
I have a long history of clashing with my jobs, unfortunately. I can play nice and put a tie on for a few weeks, but I’m actually no good at pretending. The part where your boss is a jerk and you’re supposed to ignore it? Or how you’re always forbidden from mentioning that the company was caught dumping toxic chemicals in people’s drinking water?
That part I really struggle with.
“I don’t know of any jobs,” Stone says, then nods to my hand, which is lazily entertaining Muffin. “But you’re great with animals. Maybe you could work with a vet?”
“Oh my god!” Matty yelps, leaning forward on his lawn chair suddenly. “I got it!”
“What?” I laugh, entertained by his enthusiasm.
Matty lowers his voice and throws his eyes between me and Stone. “You should be a tattoo artist,” he says. “You’re already a brilliant illustrator. Can’t you see it?”
A tremble surprises me, an emotion I can’t place.
“Huh,” Stone says. He crosses his arms over his chest and leans back in his chair. “You do have a great hand. And you love to ask me questions about work.”
“And it totally fits your lifestyle,” Matty adds eagerly, looking right at me. “You can make your own schedule, and you don’t have to dress any specific way. Hell, you could probably even play your weird robot music while you work.”
I look down at myself. I’m wearing two mismatched socks, one with apples on it and the other bright pink, both pulled up my calf. My illustrated shirt is pretty bright, but my rope bracelet and stone necklace are pretty normal.
I will admit that the electronic music I listen to is weird as hell.
I adjust my glasses. When I was a kid, I did dream sometimes about being a tattoo artist. I used to love to draw all over myself, so it was kind of a natural thing to consider. When I got older, I guess I got focused on my pen illustrations, but my interest in tattoos never died. I constantly catch myself staring at a stranger’s ink and wondering about the technique behind it.
Tattoo artists are sexy, and you have to respect someone who works with no room for error. I guess I just never considered that a sci-fi geek like me could actually work in that field.
I glance between my friends. “I only have two tattoos,” I point out. “The moon on my calf and the one you gave me, Stone.”
“A moon and a matching tattoo with Alexander? That’s a great start,” Matty assures me, then displays his arm, which is rapidly filling with bright ink, a dazzling scene with puppets and animated characters, all in swirling motion together. “You’ll have more in no time.”
I laugh as I look at Stone, who has a contented smile while he watches Matty show off his ink. “Well, I won’t have a partner madly in love with me to do the work for free,” I point out.
I rest my hand on my bicep, where my tattoo with Alexander is, high up toward the shoulder. We have this thing we do where we bump shoulders, so for our friend tattoo, we decided to get each other’s initials right in that spot.
“Well, it won’t solve your problem today, anyway,” Stone says, his voice low and even. “Takes years of training, and you want a job now, it sounds like.”
“Yeah,” I sigh, although I’m disappointed. I love the tattoo artists I’ve met through the shop, and it’s flattering to imagine myself included with their serious talent, even just for a second.
He shrugs. “Come by the shop sometime. If you decide it’s something you’re interested in, I can certainly tell you more.”
I give him an appreciative smile. Stone has been so good for Matty, steady and even, and his support has allowed my old friend to flourish. Although I am totally against relationships personally, I can acknowledge how good they are for other people.
