Tennessee

Winter... Again

Tennessee Monroe sat uncomfortably in the tattoo parlor. Her hands covered her face and her breathing was ragged but quiet. Her auburn hair was loose and wavy, her wide golden eyes were outlined with thick black and her long body wore a pair of worn dark pants, along with an oversized grey boat neck sweatshirt. Her entire body shook and trembled at the sight of the needles vibrating everywhere. The funny thing was that it wasn't Tennessee getting a tattoo. It happened to be her fiancé, Ben Sydney.

He was tall and well built, also wearing black jeans along with a striped sweater that exhibited his white collar and tie up top. However, Ben Sydney was taking off the layer to designate a patch of unmarked skin on his upper arm to the tattoo artist. It seemed the rest of his arms were already taken up by artwork and the last spot was being used finally.

Tennessee's hands continued to cover her eyes, displaying the simple emerald engagement ring on her finger; sometimes she would let two fingers separate to create a little window of vision for her to see the needle moving back and forth on Ben's olive skin.

"Ah, Ben. I can't watch," she said anxiously and bit at her black painted nails.

Ben turned and grinned at her, an almost Cheshire Cat beam.

"It's nearly done," Ben said kindly.

He appraised the girl sitting beside him. Her thin shoulders were hunched and she looked paler that usual. It made him almost want to laugh.

"Uh, Mary and Tommy wanted to know if there would be vegetarian options for them at the wedding," Tennessee mumbled and looked around the room, evidently trying to keep her mind off the pulsing noise of the needle.

"Oh, yeah?" Ben asked, trying to sound interested.

She gulped, "Yeah."

The fact that Tennessee had once used needles so freely gave her the chills. And ever since she had quit drugs, she had acquired a strange phobia on the whole issue, needles included.

Tennessee's mind soon wandered to her guest list and seating charts waiting for her at home. And her mind then roamed to the people she wished she could invite, mostly Lydia.

Lydia hadn't been too keen on Tennessee after Tenn chose Ben over her cousin, Paul. And Tennessee was forced to quit her job at Birds after the whole incident. But Tennessee loved Lydia and hoped that one day they could work on the whole dilemma.

But Ben's tattoo had just been finished up which led to Tennessee being torn from her thoughts and to turn to look at his bare arm. Tennessee gasped for a second. Ben Sydney had gotten her face inked on his arm. It was simple and black and white, but her hair remained red.

"How do you like it, Tenny?" Ben's raspy voice questioned, standing up and looking at his arm in the mirror.

"You are so stupid! I thought you were getting something else! Not that," Tennessee exclaimed.

Ben grinned again at Tennessee's dismay as if her anger was a compliment.

"Some people get rings and papers, babe. I get tattoos," he said with a wink and leaned down to kiss Tenny.

Tennessee pretended to be angry but felt her stomach swoop with joy at the thought that Ben was with her.

She had earned it. All of her past woes and troubles were worth it. He had left her and hurt her and almost left her in the dust. And now she was never going to let him go, and neither he to her. They had earned it.

And that is the trouble with life. Sometimes you wish it would stop. Sometimes you just want to fall asleep and wake up to find all of your problems were a dream. But the funny thing is that time heals all, even your broken heart or your resentful thoughts. So why hold on to hate? Why spend so much energy on being right? Why not let go?

Let go and love.



fin