Wings of Ink - 1. Story

Wings of Ink

By Lily Gilding

Claire walked into the tattoo parlor, the place empty and quiet as her girlfriend trailed behind her. Wendy had never been to such a place before, not even to the one where Claire worked, so her curiosity kept her near the door as she tried to take it all in.

Claire, in the meantime, walked up to the back of the small shop, calling for the proprietor as she stood next to the chair.

“Jack? You here, man?”

There was a clatter from beyond the black curtain separating the rest of the shop from the “employees only” section, Jack sticking his bald head past the fabric to greet her.

“Hey, Claire. Gimme a minute, alright? I’ve still got to clean up, then we can start.” As Claire nodded, he tilted his head to her right, looking past Claire’s arm at Wendy as the blonde moved to stare at a picture of Jack’s handiwork on the wall.

At Jack’s questioning look, Claire said, “That’s Wendy.” That’s all she said, and that was all Jack needed for a knowing smirk to quirk his lips.

Claire flipped him off, earning herself a chuckle as Jack went back to whatever he was doing. Turning around, Claire found her girlfriend still staring at the wall, it plastered with photos of finished tattoos. Big ones, covering any body part that could be decently exposed. Jack had done many, many smaller ones, but those photos were in albums sitting on the waiting area’s coffee table.

Wendy, however, was captivated by the largest picture. As Claire walked up, Wendy was tilting her head in that cute way that said she was thinking about something. She followed the blonde’s gaze to stare at the back of a man’s well-developed shoulders and the tribal swirls that covered them as he flexed his arms. Wendy tilted her head in the other direction as Claire hugged her from behind, the taller woman burying her nose into wavy hair as she spoke.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

Wendy leaned back, relaxing in Claire’s arms as she said, “About why people do it, getting tattoos.” She shrugged uncomfortably. “I mean, I know there are lots of personal things about it, but it hurts, right? And why do something you can’t get off your skin? I know about laser tattoo removal, but that's supposed to hurt even more. I've seen pictures online, too, and the discoloration while healing is so...”

As Wendy trailed off, Claire resisted the urge to sigh. Wendy had always had an aversion to pain and scars. She could remember a time, back when they were teenagers, when Wendy had found a pimple and promptly freaked out. One of the things she recalled the blonde ranting about was the possibility of scarring. And while Wendy’s flawless complexion proved that she had worried over nothing, Claire could see why something that was (basically) a colored scar would give Wendy the willies.

“Leaving surgery out of the equation, the permanence is part of the meaning, as much as the pain is,” is what Claire said. “It’s like life. You experience the ups and downs, you feel pain and it goes away. But the memories stay with you. Some people just want to put their memories on their skin, making them easier to remember. At least, that’s how I see it.”

Wendy turned in her arms, big green eyes looking into Claire's as she said, “Even the bad ones?”

Claire paused at that, thinking of her own tattoo. Covering everything her right wrist and up to her shoulder, it was full of the pain she had felt throughout her life. Her broken relationship with her parents, the loss of her brother that Wendy never got to meet, and even the things she hoped Wendy never found out about. But, about halfway up her forearm, a little golden bird began to fly in and out of the imagery. Never staying in one place too long and never content with any one perch it was beautiful, but fleeting. That bird was Wendy, or at least Claire’s artistic view of her before they started dating, back when they had been only friends.

“Love at first sight” had defined Wendy. She was constantly chasing boys (and girls, once they started college) always thinking that they would be “the one.” And things would seem that way, for a little while, until Wendy’s heart got broken.

It used to piss Claire off. She was there, always there, right in front of Wendy and madly in love with the little dork, but Wendy never seemed to notice. And every time she wanted to confess her feelings, well after the heartache had subsided, the blonde would set her sights on someone new and blow Claire’s plans out of the water. It had been all she could do to be there for Wendy, riding the highs and lows alongside her and lending the blonde her shoulder to cry on, even as her own heart felt like it was shattering.

By embedding Wendy onto her skin, Claire had haunted herself with the specter of love. It was always within reach but never attainable, flying away on golden wings of whimsy.

At least, that had been the case, until now. Hence the pending addition to her growing sleeve.

Claire blinked, seeing Wendy tilting her head again. Claire couldn’t help the small smile that crossed her lips, something warm settling into her chest as she thought, ‘She’s finally mine.’

After placing a light kiss on painted lips Claire murmured, “Only sometimes.” As Jack returned and called Claire to the chair, she wondered if Wendy would get it, once she saw the new tattoo. The gold bird that once flew so far and wide would finally find a place to rest, nestled against the side of a darkly colored bird.

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© 2010 Lily Gilding

Proofread by Young Sage

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