Chapter 55 Claude

After I graduated high school, I knew I didn’t want to end up working at Denny’s restaurant like my sister and living at home. Thank goodness, I lucked out finding a job as a receptionist at a tattoo parlor and I made enough money to rent a little studio apartment. It wasn’t a bad job, mostly making appointments, keeping the lobby organized, and giving after care instructions to the recently tattooed. Big Mike was the owner. He was strictly appointment only, while his two apprentices did the walk-ins. Big Mike was not only called “big” because he was one of the owners, but because he was a tall, barrel-chested man with an intense, unapologetic personality. He came across as gruff and intimidating, but it was only because he was a perfectionist. His girlfriend treated me with indifference usually reserved for office temps. She was tall, blond, and stacked, but there was something rough around the edges and there was a rumor her breasts were fake. I’d even heard she worked as a stripper. She was a silent partner in the tattoo studio, and she and Big Mike had a volatile on and off again relationship. After a couple months of working there and withstanding his outbursts, Big Mike started to act as if I was maybe going to become a permanent part of the studio. He asked me if I was ever going to get any tattoo work done myself.