Encre Saisissante

Life is miscellaneous.

That’s all that I've decided about mine. Everything is different and mixed up and diverse and just any other synonyms that I can think of. There are all sorts of unusual people, all sorts of unlike happenings coming together to make each other’s lives different as well. Not one being on this earth is the exact same, or has the same approach than another, but we do grow and base opinions and views on what we know or how we’ve seen things done. It’s unique, really. Life is unique and wonderful and sometimes very scary and slightly insane and miscellaneous.

I meet all types of people every day and they give me insight. They give me stories and feelings and attitude and something to look forward to. I've heard it all, envisioned what goes on from their descriptions of their life journeys. Every tale was intense, be it sad or happy, one of loss or gain. I take what they say and let it affect me. I let it course through my body and circle my brain and then wrap its self around my heart. And then I create.

I'm a tattoo artist. I create a bond and relationship with my customers and then I try my very best to give them what they want, what’s meaningful to them. Ofcoarse there’s the occasional dud who just wants to up his muscle image, or the sex kitten wanting to draw attention to her mid lower back, but the customer’s always right, right? Yeah, I agreed to disagree.

Having this job was the most exciting thing about my life, it pretty much was my life. Other than inking deserving clients I roomed in a small apartment in down town Providence Rhode Island with my best friend Todd. I woke up at six in the morning and I made us coffee. I ran around in my pajamas while he hogged the TV and then we got ready for work. He was Encre Saisissante’s shop manager so we saw each other twenty four seven, all the time. We’d go home in our beat up old Volvo and then watch movies all night. Sure we made a lot of money, but we were saving up for a real adventure. Or, the hopes of one. We both figured that if each of us were single when we were thirty then we’d go to Europe. That would be when our true excitement began.

Until then people to continue to inspire me with their genuinely awesome chronicles and wish to give them a sort of permanent reminder on their body. I live through them, as I don’t have a life of my own. No relationship, no pets. No hobbies and no family. It’s me and Todd.

Todd and I. We’ve known each other forever. As long as I've been twenty eight, I've know Todd Choate. I was left on the concrete steps of the orphanage when he was only two and he’s been like an older brother to me ever since. Not that I didn’t have a crush on him or anything. Okay, so I had a really big crush on him. But Todd and I were more than flimsy feelings, I thought. We had a friendship and I didn’t want it to be wasted on acting upon wishful thinking. Plus, he’s dated more woman than Austin Powers! If he wanted me, we would have been together from the start, right?

Well, we have…been…together…

It was only one night. One night, a month ago. It didn’t mean anything and it wasn’t serious. He doesn’t even remember. We went to a party that night, for the shop owner’s birthday. We drank, we laughed, we went wild and I guess we got horny. It happened. Todd and I happened, but it isn’t a big deal. I even left his bed before he woke up, I eliminated evidence and split. That’s that. Nothing said, nothing to worry about. No awkward morning or aftermath what so ever. So that means, I guess I lied. I guess my life was somewhat scandalous. But one instant doesn’t direct a whole way of living, does it?

Oh, it definitely does. Because now, now I wouldn’t be living vicariously through the people who come into the shop day to day. Now I would have a life. I have a whole new life ahead of me because of Todd. Because of what Todd and I did together. Because of what we didn’t do together! And it was…mind blowing…

It’s incredible to think that something as trivial as having sex with your best friend during a drunken stupor can even cause such a change. Just one time. One time and I miss my friggan period. One time and I have to take a home pregnancy test during my lunch break at work. One time, and on my birthday I find out that I'm going to have a baby.

In nine months I was going to be giving birth to a child…

A child who might not even have a father. Todd might not even want to have a kid! I mean, I knew he wanted them, but I don’t think he wanted them with me. I don’t think he wanted anything with me other than a forever friendship. I don’t even know how I'm going to tell him…

I heard a click and then gears grinding together. I blinked, slowly and then turned toward the culprit. Todd, speak of the devil. He gave me a goofy grin, and retrieved the photo from his vintage Polaroid camera. He shook it, making the outcome faster.

“Happy Birthday, Becca! You look… miserable…” he said frowning once he saw my picture. I laughed, dryly. He put the camera and the snap shot on the back counter and sat on the stool next to mine. “What’s wrong? Usually you go nutso on your B-Day!” He asked, rubbing my shoulder gently. I half smiled and shrugged.

“I have to tell you something…” I said, trying not to sound too cliché. I figured I'd nip it in the bud right at the start, no stalling for me.

He grinned. “Well you can tell me at lunch, I'm taking you out!” he said, kissing me on the cheek before hopping down, grabbing his things and leaving before I could say or do anything else. Taking me out? Nothing out of the ordinary. Kissing my cheek? Very unusual.

I covered my face and whimpered, feeling helpless, and I got up. I went out the closet and grabbed my hoodie and slowly put it on.

“Can you believe it?”

I jumped and turned around to find Erin, my boss. Her grin always made me think that she was up to something, now more than ever.

“Uh, believe what?” I asked, adjusting my clothing. She rolled her eyes.

“Dip shit, Todd going to talk about taking your relationship to the next level!” whispered at the highest octave possible. My eyes bugged out of my sockets. “Yeah, right? I told him to make a move ‘cause I knew you’d say yes!” she grinned again. That’s when I learned that Erin in fact was always up to something.

“Uhm…oh…” I blinked. I looked at her and then over her shoulder and into the shop. I could see Todd tapping his foot nervously near the door, looking down at the zebra rug. “Oh my god….” I whispered to myself.

Today was just full of surprises…