Post by Rayne Draven-Omega on Mar 25, 2015 22:59:53 GMT -6
The buzzing of the tattoo needle was loud. It was a familiar sound, a welcome sound, as I look at the chosen pieces of ink that adorn my short and curvy body. Today it was not me in the chair. It was my husband, Ryan. Someone with a title as straight laced as ‘Director of Wrestling Operations’ was getting more ink. But it wasn’t just ink in general that shocked me. He was getting two pieces on each side of his neck. He wanted to do them back in Minnesota. However, the neck brace in which a Seth Iser DDT put him, finally came off. It was the last thing we did before we flew up to Winnipeg.
Ryan’s fingers gripped each armrest of the chair white knuckle tight. He didn’t want to seem like he couldn’t handle the pain so he gritted his teeth to keep from screaming in agony. His eyes were watering up and I knew he was nearing his threshold. The old english ‘D’ on his bicep, a bold pledge of allegiance to his hometown and a tribute to our late son on his calf. He never had an issue getting inked before. But these pieces made him look like he feels as if he’s having his flesh ripped away from his skin.
“Puttin’ on the tuff guy front, eh?” the artist asked.
Oh yeah the artist... Funny thing about how we chose this shop and this artist. That’s Emily Fletcher. She’s an old high school friend of mine... Go figure an Iowa girl doing tats up in Canada. She was one of the few friends who’s parents would put me up for a night after my parents kicked me out of home.
“My god! This hurts worse than getting suplexed on my head! Summamabitch!”
“Well you’re being tough enough and when the boys get older. They’re going to appreciate what their father did for them.”
“A perfect second birthday present to Aiden. Both sides are coming together,” I add. “Thanks for not asking why he would get a tattoo for Rodney on the other side of his neck, Em.”
“Why would I? He’s still your kid, righ?”
Anybody who’s known us would always refer to Rodney as our ‘adopted’ son. It’s the truth, but why was it so stressed that we adopted him? We’re raising him, bathing him, feeding him, checking for monsters under his bed. Does it matter if he grew or not inside of me? He’s an amazing child and I’m proud to be HIS mother.
“Yeah he is my kid.” I say with smile plastered across my face.
“OUR kid.” Ryan whimpers out as Emily wipes at his neck and goes back in for another round.
The sound of some bells jangle and inaudible voices converse before two of my closest friends, Reya Serra and Paxar Vega. Stepped into the studio. Paxar looked wide eyed in curiosity taking in everything that she saw. Reya winced upon noticing that Ryan was getting his neck inked.
“What, is this too scary for ya?” Em smirks at at Reya.
“It certainly is not. This just is not my interest.”
It got a little awkward. It’s the first time I saw Reya since she defended me from Brett Carson. And we haven’t spoken since. I sent her a text to meet me here, but judging by her face. She’s not all that comfortable in a tattoo parlor.
“Em, these are my sisters. Reya and Paxar. Rey, Paxy... This is Emily, she’s an old high school friend of mine.”
“So yer not a real Canadian?” Paxar tilts her head at Em.
“Paxar!” Reya exclaims pointing out her rudeness.
Emily studied them up and down and she noticed Reya’s forearm.
“‘Tainted?’ If you’re the same Reya that Ray’s been telling me about, I didn’t peg you to be the type into scarification.” Some say tattooing is taboo, scarification leaves that to shame.
Reya looks down at her arm and tries to hide the scar with her hand.
“It was not by choice,” she frowns.
“Ryan, you look like you’re about to pass out. Are you sure you don’t want to book another session?” the light handed artists asks my husband.
“I’ll be fine... Besides I don’t know the next time I’ll be able to get a flight out this way.”
When the machine gets pulled away from his neck, so Em can wipe the blood and access ink away from her canvas, Ryan motions with his eyes for me to finally speak to Reya. This causes me to stand up and grab my coat.
“Hey, Em. It was really great catching up, we should do dinner before we leave town. But I need to head out, take care of the hubby for me?”
“He’s in good hands! And I’m totes up for dinner! I’ll catch you soon?”
“It’s been ages, I hope soon.”
I smile softly at my old friend and usher Reya and Paxar out of the studio to the lobby where they grab their coats I couldn’t say anything yet. It’s been soooooo long since we last spoke. I wanted to find the right words. We exit the shop and start strolling along the downtown Winnipeg store fronts.
“How could you!?” I finally blurt out. My eyes start to well up and I knew that my mascara was gonna run at any moment. “Do you know what my life was like for the past few months while you wanted to be a superhero in Africa? Vanessa wasn’t the only one that got hurt. Paxar and I were hurt as well. You were a source of my strength. You leave you go to Liberia, and you know what I learned? I’m weak without you. I succumbed to my demons because i couldn’t think straight. My own sister ran willingly into a disease ravaged nation. Poverty, famine. And I can’t even vent without feeling guilty, like I’m the bad guy. What problems can the wife of a man who helps run a business have? What problems can the heiress of one of America’s largest corn producer’s have? What problems can I have when that compared to a hungry 12 year old who may have just contracted Ebola? Tell me Reya! Tell me now! And now Ryan tries to bridge the gap by booking us as a team? Reuniting The Awakening without consulting me? Thinking I can move on just because a Twin City title shot is in our grasps?
At this point I’m sobbing, unsurprisingly. It’s all I ever feel like I do anymore. But something caught me off guard. I was being embraced. Embraced by someone who is so formal it could make the average person puke.
“I am sorry, Rayne. It was my calling. I never meant to put anyone through that pain. Truth be told, I was miserable when realizing I was halfway across the world from my family and friends. However I cannot, do not, and will not feel guilty for attempting to help those in need. I have seen many horrors while I was away. But they were easier to cope with and with the strength of God, I was able to get through them. I witnessed a fair share of tragedy. There were miracles. However, I had to get back home. This is where I belong. My family needs me now. This is where I will stay.”
I smile in Reya’s embrace, but I softly mutter.
“I’m still mad at you, but I still love you.”
Ryan’s fingers gripped each armrest of the chair white knuckle tight. He didn’t want to seem like he couldn’t handle the pain so he gritted his teeth to keep from screaming in agony. His eyes were watering up and I knew he was nearing his threshold. The old english ‘D’ on his bicep, a bold pledge of allegiance to his hometown and a tribute to our late son on his calf. He never had an issue getting inked before. But these pieces made him look like he feels as if he’s having his flesh ripped away from his skin.
“Puttin’ on the tuff guy front, eh?” the artist asked.
Oh yeah the artist... Funny thing about how we chose this shop and this artist. That’s Emily Fletcher. She’s an old high school friend of mine... Go figure an Iowa girl doing tats up in Canada. She was one of the few friends who’s parents would put me up for a night after my parents kicked me out of home.
“My god! This hurts worse than getting suplexed on my head! Summamabitch!”
“Well you’re being tough enough and when the boys get older. They’re going to appreciate what their father did for them.”
“A perfect second birthday present to Aiden. Both sides are coming together,” I add. “Thanks for not asking why he would get a tattoo for Rodney on the other side of his neck, Em.”
“Why would I? He’s still your kid, righ?”
Anybody who’s known us would always refer to Rodney as our ‘adopted’ son. It’s the truth, but why was it so stressed that we adopted him? We’re raising him, bathing him, feeding him, checking for monsters under his bed. Does it matter if he grew or not inside of me? He’s an amazing child and I’m proud to be HIS mother.
“Yeah he is my kid.” I say with smile plastered across my face.
“OUR kid.” Ryan whimpers out as Emily wipes at his neck and goes back in for another round.
The sound of some bells jangle and inaudible voices converse before two of my closest friends, Reya Serra and Paxar Vega. Stepped into the studio. Paxar looked wide eyed in curiosity taking in everything that she saw. Reya winced upon noticing that Ryan was getting his neck inked.
“What, is this too scary for ya?” Em smirks at at Reya.
“It certainly is not. This just is not my interest.”
It got a little awkward. It’s the first time I saw Reya since she defended me from Brett Carson. And we haven’t spoken since. I sent her a text to meet me here, but judging by her face. She’s not all that comfortable in a tattoo parlor.
“Em, these are my sisters. Reya and Paxar. Rey, Paxy... This is Emily, she’s an old high school friend of mine.”
“So yer not a real Canadian?” Paxar tilts her head at Em.
“Paxar!” Reya exclaims pointing out her rudeness.
Emily studied them up and down and she noticed Reya’s forearm.
“‘Tainted?’ If you’re the same Reya that Ray’s been telling me about, I didn’t peg you to be the type into scarification.” Some say tattooing is taboo, scarification leaves that to shame.
Reya looks down at her arm and tries to hide the scar with her hand.
“It was not by choice,” she frowns.
“Ryan, you look like you’re about to pass out. Are you sure you don’t want to book another session?” the light handed artists asks my husband.
“I’ll be fine... Besides I don’t know the next time I’ll be able to get a flight out this way.”
When the machine gets pulled away from his neck, so Em can wipe the blood and access ink away from her canvas, Ryan motions with his eyes for me to finally speak to Reya. This causes me to stand up and grab my coat.
“Hey, Em. It was really great catching up, we should do dinner before we leave town. But I need to head out, take care of the hubby for me?”
“He’s in good hands! And I’m totes up for dinner! I’ll catch you soon?”
“It’s been ages, I hope soon.”
I smile softly at my old friend and usher Reya and Paxar out of the studio to the lobby where they grab their coats I couldn’t say anything yet. It’s been soooooo long since we last spoke. I wanted to find the right words. We exit the shop and start strolling along the downtown Winnipeg store fronts.
“How could you!?” I finally blurt out. My eyes start to well up and I knew that my mascara was gonna run at any moment. “Do you know what my life was like for the past few months while you wanted to be a superhero in Africa? Vanessa wasn’t the only one that got hurt. Paxar and I were hurt as well. You were a source of my strength. You leave you go to Liberia, and you know what I learned? I’m weak without you. I succumbed to my demons because i couldn’t think straight. My own sister ran willingly into a disease ravaged nation. Poverty, famine. And I can’t even vent without feeling guilty, like I’m the bad guy. What problems can the wife of a man who helps run a business have? What problems can the heiress of one of America’s largest corn producer’s have? What problems can I have when that compared to a hungry 12 year old who may have just contracted Ebola? Tell me Reya! Tell me now! And now Ryan tries to bridge the gap by booking us as a team? Reuniting The Awakening without consulting me? Thinking I can move on just because a Twin City title shot is in our grasps?
At this point I’m sobbing, unsurprisingly. It’s all I ever feel like I do anymore. But something caught me off guard. I was being embraced. Embraced by someone who is so formal it could make the average person puke.
“I am sorry, Rayne. It was my calling. I never meant to put anyone through that pain. Truth be told, I was miserable when realizing I was halfway across the world from my family and friends. However I cannot, do not, and will not feel guilty for attempting to help those in need. I have seen many horrors while I was away. But they were easier to cope with and with the strength of God, I was able to get through them. I witnessed a fair share of tragedy. There were miracles. However, I had to get back home. This is where I belong. My family needs me now. This is where I will stay.”
I smile in Reya’s embrace, but I softly mutter.
“I’m still mad at you, but I still love you.”
