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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Comedy / Humor
- Published: 02/22/2011
TATTOO GRANNY
Born 1960, F, from Frenchburg, KY, United States![TATTOO GRANNY](/storage/story/4694110223021832-image(285x285-crop).jpg)
TATTOO GRANNY
By Janice Walters Rawlins
copyright 2010
Foreword:
Dear Reader,
I had a great time writing Tattoo Granny and I hope you enjoy reading about Tattoo Granny as much as I enjoyed writing about her. I hope my book makes you laugh out loud and touches your heart as well.
If you have a favorite Granny, maybe you’ll want to put her tattoo on your arm so that she will always be around. Maybe she’ll even come to life. Naw, that doesn’t happen in real life… or does it?
Dedication:
This story is decided to all of the grandmother’s whose love and guidance have been the stepping-stones in their grandchildren’s lives.
Chapter 1
Jessie Sorrell was a seventeen-year-old boy who loved his Granny more than any kid could imagine. Granny Sublet was a retired nurse. She was married over fifty years to her long-time sweetheart, Herb Sublet, who passed away from cancer several years earlier. They both loved their grandson Jessie, who was a bit of a grandma’s boy.
Granny was a petite woman with a big character who always wore her grey hair twisted on top of her head. She was a prankster and loved to laugh, but more important, she wanted her grandson to always care about the elderly. She was well loved in her small community and an advocate for seniors. She had a heart of gold.
Jessie was a caring, considerate young man who had brownish-blonde hair and a stocky, muscular frame. He was generous and loved doing volunteer work; he would often go to the local nursing homes to play Bingo with the elderly. Jessie and his Granny were together every day while he was growing up. His friends would spend nights at her house. Growing up with a Granny who was so full of love and laughter made Jessie’s childhood a truly wonderful time.
Time slipped away and suddenly Jessie had grown up. He graduated high school, worked at the Happy Pappy Pizza Parlor, and had plans to go to college to become a social worker to help the elderly. He had one special dream and that was go to go to Hawaii to watch the hula girl’s dance.
When Jessie turned eighteen, his plan was to get a tattoo of a hula girl on his arm. He had been saving money to pay for the tattoo for a long time, and it was to be his “coming of age” birthday present to himself.
The day of Jessie’s eighteenth birthday, Granny called to wish him happy birthday, and to ask him to stop by her house. She had a special gift for him. He had all the best intentions to stop at his Granny’s first, but he got another phone call before he left his house. His friend Andy asked him to stop over at his house because he and his twin brother, Markus, had a gift for him.
As he was leaving, Jessie wrote his mom and dad a note telling them that he was going to his Granny’s. He then grabbed the keys to his 1980 Comprise station wagon and off he went.
Andy and Markus Breathalyzer were Jessie’s best friends. They were both pranksters and Jessie had to be on his toes around them. The Breathalyzer brothers were both tall, skinny-framed boys with dark hair and brown eyes. They loved their dad, but missed their mother, who was absent due to their parents’ divorce. The brothers had chosen to live with their dad because their mother had moved to another town, and Andy and Markus did not want to leave their friends.
Jessie arrived to find the brothers sitting on the front porch waiting for him with big grins across their faces. They handed him their gift; it was a small hula girl to put on the dashboard of his car.
Andy said, “We know you really want a hula girl tattoo on your arm, but this is the best we could do.”
Markus yelled out, “Jessie, do a hula dance for us like the hula girls!”
They all laughed and got to talking. Before Jessie realized it, over an hour had slipped away. Jessie liked being with his friends and joking around, but he was eager to drive to the tattoo parlor and finally get the tattoo he had wanted for so long. As he thought about finally being eighteen and getting his tattoo, he started getting very excited, and then all of a sudden, he remembered he was supposed to stop by Granny’s first.
Markus said, “You have wanted a hula girl tattoo for as long as we have known you. So, let’s get going.”
“Andy, Markus, I have to go to my Granny’s. Dang it! I promised her that she would be the first to see me on my eighteenth birthday. The tattoo will have to wait a little longer. I really have to go, guys. See ya later.”
Jessie ran and jumped into his car and drove to Cornwell Drive. It was about ten minutes away from Markus and Andy’s house. As Jessie rounded the corner, he could see Granny’s driveway. He was driving the speed limit, which was only five miles per hour. There he saw his mom and dad’s car and a police car and the ambulance. He started to get upset, not knowing what was going on. Upon arriving, he found the main driveway full of emergency vehicles. Immediately, Jessie knew something was wrong. It was no birthday party. He was getting very nervous as he slowly drove closer to his Granny’s driveway.
He pulled onto the other side of the curb, because the ambulance was in the driveway. He swung the car door open and quickly ran to the house, reached out and grabbed the doorknob in such a hurry that he stumbled through the doorway. His dad was standing near the window and his mother was sitting on the small sofa. She was crying softly with her head bowed down. Immediately, Jessie knew something was wrong. He moved closer to his mom. She gently touched his leg and looked up at him. He saw the look in her eyes and the tears streaming down her cheeks.
Glancing anxiously around the living room, Jessie saw the emergency crew gathered in a circle around the other couch, but they were blocking his view of the couch. He started moving closer until he was right beside a paramedic who was putting away all the equipment. Jessie touched his arm and asked, “What’s going on? What happened? Is Granny all right?”
The paramedic looked at him sadly and said, “I am sorry, son, but there was nothing we could do. She was gone. We tried our best to save her. We are so sorry.”
As some of the paramedics began to move away, Jessie saw Granny lying on the couch with her eyes closed; the emergency technicians were covering her and shaking their heads.
“Mrs. Sorrell, we‘re so very sorry. She’s gone.”
Jessie was in shock. He could not believe what he was hearing. “What do you mean she’s gone?” he blurted out.
“Sorry, son,” said his dad. “Granny had a heart attack.”
Jessie grabbed his head and paced, going around in circles. “I promised, I promised her, it is my fault! If I had not stopped by Andy’s, she would still be here.” He kept repeating, “Dad, it’s my fault. She asked me to come by here first. I promised, Dad.”
“Son, calm down. It is not your fault. Even if you had been here, there was nothing you could have done.”
Jessie watched in disbelief as the paramedics pulled the white sheet up, covering Granny’s face. “Granny, I promise you, somehow I will make it up to you.”
“Jessie, she is gone. Granny cannot hear you,” his mother whispered.
“She was waiting for me,” said Jessie. He lifted the sheet and leaned over to kiss Granny good-bye. He shut his eyes as tears rolled down his face and onto Granny’s cheek.
“Son, we have to leave now,” said the Coroner. The coroner’s crew lifted Granny onto a stretcher and put her in the Hurst.
Tears streamed down Jessie’s face; he wanted so much to hold Granny’s still-warm hand.
His mom walked over, hugged him, and said, “You can’t blame yourself. We all know how much you loved her, and Granny knew it too. She would not want you to blame yourself. Come home with us now. We have to let these people do their jobs, and we need to start making the arrangements for Granny’s funeral.”
Jessie walked over and sat down in the big chair he always loved to sit in when he was at Granny’s. He looked at his dad and mom and said, “You all go on.”
“Jessie, are you sure?” his dad asked.
“Yeah. I might stay here for a while. I will be okay. Please just go. I will call you later.”
“Are you sure, Jessie?” his mother asked.
“I am sure,” he said with a look of sadness. “I want to be here alone and think.”
While he was alone sitting in his favorite chair, tears swelled up in his eyes, his mind took him back to his fondest memories of Granny. He just leaned back, relaxed, and let his mind recall all the memories, the good, and all the funny things Granny would do and whatever came to mind. He wanted to just grasp everything at that moment. When he shut his eyes, it seemed she was there. His memories took him to the beach, and how he loved to swim. He remembered the big floppy hat Granny wore, and everyone looking at it. Granny never cared what people thought about her. She would see people looking and just laugh and tell Jessie, “We are here to have fun, not to worry about what people think.”
He sat there for hours. It was nearly eight o’clock when he finally realized what he could do his with memories of Granny. He got up and went into the bedroom where she kept all her photo albums and quickly thumbed through them to find a certain picture. After looking through a few of them, he finally found the picture he wanted. It was a picture of Granny that he had taken of her only a few months earlier. She was wearing a pretty, light-blue dress and her favorite black shoes. She told him the shoes were magical when she wore them both together. She always told him stories, and this was only one of many. Granny Sublet could make a story come alive.
He went to her closet to take a look at the blue dress and favorite shoes and they were gone. He wondered if his mom and dad had taken them for Granny’s funeral.
“Mom knew they were Granny’s favorites,” Jessie thought to himself.
He remembered how she had always said she wanted to be buried in her favorites. As he was getting the picture out of the album, his mind was going in circles, with so many feelings of hurt and guilt. He should have stopped by her house as he had promised. He walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. He called Andy and told him and Markus to meet him at the tattoo shop at eight thirty. Jessie hurried as fast as he could; he knew the shop closed at twelve. It was his birthday, so he was going to be with his friends. He put the picture of Granny into his billfold, locked up everything, and left.
When he made it to the tattoo shop, there stood Markus and Andy Breathalyzer waiting for him.
“What is going on, Jessie?” Markus asked.
“Yeah, man, you look like you lost your best friend, but we know better than that,” said Andy with a slight grin.
Markus noticed Jessie wasn’t grinning back and knew something was wrong.
“What’s up? It’s your birthday and we know you are going to get a tattoo. You’re eighteen now, so no problem, right?” asked Markus.
“Hula girl, hula girl, you rock my world,” Andy sang. “The tattoo is waiting for you. Hula, girl is what you’ve wanted for a long time, so now you backing out?” asked Andy.
“No, guys, it’s my Granny… she passed away today.”
“Golly! Oh, Granny Sublet, the little old lady who chased me down the lane because I ate all her nutty cookies? Man, we are sorry,” said Andy.
Markus said, “Yeah, man, I’ll never forget when she babysat for our dad until he found a nanny for us. Granny Sublet left an impression on me. I remember the time I found her X-lax and thought it was chocolate candy and ate three of them. She had warned me not to bother them because she needed them for her bowels. Heck, I never knew what the word bowels meant at the age of seven, but I found out soon enough. I tried them anyway, and the bathroom was my best friend, it and a whopping bellyache. Granny had to put ointment on my little raw butt.” He grinned. “That stopped me from being so nosey.”
Andy and Markus were trying their best to comfort Jessie by bringing up some funny memories of Granny.
Jessie said, “I was at your house when I should have been with my Granny. All I could think about was being eighteen and getting a stupid tattoo of a hula girl, so I would be Mr. Cool, but it is too late…” Jessie just kept rambling on and on about his Granny.
Finally Markus said, “Jessie, you have to stop doing this to yourself, man. Your Granny would not want you to do this to yourself.” Markus took a deep breath and looked over at Andy. “Here, man, this is the other gift we got for you.”
“Yeah, I found this bottle of stuff in my dad’s bedroom. He will never miss it. There was at least a crate full.” Andy said, as he stood there holding a bottle of 90-proof something called “No Man’s Land.” “Yea, I figured with a bottle saying 90 on it that is was almost 100% good.”
Markus laughed and said, “Sorry man, we don’t drink either, but we do know the good stuff and it says 100%. That means top of the line in quality.”
Andy stood there and scratched his head and said, “Yes, that sounds about right. So, buddy, we tried our best to get the very best for our friend.” None of the boys knew that 90 proof meant how much alcohol was in the bottle.
Jessie said, “Guys, I don’t know about that. I never heard of that brand, and you all know we never drank before.”
Andy said, “Looks like we all need a little something. There is just too much going on. My dads tried it and, believe me, he said it would take you to a place called no man’s land. I should know. After he drank the whole bottle, he was different. He gave me a hundred dollars just to drive him around. He would laugh some and cry a lot. I think the crying part was because of Mom and the divorce.”
Markus said, “Sounds okay to me. Sounds like a quicker picker upper to help you with your pain about your Granny.” Markus yelled out, “I will go first and take a small drink and then, Jessie, you can be next.”
“No, no,” said Andy. “It is only strawberry wine. No Man’s Land is for Jessie. It is his birthday, so he gets the first drink.”
Jessie took the bottle, and without a good thought, tipped it up and guzzled it down. Markus grabbed it from him and said, “Man, slow down, you’ve already drank almost a fourth in one swish.”
“Markus, we have more at home. You bone head, it is Jessie’s eighteenth birthday, so let it be. Just speaking words of wisdom… let it be,” said Andy and a big smile spread across his face when he took the bottle.
Markus, Andy and Jessie took turns until the bottle was empty. “See there,” said Andy, “it was not bad. I don’t feel a thing. What about you, Markus, how do you feel?”
“Nothing, man, I’m cool as a cucumber,” he said, laughing really loud until he snorted.
Jessie said, “You sound like a pig, ‘oink and oink’.”
“Well then, we are all okay,” said Markus. “We had to give you a decent birthday.”
Jessie was standing in a stupor thinking. All at once, he said, “Guys, I should have gone to her house when she called me. I could have helped her, maybe saved her life.”
“Jessie, it was not your fault,” said Markus. “Stop blaming yourself.”
Andy said, “Watch me do the loopy-swoopy dance with a bottle on my nose.”
“You are a snoopy stump with a bump on your nose, dirt between your toes…” Markus sang back.
Singing louder and louder, Andy said, “Just singing it brings a smile to my face.”
“That is a bit strange,” Markus said with a laugh. “Am I bamboozled or flabbergasted? Which is it?” joked Markus.
“Hey, guys, I think we are a bit loopy, because I feel a little bam boozed myself,” said Jessie.
Chapter 2
“We are going to the tattoo shop,” Jessie said. “Look, guys, here is a picture of the tattoo I’m going to get.” He pulled out his billfold and took out the picture of his Granny in the blue dress and black shoes.
Markus and Andy just looked at each other with a bit of humor and Markus raised his eyebrows up and asked, “Yeah sure. We knew how much you loved her, Jessie, but you are joking, right?”
Jessie said, “This is for Granny, the one who raised me. She was my best friend, besides you two guys. She was different; we had so much fun, and I was always a scaredy cat, so she would let me sleep in her bed when I was a little feller. She was someone I could talk to when Mom and Dad wouldn’t listen, or they were too busy. She was not like other grannies. You guys know that she was a hooting nanny of a Granny.”
“Yeah, man, we do,” said Markus. “She was different and I know I’ll never forget her. I remember the time we all three were caught smoking at the age of seven. She made us inhale three hard puffs and we all got sick.”
Andy laughed and said, “Well, you have to admit one thing, we never tried to smoke a cigarette again. If Granny was here now, she would throw us over her lap and we’d all get the spanking of a lifetime for drinking this strawberry wine.”
“Amen, brother, to that. She probably would have chased us, and, believe me, that little old woman could run!”
They all three started laughing and Markus snorted. He sounded like a pig when he laughed.
“She never told our parents about it. She was cool, but she was tricky. She knew those three hard puffs would make us cough.”
“And Markus turned green,” laughed Andy.
Jessie sat there with Markus and Andy; all three getting bombed on Jessie’s birthday gift of strawberry wine. They all were a little tipsy.
Markus said, “Man, I feel loopy.”
Andy laughed and said, “I feel fine.”
Jessie jumped up and said, “Come on, guys, it’s time to get my tattoo.”
Andy stood up and so did Markus; they both were a little lightheaded from the wine. It was their first time drinking. Jessie said, “Right around the corner is the shop. We can walk.”
“It is dark as heck out here,” said Markus.
“Are you afraid of the dark?” said Andy with a smirk.
“No, I am not afraid of anything, especially the dark—BREATHALYZER man,” said Markus.
“Guys, guys, pipe it down. Do you want someone to hear us and call the cops because we had too much wine?”
Andy, spoke up, “No, never. Our dad would kill us.”
“Sure,” said Markus. “Why would he? You’re a Breathalyzer,” and he laughed so loud and uncontrollably that he fell down upon the ground and rolled around.
Jessie said, “Okay, you knuckle head, get up. You’re a Breathalyzer too. Markus, you can’t hold your wine.”
“I can hold my wine. We can hold it. We are Breathalyzers. We are the testers of fine wine,” as he stumbled across the street. “How do you think our dad got his last name?” Markus chuckled again with an outburst of the giggles.
“Your dad got his last name from his dad, which happened to be the name Breathalyzer. Oddly enough, your dad inherited the wine company called Breathalyzer Wine Company. Who cares! It is your last name and it just happened to be Breathalyzer.”
Jessie said, “We need to start walking to the tattoo shop before we all get in trouble. Andy, help your brother. He is a mess.”
“Okay, Markus, we have to get ourselves straightened out before Dad gives us a test, and I mean it,” said Andy, with a frown on his face.
“Okay, buddies, I am the force that will lead you to your density.”
“Come on force, we need to start walking toward the flashing neon lights.”
“Look,” said Markus, “the tattoo place is straight ahead; the lights are flashing, and guess what it says. Ink it and show it. Dang! That is an awesome name. Jessie is going to ink his Granny and show her,” said Markus, with his goofy face of raising his eyebrows and sticking his tongue out.
Jessie did not like what Markus said. “Listen up, you two; let’s go before the shop closes down. I know the owner, he is cool.”
Markus said, “I heard he has the magical touch,” as he laughed, swaging back and forth.
Andy said, “Looks like you had too much wine.”
Jessie was getting a little red and said, “Let’s go and get this done.”
They were walking and as they walked they got quiet. Before they all realized it, they were standing in front of the tattoo shop so they walked on in. Jessie looked around to see where to find help. He wanted to get it done and get home because he knew his mom and dad would be worried. The funeral arrangements had to be made tomorrow. Jessie thought, “I need to be there with them.”
“Okay guys, here is the deal. Let’s find the manager and make sure they can do this tonight.”
Andy, who was a little tipsy on the wine, yelled, “Where is the tattoo man?” with a snorting laugh.
“Shush, Andy, here comes someone,” said Jessie. “Markus, come here and help Andy find a place to sit and be quiet.” Jessie stood there to wait for the man.
The man said, “Can I help you?”
“Yes, sir, I want a tattoo put on my left shoulder.”
From across the room, Jessie could hear Andy talking about the tattoo shop, and said to Markus, “The manager’s name is Alfredo and he is the best tattoo designer around. He has just recently taken the tattoo shop over.”
Jessie looked across the room and said, “Marcus, take Andy outside. He’s getting green,” and then he laughed and turned to Alfredo. “It is nice to meet you, Alfredo.”
He told Alfredo he wanted a tattoo and that he had brought a picture to show him what he wanted. Alfredo looked at the picture and said, “Okay.”
Jessie said, “It is my Granny.” Then he started to cry, as he felt a little dizzy because of the wine.
“Friend,” said Alfredo, “you have been drinking a little much?”
“No, just a taste of strawberry wine called No Man’s Land.”
“Well Compadero, you had too much and you think this is what you want, hey?” Alfredo said.
Jessie told him the complete story of what happened with Granny in five minutes. Now Alfredo knew it all.
“Okay, man. Okay. Calm down. I understand. I just wanted to make sure, because No Man’s Land can sometimes make you want to do strange things.”
“No regrets,” said Jessie. “I had my mind made up before I even had a sip of No Man’s Land.”
“Jessie, it was not meant for you to be there to see your Granny pass away. Things happen for a reason. Are you sure this is what you want—a tattoo of your Granny on your arm? It will be on you forever,” said Alfredo.
“Yes, now she can be with me no matter what people think.”
“I know you loved your Granny a lot,” said Alfredo, “but you’re a little tipsy from the strawberry wine.”
Jessie said, “Just do it, man, and I will pay you. You put tattoos on for money.”
“Okay, just calm down. I never meant anything,” said Alfredo. “I do feel sad you lost your Granny, but I will do as you want. I will begin now and it will be finished before midnight while it is still your eighteenth birthday.”
Jessie wanted it finished. Two days after his eighteenth birthday, she would be put into the earth. Now he would always have her with him through his life. He would never forget her.
Andy and Markus had been friends with Jessie since the fifth grade, and they could not believe he was actually going through with this tattoo idea. Andy said, “Jessie, what time will you be finished with Tattoo Granny?”
When it was finished, Jessie showed Andy and Marcus the tattoo. Andy had a look on his face of disbelief when he saw it. Jessie was in a hurry to get home. The tattoo was finished and he liked it, but he wasn’t sure his parents would approve. Jessie said, “Oh no, Andy, how am I going to hide it?”
Markus said, “Now you’re talking about hiding it and you just got it. Hmm, sounds to me like you should not have gotten it to begin with.” He laughed and looked at Jessie.
Andy said, “Wear long-sleeve shirts all the time,” then he chuckled. “You know the story that has been told about this tattoo parlor over the years.”
“Go on. What are you going to tell me? Some superstitious tale?” asked Jessie.
Andy said, “What did you think you were doing, going into a place like that?”
“What do you mean a place like that? It is a tattoo shop,” said Jessie.
Markus was making weird sounds and acting like the nut he was.
Andy said, “I know how much you love your Granny. She was a cool Granny. It is hard to believe she’s gone just like that, but now you will have Tattoo Granny forever.”
“Okay,” said Jessie, “we’d better go. It is after 12:00 a.m. and my mom and dad will need me to help with the arrangements before the funeral tomorrow evening. I just can’t imagine how Mom might react seeing Granny tattooed on my left shoulder.”
Andy chuckled again. “Sorry. It still has not sunk in that you went through with it, a tattoo of your Granny. I still think you should have given it more thought before you went through with it,” said Andy.
Jessie said, “Listen, Andy, it’s over and done, and it was something I wanted to do for her. It is the last thing that I could ever do for Granny.”
“Yep, it will be an everlasting thing for sure,” Andy said, chuckling slightly. Still trying to show remorse for Jessie, he added, “It’s an everlasting symbol of love for your Granny, but maybe out of feelings of guilt.”
“You’re wrong,” said Jessie, “it is showing love, not guilt. So, stop all the talk of guilt and go home. I will see you guys at the funeral home tomorrow.”
Chapter 3
Jessie finally arrived at his house on Second Street. The lights were still on in the living room and he wondered if his parents were still up. He got out of his car, walked up to the door, and heard his dad talking to his mom.
Robert Sorrell was a man who loved his mother-in-law and he understood how much Jessie loved his grandmother. Granny had doted on Jessie from the day he was born, and Jessie spent a lot of time at Granny’s house while growing up. She’d had a strong influence on him and theirs was a loving relationship between grandson and grandmother. He knew Jessie was going to really miss her.
Jessie walked into the house and his parents both looked up at him and wanted to know where he had been.
“Um, I was with Andy and Markus, just talking and remembering Granny and how much we were going to miss her.”
“Well, we all knew she would leave us one day. At her age, you start expecting it. Granny was eighty-two years old, but I have to admit,” said Robert, “she was spunky and very witty with all those pranks she played on us throughout her life. We will never forget her. Isn’t that right, Jessie?
“Yep, you’re right, Dad. With all my memories, I will never forget her. She will be with me every day,” said Jessie.
Jenny Sorrell said, “Jessie, we know how much you loved her.”
“Mom, it is my fault she is gone from us.”
“Jessie, what do you mean? That is silly talk.”
“No, you don’t know that she called me. She wanted me to come over on my birthday.”
“We know she called you. She wanted to tell you something on your eighteenth birthday. She never got you a gift, so she wanted to tell you something special for your birthday.”
Jessie said sadly, “Well, now I will never know what she wanted to tell me.”
Jessie headed to bed. It was late and he was tired and sad.
It was the day of the funeral and it was a simple arrangement with few people there, since Granny Sublet was eighty-two years old and had out lived most of her friends, and some were in the nursing home.
Jessie walked up to the casket to take the last look at his dear Granny. She looked so peaceful, like she was sleeping. Jessie whispered faintly to his Granny as she lay in her casket and told her how much he loved her. He smiled at the thought of how nice she looked in her favorite blue dress and magical shoes.
He bent down and whispered into her ear, “I just want you to know a secret. You’re the new tattoo on my arm.” He stood back up and there stood his mom.
“Jessie, did I hear you say something about a tattoo on her your arm?”
“Yes, Mom, you heard right. I went and had a tattoo put on my left arm across my shoulder, on my eighteenth birthday.”
”You had a tattoo of a hula girl put on your arm the night after your Granny passed away?”
“Mom I can explain,” said Jessie, “because it is not what you think.”
Jessie could plainly see that his mother was upset with him. He tried to tell her more about the tattoo, but she was interrupted by Buzzy Breathalyzer and others who were coming in to pay their respects.
Jessie thought, “Mom is upset with me about the tattoo and I need to tell her it is a tattoo of Granny.” There was no way he could even talk to his mom about the tattoo at the funeral home, so he thought, “I will tell her tomorrow.”
Just then, Andy and Markus walked in. Jessie gave them a nod to come over to the casket. He was anxious to tell them his mom knew he had a tattoo.
The funeral went very nicely and all donations were sent to Granny’s favorite charity, “Meals for the Elderly.” Granny always wanted to help the elderly that were unable to get the proper food they needed. Robert and Jenny Sorrell and Jessie greeted Granny’s friends as each one passed by to pay their last respects. When the evening was over, the Sorrell’s went home knowing that Granny was gone for good, but would not be forgotten. It was hard to accept that she would not be there for any more birthdays or holidays. She would be missed.
Jessie figured he would have some explaining to do about the tattoo when he got home, but when they all got home, his parents were so busy talking about how the funeral went that his mom completely forgot about his tattoo. Jessie was relieved that he did not have to explain it to his mom that evening.
It had been a very long day and night. Jessie had to move on with his life without Granny, but whenever he felt down, he would roll up his shirtsleeve and look at his tattoo. He thought, “It has been some time since she passed.”
It was now the beginning of May and Jessie knew he could not keep Tattoo Granny hidden forever. Warm weather would soon be there; time for short sleeves. The tattoo looked so real after it was finished that he wore a patch over it for a while. It was becoming more and more difficult to hide it.
Jessie thought, “I have to let everyone understand it is nothing to be ashamed of. Granny always told me not to worry about what people think. Granny would want me to move on and enjoy life; that is what she would say if she was here.”
One day, while Jessie was with Andy and Markus at the pizza place, in walked Hannah Utterback, with two of her girlfriends, Gala Wittensmack and Carla Wiesenberger. The girls thought they were big shots and had hot shot attitudes. One was a walking newspaper who could never keep a secret, and Hannah considered herself Miss Beauty Queen.
Andy always had eyes for Hannah, but kept it hidden. Andy had a girlfriend name Julie. Carla and Gala thought they were the hottest girls in town, and the guys liked to look when they all came in wearing their short shorts and tied tops.
Andy said, “Hannah likes you, Jessie. She is pretty, and I think you should ask her out.”
“I don’t think so. She will just turn me down,” said Jessie. “She likes rich guys with sports cars and I drive a station wagon and work at the Happy Pappy Pizza. She wouldn’t give me a chance.”
“Okay, how about this plan. We all know they come in here every Friday night around 6:30 p.m. Let’s all meet here next Friday night and, Jessie; it will be the grand opening of your new tattoo. You haven’t worn a short-sleeve shirt in over a month, and it is time to reveal it,” said Andy, smiling and raising his eyebrows mischievously.
“I suppose I have to reveal it sooner or later, so that sounds like a good idea, because I am telling my mom and dad,” said Jessie. “It is time to see how people are going to react to an eighteen-year-old with a tattoo of his Granny on his left shoulder.”
“I am sorry,” said Markus, “but it is going to be a wild night when you reveal your tattoo. Man, no offense to Granny,” he giggled, “but she is no hula girl. Have you looked at your tattoo much since you had it put on?”
“No, not really,” said Jessie. “I think about it and know Granny is with me every day.”
“I have a question,” said Andy. “Do you ever wonder how Granny might feel being on your arm while you take a shower?”
Jessie was quiet for a moment and then said, “It is just a tattoo. That’s a really dumb question.” Andy was starting to irritate him.
“I was just curious,” said Andy. “Don’t get all bent out of shape. It was just a thought.”
“Hey guys, we have to go,” said Markus, “it is 9:30 and we work tomorrow—payday. I can’t wait ‘til Friday night and the big event. And one more thing, when are you going to ask Hannah out on a date?”
Jessie said, “It will happen. Everything happens at the right time and for a reason.”
Jessie and his friends all went home after they planned out their upcoming weekend. It had been a long week and Jessie was still not over the fact his Granny was truly gone. It seemed like the time had gone by so fast and he remembered his Granny telling him time would seem to fly by as he got older. His mom and dad were in bed, but he had his own key to the back door. He walked into the living room where his mom always left a dim nightlight on. He stood there for a moment and looked at the picture that was hanging on the wall; it was Granny Sublet. He took a deep breath and said, “Granny, I can’t believe you’re really gone.” He stood there staring at the picture and then a very strange thing began to happen. A hazy, but bright light seemed to be forming around the picture.
He rubbed his eyes and thought, “Gee, I had a long week. I know the picture is not alive, but it looks so real.” He walked over to touch it, as the light was becoming brighter. “Yikes! What is happening?” he thought, as he felt the light seep into his whole body. He lit up like a Christmas tree. “I’d better go to bed,” he thought. “Too much staying up late and six days of work has gotten to me.”
Jessie was so tired that he didn’t give the odd experience with the picture much thought, and just went on to bed. He started to undress and began to think about what Andy had said about the tattoo parlor being cursed. He thought, “This is silly. It is just a tattoo of Granny,” and he took off his pants and shirt, collapsed onto the bed, and went to sleep.
It was early the next morning when the alarm went off at 7:00, and he kept hitting the snooze button until 7:30, then he hurriedly took a shower. He turned the water on and got his work clothes ready. He jumped into the shower and started scrubbing and washing, relaxing as the warm water hit his face. He grabbed his washcloth and rubbed his arms with the cool men’s gel that smelled so clean and fresh. As he was rubbing his left shoulder, he noticed that his tattoo was turned backwards—the back of Granny’s head was where her face was supposed to be. “No way!” he thought. “I’m dreaming.”
He peeked again at his shoulder and said, “Yikes! Granny’s tattoo is turned around like she doesn’t want to see me in the shower. Man, this is too much—way too weird! Okay, Jessie,” he tried to talk himself into being rational; “this is just your imagination.”
He rinsed all the suds away and saw that the tattoo was still turned around wrong. He hurried and dried off and put his clothes on as quickly as possible. He examined his tattoo in the mirror and saw that it was now back to normal. It was just a sweet portrait tattoo of Granny.
“Okay, soap was in my eyes,” he said. “That is why I thought Granny’s tattoo was turned wrong.” Jessie thought, “I sure hope my day gets better. I don’t need any more weird stuff like glowing pictures and reversed tattoos. I am not telling the Breathalyzer brothers; they will bug the snot-rag out of me and give me no peace.”
Jessie thought about what they would think and he could not imagine what they might say about his crazy experiences. His mom and dad had already left for work, and it was close to school ending for the summer; they would be finishing up their classes over the next couple of days. He grabbed his car keys and off he went to his job at the Happy Pappy Pizza; it was a Friday, so it would be busy. He had to watch his speed, as his mind was on other things, like his tattoo and the weird things that had happened. As he drove along, he thought more and more about Andy’s remarks about the tattoo shop.
“What if the tattoo shop really was cursed like Andy said?” he wondered. Jessie’s mind was overloaded with strange thoughts, so he closed his eyes for a second and thought, “No way! Things like that don’t happen—or at least, I hope not. It was just my imagination.”
The entire way to work, he could not stop thinking that maybe he should not have gotten a tattoo of his Granny put on his arm. Would the girls and his friends at college think less of him? He again murmured to himself, “Granny, I love you so much. Forgive me for thinking like this.” He finally convinced himself it was okay and it would be all right. As he pulled into the parking lot of the pizza place and parked, he leaned over into the backseat to get his apron. When he turned back around, there stood Andy, grinning like a possum eating sundown grapes.
Andy banged on Jessie’s car door and laughingly said, “Hurry man! You’re late!”
Jessie got out of the car to the sound of Andy’s laughter, which continued like always, but this morning, Jessie had no idea why Andy was still laughing.
“What is going on with you and where is Markus?” he asked.
“He is already getting ready to open up soon, so you’re late, and that means tick-tock there goes the clock.”
“Okay, Andy, let’s get to work. Today is Friday and payday, which makes it a great day.”
Andy said, “Yeah, and we have a place to go. If you remember one of the girl’s—one in particular, Hannah, ring your bell?”
“How could I forget?” said Jessie. “You won’t let me. Come on, I will race you! Ready, set, go!”
They raced to the pizza entry and Andy won. They both laughed and walked inside to where Markus was standing with a look of ‘where have you been so long?’ on his face.
Markus said, “I have been busy making sure we had enough pizza crust, because Friday is always busy like Saturday.”
“Yeah, man, I am sorry; just got started on the wrong foot this morning,” said Jessie, with a look of confusion on his face.
Markus said, “Jessie, man, what’s up? You seem like something is bothering you and I know your Granny has only been gone a little while now.”
“Naw, it’s nothing, guys, just had some strange things happen last night and again this morning, but I made a promise I would not tell you two,” said Jessie.
“Creudulations, manz! We are your friends, and if you can’t tell us then, who are your real true buddies?” Andy said, as he put his arm around Jessie’s neck.
“Dudes, you both are the best—totally the best!” said Jessie.
Andy and Markus both wanted to know the scoop on what was happening to their best friend.
“Okay, you two, but you have to promise that you will not laugh or think it is crazy,” said Jessie.
“We are truly here to please not squeeze, brother, for our best friend, the man, Jessie. You are the man!” Markus said, and they both snickered a little.
Jessie began telling his two friends about what happened the night before when he got home. He said, “I walked into the living room and right there on our wall is a picture of Granny. All of a sudden, a bright light came over her picture and I walked up and touched it and it made me glow like a Christmas tree.”
“Wow!” said Andy. “What in the heck were you smoking?”
“Nothing, man. You know me better than that, guys,” said Jessie.
Markus said, “Is that the end where you see a light at the end of the tunnel?” Then he laughed with a snorting sound—his usual laugh.
“No,” said Jessie, “I went to bed, and this morning when I got into the shower, I could have sworn that I saw my tattoo change and turn around and look the other way.”
“No way!” said Markus. “You must have had a nip of something before work, man.”
Jessie said, “Take it or leave it, but it was like my tattoo was alive.”
Andy said, “I told you, man, that tattoo shop was cursed!”
“Tweed head, I don’t believe that stuff. Too far out for me to believe,” said Jessie.
Andy said, “After work, we will go find that tattoo shop and see if it is still open.”
“We can’t tonight, because of the girls,” said Jessie.
“No, man, it is up to you this time. It’s your call on this one,” said Andy.
Jessie was deep in thought, wondering whether it was grief over his Granny or if the parlor really was cursed—and he was hoping everything would get better as time went on.
Chapter 4
“We will go have some fun. That’s what you need, my man Jessie.”
“Yeah, you might be right,” said Jessie.
“It is settled then. We will see those bodacious babes tonight at the Smack Back restaurant around seven,” said Andy Breathalyzer.
Markus cried out, “Open the doors, man! It is time for us to open up; it’s 10:30.
“Pizza all day, and tonight we will play, and no work tomorrow. College will start back in the fall, so look out summertime, with all the babes at the beach! It’s gonna be totally awesome!” said Andy.
In Dotland, Kentucky, when May came, the fun began.
Markus spoke up and said, “Andy, get your mind on track with work or we will be here all night. We have a little over an hour until lunchtime, and you know how hectic it gets in here.”
“Pizza town clowns are what we are,” laughed Andy.
Before they knew it, it was noon and they were bombarded with customers and call-in orders, which Jessie would do. He had to deliver a pizza to a new address and they had a guarantee that if the pizza was not delivered in ten minutes, then it was a free pizza. That was the Happy Pappy Pizza policy.
Markus hollered out, “Take-out order to Twelfth Street on Main to the Henson residence!”
Jessie said, “We don’t do take-outs past Eleventh Street or I will be later than ten minutes.”
“It’s okay this time; new business means more for the poor,” said Markus.
“I can’t go. It is against the policy to go past Eleventh Street,” said Jessie.
“It is okay,” said Andy with a grin. “Our dad always likes new business because, like he taught us, never turn down a newcomer. Now take the Pizza and go. It is time to roll out of here or you will be late,” said Andy.
Jessie said, “I’m out the door, man, on the way to Twelfth Street and ten minutes or it is free—not out of my pay check.” Jessie loaded up the pizzas and hurried on his way to deliver two fully loaded pizzas. He was driving, listening to the radio, and singing. He was just passing Eleventh Street and it was already twelve minutes past the ten-minute policy guarantee. He was looking for a house with blue shutters, as Markus had noted directions on the back of the bill.
Jessie slowed his car down and saw the big house with blue shutters and a big moving van parked in front of the house. He parked, got out of the car, reached in and got out the pizzas, walked to the front door, and rang the doorbell. He patiently waited until someone answered the door; it was a young girl around eighteen years old, with long blonde hair, and he could not help but notice her big green eyes. She was a real beauty.
Jessie was speechless for a moment. “Uh, uh,” he said, “I have two pizzas for this address and there is no charge, because our policy is ten minutes or free.”
She politely said, “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” said Jessie, “from the Happy Pappy Pizza to you and your family. Please stop in. There are some coupons on the boxes with the address.”
She said, “Thanks, and by the way, my name is Marla Henson. We’re new here.”
Jessie said, “I hope to see you around sometime. Well, I got to get back to work.”
Jessie walked back to his car. He had been taken back with Marla; she was a beauty and well worth his trip. He thought, “Man, I almost did not want to make this delivery.”
He drove back to work and found Andy and Markus swamped with customers. The drive-thru and the inside were packed; it was like no other Friday. Jessie hurried, as usual, to get back to work and put his apron on so he could jump in and start helping out.
Andy said, “Dude, where in the heck fires wily were you?”
Jessie, with a look of surprise on his face, thought, “I can’t believe he is asking me this question after telling me to make the delivery.” Aloud he said, “Andy, you told me to go, and we always welcome new customers, it will get the word out,” said Jessie.
“Yeah, man, I remember what I said, but after you left, business really started to pick up and we were one employee short,” said Andy.
Markus spoke up and said, “Yeah, Carla called in sick—or who knows with that strange chick?”
“We will have to hire another person if she keeps this up. Let’s go through the applications later or wait until Monday after I talk to Dad,” said Andy.
Markus was really working hard, attending to all the customers, and Jessie and Andy were busy too. It was like a flood had come through the Happy Pappy Pizza. In the mist of all the talking, Andy decided to wait to talk to his father about hiring more help for the summer. All three of the boys stayed busy until 1:30, then it slowed down to a steady pace, but, like always, despite working, they horsed around and joked amongst themselves. Andy’s father owned Happy Pappy Pizza, but Andy, being the oldest, was in charge of place. The parlor was always busy, because they had great pizza, and also because they maintained strict cleanliness rules. Every employee made sure to always wash their hands and took pride in treating customers’ right, so most customers returned again and again.
Buzzy Breathalyzer was a real businessman, who began teaching his two sons how to run the family business while they were very young. His motto was: Never make a mess and you will be a success; that meant to do the thing right the first time so you wouldn’t have to do it twice.
Jessie had known Markus and Andy all his life. The three had grown up together and they got along well. The day was finally coming to an end when in walked the new girl, Marla Henson. Jessie was cleaning up the counter tops and putting away some boxes. Andy and Markus were in the back of the store.
Jessie turned around and asked her if he could help her and she said, “I am wondering if you all are hiring?”
“Huh? Well, I think we are going to check with the main boss about it because we are short on workers. I will give you an application just in case they decide to hire, and you will have yours in for consideration if they decide to.”
She smiled back at Jessie and said, “That would be great, and thank you.”
Jessie handed her an application and she sat down at a booth and filled it out. She finished it up, handed it back to Jessie, and told him goodbye. He stood there looking at it and checking out her name and age and thinking about how cute she was. “Those eyes are beautiful. So green they could paralyze you,” he thought.
Andy and Markus walked back into the parlor where Jessie was standing and still holding her application. Markus said, “Who put in for a job? Do we know them?”
Jessie said, “No, she is new in town. Her name is Marla Henson. Her family just moved here. Remember the new customer delivery on Twelfth Street? Well, it was Marla.”
Andy asked, “So, what did she look like, and was she an eye-catcher and looker?”
Jessie said, “She is okay and needs a job. She seems like a nice girl, and I told her that we would know about hiring after talking to the boss man.”
“Good job and very professional,” said Markus with a big grin. “We are pizza dedicated, today is payday, tonight is party night, and we’ll be looking for some awesome chicks.”
Jessie was tired and the day had been a long day with lots of customers and one pretty girl that had caught his attention. “Whoosh!” he said. “It is time to go home and rest awhile and get ready. I will meet you and Andy later.”
“Totally cool,” said Markus and Andy, both were standing at the cash register counting the money to take to the bank. Andy walked over and handed Jessie his check of $112.06 for a long week, plus one for overtime.
Jessie smiled and said, “Thanks, this will come in handy to save a little each week for better transportation, because my station wagon has racked up the miles.”
“Hey, dude,” said Andy, “we will pick you up around seven or so, is that okay?”
“Yeah, sure, it will give me time to rest and help Mom and Dad if they need anything done before I leave,” said Jessie. “Got to go. See you dudes tonight.”
As Jessie was driving home, he had completely forgotten about his tattoo and rolled up his sleeves. The pizza parlor had been really booming and he had gotten a little too warm. On his way home, he yawned real wide from the hard day’s work. He was proud of his check, and he thought about the new girl Marla, and, of course, about stopping by the local bank to cash his check and put some into his savings account for his new car.
He thought about the night and how they always ended up at the pizza parlor on Friday nights, and he laughed to himself. He figured it would be the pizza parlor again tonight, because it was the hottest place in town to meet girls on a Friday night, and it was always packed.
Chapter 5
Jessie was home before he knew it and was pulling into the driveway to park beside his dad’s new, red, GMC truck, which was really cool. He sat in his car for a moment and thought, “One day, I will have a new GMC truck with all the hot features they have to offer.” He finally got out, walked up to the house, and went in.
His mom and dad were sitting at the kitchen table eating supper. His father asked how his day at work with the Breathalyzer boys had gone, and how business was doing. His dad knew how Andy and Markus were; they were workaholics and two of a kind when it came to their personalities.
Jessie told his dad it was a tough day, extremely busy; people were coming out of the woodwork, and then he grinned. “Overall, Dad, we had a very big money-making day, like the Breathalyzers always do with their business.”
Jessie walked over to the refrigerator and got out a soda, popped the tab on it, and took a big gulp. It was then that his mom and dad both noticed his left shoulder.
His mom said, “Jessie, what is on your shoulder? Son, it looks like paint or something.”
Jessie had forgotten about his sleeves being rolled-up above the tattoo. He just causally walked over to the kitchen table, sat down, and took a deep breath. “Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you both about something I did on my eighteenth birthday.”
Immediately, his mother spoke up and said, “You got that hula girl tattoo you always wanted.”
“No, not exactly a hula girl, Mom, but it is a girl, or woman, you would say.” He was trying to avoid the conversation as long as possible.
His dad said, “Well, it’s time we got to see it.”
Jessie swallowed hard and then cleared his throat, “Well, Dad, I got it the night Granny passed away, and that was why I was so late getting home that night.”
His father nodded his head and said, “Well, aren’t you going to at least let me and your mother see it?”
Jessie looked down at the floor and thought to himself, “Well, here it goes; time to show it,” as he took a long breath. He slowly turned his left shoulder around so that his mom and dad could see it. He was not exactly facing them as they looked. He hoped it wouldn’t upset them or make them angry.
There was a bit of a silence for a few seconds then it came. His mother went first. “Jessie. G. Sorrell, what were you thinking? Your Granny is tattooed on your arm for life, and, believe me, I know how much you loved her, but this is way too much for me to comprehend.”
His dad was sitting there with a strange grin on his face, thinking maybe Jessie had not been thinking clearly.
Jessie got up and said, “Look, I am eighteen, and no disrespect to you both, but this was my decision and I will live with it.”
“Yes, son, you will have to live with it, and just think about what you will say when you have to explain it to the girl you fall in love with,” said his father.
“It’s over and done. It’s there, and I am okay with it,” said Jessie.
“Then why did you take so long to tell us about it?” asked his mom.
Jessie said, “I knew how you and Dad would react, so it worked out okay this way.”
“Well, Robert, he is right,” said Jenny, “about being old enough to make his own decision about his tattoo.”
His father said, “Son, we had the big picture hanging on the wall, the one with Granny in her blue dress and favorite black shoes.”
Jessie said, “I know, Dad, but it was something I felt like I needed to do a little deeper.”
His dad held back a grin when Jessie said the words a little deeper. He thought to himself, “Yep, it is skin deep.”
Jessie got up from the table and asked, “Are you done talking with me about the tattoo, because I need to get ready for tonight? Andy and Markus are coming over to pick me up and we’re going to go hang out at the pizza parlor or somewhere.”
Jenny said, “Sure, Jessie, we are done with the talk about the tattoo, and, by the way, you know that was your Granny’s favorite dress and shoes, the blue one we buried her in.”
Jessie said, “Yeah.” Then it was like a cold chill came over him and he shook. “Mom, Dad, see you all later tonight. Remember I have a key to get in, in case you want to lock up.”
Jenny asked, “How long do you plan to stay out? Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”
“Yes, Mom, I do, and have I ever missed work due to staying up late?”
“I just worry about you, son, and those two Breathalyzer boys are something else sometimes. So don’t let them pressure you into anything.”
“Mom, I know how to take care of myself and what not to do. You worry too much! But I love you, Mom and Dad, and sorry I didn’t tell you about the tattoo sooner.”
Jessie went into his room to take a shower, get the pizza smell off his clothes, and spruce up for tonight. He sat on his bed for a minute to reflect about what his mom and dad had said about his tattoo. He turned to look at his tattoo and it looked normal, so much like Granny, it almost looked real, except it was a smaller version. He got up and went to his closet to get some clean clothes and make sure he looked good tonight.
He had not been out to check out girls for a while and he wanted to get his life back on track. He hurried into the shower and got all lathered up with soap and his special, good-smelling, cool body gel. He was letting the water hit his face as he lathered up with soap. Washing his arms, he noticed that his tattoo was turned around again, and this time, there was no soap in his eyes. He rubbed his other hand over it to make sure he was seeing it right and, yes, the tattoo was turned around, with Granny facing backwards.
He panicked, hurried and rinsed off, got out, and wrapped a towel around his body. He hurriedly put on his clothes. Finally dressed, he sat down and pulled up his sleeve to make sure he was not dreaming or seeing things. “Wow!” he said. “It’s back to normal, and it looks like Granny is smiling at me.”
He took a long breath and thought, “What if the tattoo shop was really cursed and my Tattoo Granny is alive? Could it be?” he wondered. “I have to call Andy and Markus to come by early so we can check the tattoo shop out. We were all a little lit that night from the wine.” He picked up the phone, called the Breathalyzer boys, and told them to come as soon as they could get there, and that it was about his tattoo. It was changing.
Andy was listening to Jessie as he talked really fast, and said, “Slow down, man. We will be there in ten minutes. Hang tight, dude.”
While he was waiting for Andy and Markus to arrive, Jessie pulled his left shirtsleeve up and looked to see if his tattoo had changed again, but it was the same; a tattoo of Granny in her blue dress, black shoes, with her hair bound on top of her head. It looked the same as it had looked on the night it was put on his arm.
Jessie had to admit it was a nice tattoo of his Granny. It looked so real, and she did not look her age of eighty-two. He found himself talking to his tattoo and asking, “Granny, are you real on my arm, except small, of course?” With a slight grin and a look of curiosity, he blinked his eyes, and could have sworn she blinked back.
He thought the day at work had been a rough one, but not rough enough that he would think he had a live tattoo on his arm. He was seriously wondering about his sanity. Then he heard a car horn honk outside and grabbed a light jacket and ran out the front door.
As he was leaving, he yelled, “Bye Mom, Dad! Tattoo Granny and me are going out on the town! Love ya!”
To read the rest of this story, please go to Amazon.com, where it is available for all...
TATTOO GRANNY(Janice Walters Rawlins)
TATTOO GRANNY
By Janice Walters Rawlins
copyright 2010
Foreword:
Dear Reader,
I had a great time writing Tattoo Granny and I hope you enjoy reading about Tattoo Granny as much as I enjoyed writing about her. I hope my book makes you laugh out loud and touches your heart as well.
If you have a favorite Granny, maybe you’ll want to put her tattoo on your arm so that she will always be around. Maybe she’ll even come to life. Naw, that doesn’t happen in real life… or does it?
Dedication:
This story is decided to all of the grandmother’s whose love and guidance have been the stepping-stones in their grandchildren’s lives.
Chapter 1
Jessie Sorrell was a seventeen-year-old boy who loved his Granny more than any kid could imagine. Granny Sublet was a retired nurse. She was married over fifty years to her long-time sweetheart, Herb Sublet, who passed away from cancer several years earlier. They both loved their grandson Jessie, who was a bit of a grandma’s boy.
Granny was a petite woman with a big character who always wore her grey hair twisted on top of her head. She was a prankster and loved to laugh, but more important, she wanted her grandson to always care about the elderly. She was well loved in her small community and an advocate for seniors. She had a heart of gold.
Jessie was a caring, considerate young man who had brownish-blonde hair and a stocky, muscular frame. He was generous and loved doing volunteer work; he would often go to the local nursing homes to play Bingo with the elderly. Jessie and his Granny were together every day while he was growing up. His friends would spend nights at her house. Growing up with a Granny who was so full of love and laughter made Jessie’s childhood a truly wonderful time.
Time slipped away and suddenly Jessie had grown up. He graduated high school, worked at the Happy Pappy Pizza Parlor, and had plans to go to college to become a social worker to help the elderly. He had one special dream and that was go to go to Hawaii to watch the hula girl’s dance.
When Jessie turned eighteen, his plan was to get a tattoo of a hula girl on his arm. He had been saving money to pay for the tattoo for a long time, and it was to be his “coming of age” birthday present to himself.
The day of Jessie’s eighteenth birthday, Granny called to wish him happy birthday, and to ask him to stop by her house. She had a special gift for him. He had all the best intentions to stop at his Granny’s first, but he got another phone call before he left his house. His friend Andy asked him to stop over at his house because he and his twin brother, Markus, had a gift for him.
As he was leaving, Jessie wrote his mom and dad a note telling them that he was going to his Granny’s. He then grabbed the keys to his 1980 Comprise station wagon and off he went.
Andy and Markus Breathalyzer were Jessie’s best friends. They were both pranksters and Jessie had to be on his toes around them. The Breathalyzer brothers were both tall, skinny-framed boys with dark hair and brown eyes. They loved their dad, but missed their mother, who was absent due to their parents’ divorce. The brothers had chosen to live with their dad because their mother had moved to another town, and Andy and Markus did not want to leave their friends.
Jessie arrived to find the brothers sitting on the front porch waiting for him with big grins across their faces. They handed him their gift; it was a small hula girl to put on the dashboard of his car.
Andy said, “We know you really want a hula girl tattoo on your arm, but this is the best we could do.”
Markus yelled out, “Jessie, do a hula dance for us like the hula girls!”
They all laughed and got to talking. Before Jessie realized it, over an hour had slipped away. Jessie liked being with his friends and joking around, but he was eager to drive to the tattoo parlor and finally get the tattoo he had wanted for so long. As he thought about finally being eighteen and getting his tattoo, he started getting very excited, and then all of a sudden, he remembered he was supposed to stop by Granny’s first.
Markus said, “You have wanted a hula girl tattoo for as long as we have known you. So, let’s get going.”
“Andy, Markus, I have to go to my Granny’s. Dang it! I promised her that she would be the first to see me on my eighteenth birthday. The tattoo will have to wait a little longer. I really have to go, guys. See ya later.”
Jessie ran and jumped into his car and drove to Cornwell Drive. It was about ten minutes away from Markus and Andy’s house. As Jessie rounded the corner, he could see Granny’s driveway. He was driving the speed limit, which was only five miles per hour. There he saw his mom and dad’s car and a police car and the ambulance. He started to get upset, not knowing what was going on. Upon arriving, he found the main driveway full of emergency vehicles. Immediately, Jessie knew something was wrong. It was no birthday party. He was getting very nervous as he slowly drove closer to his Granny’s driveway.
He pulled onto the other side of the curb, because the ambulance was in the driveway. He swung the car door open and quickly ran to the house, reached out and grabbed the doorknob in such a hurry that he stumbled through the doorway. His dad was standing near the window and his mother was sitting on the small sofa. She was crying softly with her head bowed down. Immediately, Jessie knew something was wrong. He moved closer to his mom. She gently touched his leg and looked up at him. He saw the look in her eyes and the tears streaming down her cheeks.
Glancing anxiously around the living room, Jessie saw the emergency crew gathered in a circle around the other couch, but they were blocking his view of the couch. He started moving closer until he was right beside a paramedic who was putting away all the equipment. Jessie touched his arm and asked, “What’s going on? What happened? Is Granny all right?”
The paramedic looked at him sadly and said, “I am sorry, son, but there was nothing we could do. She was gone. We tried our best to save her. We are so sorry.”
As some of the paramedics began to move away, Jessie saw Granny lying on the couch with her eyes closed; the emergency technicians were covering her and shaking their heads.
“Mrs. Sorrell, we‘re so very sorry. She’s gone.”
Jessie was in shock. He could not believe what he was hearing. “What do you mean she’s gone?” he blurted out.
“Sorry, son,” said his dad. “Granny had a heart attack.”
Jessie grabbed his head and paced, going around in circles. “I promised, I promised her, it is my fault! If I had not stopped by Andy’s, she would still be here.” He kept repeating, “Dad, it’s my fault. She asked me to come by here first. I promised, Dad.”
“Son, calm down. It is not your fault. Even if you had been here, there was nothing you could have done.”
Jessie watched in disbelief as the paramedics pulled the white sheet up, covering Granny’s face. “Granny, I promise you, somehow I will make it up to you.”
“Jessie, she is gone. Granny cannot hear you,” his mother whispered.
“She was waiting for me,” said Jessie. He lifted the sheet and leaned over to kiss Granny good-bye. He shut his eyes as tears rolled down his face and onto Granny’s cheek.
“Son, we have to leave now,” said the Coroner. The coroner’s crew lifted Granny onto a stretcher and put her in the Hurst.
Tears streamed down Jessie’s face; he wanted so much to hold Granny’s still-warm hand.
His mom walked over, hugged him, and said, “You can’t blame yourself. We all know how much you loved her, and Granny knew it too. She would not want you to blame yourself. Come home with us now. We have to let these people do their jobs, and we need to start making the arrangements for Granny’s funeral.”
Jessie walked over and sat down in the big chair he always loved to sit in when he was at Granny’s. He looked at his dad and mom and said, “You all go on.”
“Jessie, are you sure?” his dad asked.
“Yeah. I might stay here for a while. I will be okay. Please just go. I will call you later.”
“Are you sure, Jessie?” his mother asked.
“I am sure,” he said with a look of sadness. “I want to be here alone and think.”
While he was alone sitting in his favorite chair, tears swelled up in his eyes, his mind took him back to his fondest memories of Granny. He just leaned back, relaxed, and let his mind recall all the memories, the good, and all the funny things Granny would do and whatever came to mind. He wanted to just grasp everything at that moment. When he shut his eyes, it seemed she was there. His memories took him to the beach, and how he loved to swim. He remembered the big floppy hat Granny wore, and everyone looking at it. Granny never cared what people thought about her. She would see people looking and just laugh and tell Jessie, “We are here to have fun, not to worry about what people think.”
He sat there for hours. It was nearly eight o’clock when he finally realized what he could do his with memories of Granny. He got up and went into the bedroom where she kept all her photo albums and quickly thumbed through them to find a certain picture. After looking through a few of them, he finally found the picture he wanted. It was a picture of Granny that he had taken of her only a few months earlier. She was wearing a pretty, light-blue dress and her favorite black shoes. She told him the shoes were magical when she wore them both together. She always told him stories, and this was only one of many. Granny Sublet could make a story come alive.
He went to her closet to take a look at the blue dress and favorite shoes and they were gone. He wondered if his mom and dad had taken them for Granny’s funeral.
“Mom knew they were Granny’s favorites,” Jessie thought to himself.
He remembered how she had always said she wanted to be buried in her favorites. As he was getting the picture out of the album, his mind was going in circles, with so many feelings of hurt and guilt. He should have stopped by her house as he had promised. He walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. He called Andy and told him and Markus to meet him at the tattoo shop at eight thirty. Jessie hurried as fast as he could; he knew the shop closed at twelve. It was his birthday, so he was going to be with his friends. He put the picture of Granny into his billfold, locked up everything, and left.
When he made it to the tattoo shop, there stood Markus and Andy Breathalyzer waiting for him.
“What is going on, Jessie?” Markus asked.
“Yeah, man, you look like you lost your best friend, but we know better than that,” said Andy with a slight grin.
Markus noticed Jessie wasn’t grinning back and knew something was wrong.
“What’s up? It’s your birthday and we know you are going to get a tattoo. You’re eighteen now, so no problem, right?” asked Markus.
“Hula girl, hula girl, you rock my world,” Andy sang. “The tattoo is waiting for you. Hula, girl is what you’ve wanted for a long time, so now you backing out?” asked Andy.
“No, guys, it’s my Granny… she passed away today.”
“Golly! Oh, Granny Sublet, the little old lady who chased me down the lane because I ate all her nutty cookies? Man, we are sorry,” said Andy.
Markus said, “Yeah, man, I’ll never forget when she babysat for our dad until he found a nanny for us. Granny Sublet left an impression on me. I remember the time I found her X-lax and thought it was chocolate candy and ate three of them. She had warned me not to bother them because she needed them for her bowels. Heck, I never knew what the word bowels meant at the age of seven, but I found out soon enough. I tried them anyway, and the bathroom was my best friend, it and a whopping bellyache. Granny had to put ointment on my little raw butt.” He grinned. “That stopped me from being so nosey.”
Andy and Markus were trying their best to comfort Jessie by bringing up some funny memories of Granny.
Jessie said, “I was at your house when I should have been with my Granny. All I could think about was being eighteen and getting a stupid tattoo of a hula girl, so I would be Mr. Cool, but it is too late…” Jessie just kept rambling on and on about his Granny.
Finally Markus said, “Jessie, you have to stop doing this to yourself, man. Your Granny would not want you to do this to yourself.” Markus took a deep breath and looked over at Andy. “Here, man, this is the other gift we got for you.”
“Yeah, I found this bottle of stuff in my dad’s bedroom. He will never miss it. There was at least a crate full.” Andy said, as he stood there holding a bottle of 90-proof something called “No Man’s Land.” “Yea, I figured with a bottle saying 90 on it that is was almost 100% good.”
Markus laughed and said, “Sorry man, we don’t drink either, but we do know the good stuff and it says 100%. That means top of the line in quality.”
Andy stood there and scratched his head and said, “Yes, that sounds about right. So, buddy, we tried our best to get the very best for our friend.” None of the boys knew that 90 proof meant how much alcohol was in the bottle.
Jessie said, “Guys, I don’t know about that. I never heard of that brand, and you all know we never drank before.”
Andy said, “Looks like we all need a little something. There is just too much going on. My dads tried it and, believe me, he said it would take you to a place called no man’s land. I should know. After he drank the whole bottle, he was different. He gave me a hundred dollars just to drive him around. He would laugh some and cry a lot. I think the crying part was because of Mom and the divorce.”
Markus said, “Sounds okay to me. Sounds like a quicker picker upper to help you with your pain about your Granny.” Markus yelled out, “I will go first and take a small drink and then, Jessie, you can be next.”
“No, no,” said Andy. “It is only strawberry wine. No Man’s Land is for Jessie. It is his birthday, so he gets the first drink.”
Jessie took the bottle, and without a good thought, tipped it up and guzzled it down. Markus grabbed it from him and said, “Man, slow down, you’ve already drank almost a fourth in one swish.”
“Markus, we have more at home. You bone head, it is Jessie’s eighteenth birthday, so let it be. Just speaking words of wisdom… let it be,” said Andy and a big smile spread across his face when he took the bottle.
Markus, Andy and Jessie took turns until the bottle was empty. “See there,” said Andy, “it was not bad. I don’t feel a thing. What about you, Markus, how do you feel?”
“Nothing, man, I’m cool as a cucumber,” he said, laughing really loud until he snorted.
Jessie said, “You sound like a pig, ‘oink and oink’.”
“Well then, we are all okay,” said Markus. “We had to give you a decent birthday.”
Jessie was standing in a stupor thinking. All at once, he said, “Guys, I should have gone to her house when she called me. I could have helped her, maybe saved her life.”
“Jessie, it was not your fault,” said Markus. “Stop blaming yourself.”
Andy said, “Watch me do the loopy-swoopy dance with a bottle on my nose.”
“You are a snoopy stump with a bump on your nose, dirt between your toes…” Markus sang back.
Singing louder and louder, Andy said, “Just singing it brings a smile to my face.”
“That is a bit strange,” Markus said with a laugh. “Am I bamboozled or flabbergasted? Which is it?” joked Markus.
“Hey, guys, I think we are a bit loopy, because I feel a little bam boozed myself,” said Jessie.
Chapter 2
“We are going to the tattoo shop,” Jessie said. “Look, guys, here is a picture of the tattoo I’m going to get.” He pulled out his billfold and took out the picture of his Granny in the blue dress and black shoes.
Markus and Andy just looked at each other with a bit of humor and Markus raised his eyebrows up and asked, “Yeah sure. We knew how much you loved her, Jessie, but you are joking, right?”
Jessie said, “This is for Granny, the one who raised me. She was my best friend, besides you two guys. She was different; we had so much fun, and I was always a scaredy cat, so she would let me sleep in her bed when I was a little feller. She was someone I could talk to when Mom and Dad wouldn’t listen, or they were too busy. She was not like other grannies. You guys know that she was a hooting nanny of a Granny.”
“Yeah, man, we do,” said Markus. “She was different and I know I’ll never forget her. I remember the time we all three were caught smoking at the age of seven. She made us inhale three hard puffs and we all got sick.”
Andy laughed and said, “Well, you have to admit one thing, we never tried to smoke a cigarette again. If Granny was here now, she would throw us over her lap and we’d all get the spanking of a lifetime for drinking this strawberry wine.”
“Amen, brother, to that. She probably would have chased us, and, believe me, that little old woman could run!”
They all three started laughing and Markus snorted. He sounded like a pig when he laughed.
“She never told our parents about it. She was cool, but she was tricky. She knew those three hard puffs would make us cough.”
“And Markus turned green,” laughed Andy.
Jessie sat there with Markus and Andy; all three getting bombed on Jessie’s birthday gift of strawberry wine. They all were a little tipsy.
Markus said, “Man, I feel loopy.”
Andy laughed and said, “I feel fine.”
Jessie jumped up and said, “Come on, guys, it’s time to get my tattoo.”
Andy stood up and so did Markus; they both were a little lightheaded from the wine. It was their first time drinking. Jessie said, “Right around the corner is the shop. We can walk.”
“It is dark as heck out here,” said Markus.
“Are you afraid of the dark?” said Andy with a smirk.
“No, I am not afraid of anything, especially the dark—BREATHALYZER man,” said Markus.
“Guys, guys, pipe it down. Do you want someone to hear us and call the cops because we had too much wine?”
Andy, spoke up, “No, never. Our dad would kill us.”
“Sure,” said Markus. “Why would he? You’re a Breathalyzer,” and he laughed so loud and uncontrollably that he fell down upon the ground and rolled around.
Jessie said, “Okay, you knuckle head, get up. You’re a Breathalyzer too. Markus, you can’t hold your wine.”
“I can hold my wine. We can hold it. We are Breathalyzers. We are the testers of fine wine,” as he stumbled across the street. “How do you think our dad got his last name?” Markus chuckled again with an outburst of the giggles.
“Your dad got his last name from his dad, which happened to be the name Breathalyzer. Oddly enough, your dad inherited the wine company called Breathalyzer Wine Company. Who cares! It is your last name and it just happened to be Breathalyzer.”
Jessie said, “We need to start walking to the tattoo shop before we all get in trouble. Andy, help your brother. He is a mess.”
“Okay, Markus, we have to get ourselves straightened out before Dad gives us a test, and I mean it,” said Andy, with a frown on his face.
“Okay, buddies, I am the force that will lead you to your density.”
“Come on force, we need to start walking toward the flashing neon lights.”
“Look,” said Markus, “the tattoo place is straight ahead; the lights are flashing, and guess what it says. Ink it and show it. Dang! That is an awesome name. Jessie is going to ink his Granny and show her,” said Markus, with his goofy face of raising his eyebrows and sticking his tongue out.
Jessie did not like what Markus said. “Listen up, you two; let’s go before the shop closes down. I know the owner, he is cool.”
Markus said, “I heard he has the magical touch,” as he laughed, swaging back and forth.
Andy said, “Looks like you had too much wine.”
Jessie was getting a little red and said, “Let’s go and get this done.”
They were walking and as they walked they got quiet. Before they all realized it, they were standing in front of the tattoo shop so they walked on in. Jessie looked around to see where to find help. He wanted to get it done and get home because he knew his mom and dad would be worried. The funeral arrangements had to be made tomorrow. Jessie thought, “I need to be there with them.”
“Okay guys, here is the deal. Let’s find the manager and make sure they can do this tonight.”
Andy, who was a little tipsy on the wine, yelled, “Where is the tattoo man?” with a snorting laugh.
“Shush, Andy, here comes someone,” said Jessie. “Markus, come here and help Andy find a place to sit and be quiet.” Jessie stood there to wait for the man.
The man said, “Can I help you?”
“Yes, sir, I want a tattoo put on my left shoulder.”
From across the room, Jessie could hear Andy talking about the tattoo shop, and said to Markus, “The manager’s name is Alfredo and he is the best tattoo designer around. He has just recently taken the tattoo shop over.”
Jessie looked across the room and said, “Marcus, take Andy outside. He’s getting green,” and then he laughed and turned to Alfredo. “It is nice to meet you, Alfredo.”
He told Alfredo he wanted a tattoo and that he had brought a picture to show him what he wanted. Alfredo looked at the picture and said, “Okay.”
Jessie said, “It is my Granny.” Then he started to cry, as he felt a little dizzy because of the wine.
“Friend,” said Alfredo, “you have been drinking a little much?”
“No, just a taste of strawberry wine called No Man’s Land.”
“Well Compadero, you had too much and you think this is what you want, hey?” Alfredo said.
Jessie told him the complete story of what happened with Granny in five minutes. Now Alfredo knew it all.
“Okay, man. Okay. Calm down. I understand. I just wanted to make sure, because No Man’s Land can sometimes make you want to do strange things.”
“No regrets,” said Jessie. “I had my mind made up before I even had a sip of No Man’s Land.”
“Jessie, it was not meant for you to be there to see your Granny pass away. Things happen for a reason. Are you sure this is what you want—a tattoo of your Granny on your arm? It will be on you forever,” said Alfredo.
“Yes, now she can be with me no matter what people think.”
“I know you loved your Granny a lot,” said Alfredo, “but you’re a little tipsy from the strawberry wine.”
Jessie said, “Just do it, man, and I will pay you. You put tattoos on for money.”
“Okay, just calm down. I never meant anything,” said Alfredo. “I do feel sad you lost your Granny, but I will do as you want. I will begin now and it will be finished before midnight while it is still your eighteenth birthday.”
Jessie wanted it finished. Two days after his eighteenth birthday, she would be put into the earth. Now he would always have her with him through his life. He would never forget her.
Andy and Markus had been friends with Jessie since the fifth grade, and they could not believe he was actually going through with this tattoo idea. Andy said, “Jessie, what time will you be finished with Tattoo Granny?”
When it was finished, Jessie showed Andy and Marcus the tattoo. Andy had a look on his face of disbelief when he saw it. Jessie was in a hurry to get home. The tattoo was finished and he liked it, but he wasn’t sure his parents would approve. Jessie said, “Oh no, Andy, how am I going to hide it?”
Markus said, “Now you’re talking about hiding it and you just got it. Hmm, sounds to me like you should not have gotten it to begin with.” He laughed and looked at Jessie.
Andy said, “Wear long-sleeve shirts all the time,” then he chuckled. “You know the story that has been told about this tattoo parlor over the years.”
“Go on. What are you going to tell me? Some superstitious tale?” asked Jessie.
Andy said, “What did you think you were doing, going into a place like that?”
“What do you mean a place like that? It is a tattoo shop,” said Jessie.
Markus was making weird sounds and acting like the nut he was.
Andy said, “I know how much you love your Granny. She was a cool Granny. It is hard to believe she’s gone just like that, but now you will have Tattoo Granny forever.”
“Okay,” said Jessie, “we’d better go. It is after 12:00 a.m. and my mom and dad will need me to help with the arrangements before the funeral tomorrow evening. I just can’t imagine how Mom might react seeing Granny tattooed on my left shoulder.”
Andy chuckled again. “Sorry. It still has not sunk in that you went through with it, a tattoo of your Granny. I still think you should have given it more thought before you went through with it,” said Andy.
Jessie said, “Listen, Andy, it’s over and done, and it was something I wanted to do for her. It is the last thing that I could ever do for Granny.”
“Yep, it will be an everlasting thing for sure,” Andy said, chuckling slightly. Still trying to show remorse for Jessie, he added, “It’s an everlasting symbol of love for your Granny, but maybe out of feelings of guilt.”
“You’re wrong,” said Jessie, “it is showing love, not guilt. So, stop all the talk of guilt and go home. I will see you guys at the funeral home tomorrow.”
Chapter 3
Jessie finally arrived at his house on Second Street. The lights were still on in the living room and he wondered if his parents were still up. He got out of his car, walked up to the door, and heard his dad talking to his mom.
Robert Sorrell was a man who loved his mother-in-law and he understood how much Jessie loved his grandmother. Granny had doted on Jessie from the day he was born, and Jessie spent a lot of time at Granny’s house while growing up. She’d had a strong influence on him and theirs was a loving relationship between grandson and grandmother. He knew Jessie was going to really miss her.
Jessie walked into the house and his parents both looked up at him and wanted to know where he had been.
“Um, I was with Andy and Markus, just talking and remembering Granny and how much we were going to miss her.”
“Well, we all knew she would leave us one day. At her age, you start expecting it. Granny was eighty-two years old, but I have to admit,” said Robert, “she was spunky and very witty with all those pranks she played on us throughout her life. We will never forget her. Isn’t that right, Jessie?
“Yep, you’re right, Dad. With all my memories, I will never forget her. She will be with me every day,” said Jessie.
Jenny Sorrell said, “Jessie, we know how much you loved her.”
“Mom, it is my fault she is gone from us.”
“Jessie, what do you mean? That is silly talk.”
“No, you don’t know that she called me. She wanted me to come over on my birthday.”
“We know she called you. She wanted to tell you something on your eighteenth birthday. She never got you a gift, so she wanted to tell you something special for your birthday.”
Jessie said sadly, “Well, now I will never know what she wanted to tell me.”
Jessie headed to bed. It was late and he was tired and sad.
It was the day of the funeral and it was a simple arrangement with few people there, since Granny Sublet was eighty-two years old and had out lived most of her friends, and some were in the nursing home.
Jessie walked up to the casket to take the last look at his dear Granny. She looked so peaceful, like she was sleeping. Jessie whispered faintly to his Granny as she lay in her casket and told her how much he loved her. He smiled at the thought of how nice she looked in her favorite blue dress and magical shoes.
He bent down and whispered into her ear, “I just want you to know a secret. You’re the new tattoo on my arm.” He stood back up and there stood his mom.
“Jessie, did I hear you say something about a tattoo on her your arm?”
“Yes, Mom, you heard right. I went and had a tattoo put on my left arm across my shoulder, on my eighteenth birthday.”
”You had a tattoo of a hula girl put on your arm the night after your Granny passed away?”
“Mom I can explain,” said Jessie, “because it is not what you think.”
Jessie could plainly see that his mother was upset with him. He tried to tell her more about the tattoo, but she was interrupted by Buzzy Breathalyzer and others who were coming in to pay their respects.
Jessie thought, “Mom is upset with me about the tattoo and I need to tell her it is a tattoo of Granny.” There was no way he could even talk to his mom about the tattoo at the funeral home, so he thought, “I will tell her tomorrow.”
Just then, Andy and Markus walked in. Jessie gave them a nod to come over to the casket. He was anxious to tell them his mom knew he had a tattoo.
The funeral went very nicely and all donations were sent to Granny’s favorite charity, “Meals for the Elderly.” Granny always wanted to help the elderly that were unable to get the proper food they needed. Robert and Jenny Sorrell and Jessie greeted Granny’s friends as each one passed by to pay their last respects. When the evening was over, the Sorrell’s went home knowing that Granny was gone for good, but would not be forgotten. It was hard to accept that she would not be there for any more birthdays or holidays. She would be missed.
Jessie figured he would have some explaining to do about the tattoo when he got home, but when they all got home, his parents were so busy talking about how the funeral went that his mom completely forgot about his tattoo. Jessie was relieved that he did not have to explain it to his mom that evening.
It had been a very long day and night. Jessie had to move on with his life without Granny, but whenever he felt down, he would roll up his shirtsleeve and look at his tattoo. He thought, “It has been some time since she passed.”
It was now the beginning of May and Jessie knew he could not keep Tattoo Granny hidden forever. Warm weather would soon be there; time for short sleeves. The tattoo looked so real after it was finished that he wore a patch over it for a while. It was becoming more and more difficult to hide it.
Jessie thought, “I have to let everyone understand it is nothing to be ashamed of. Granny always told me not to worry about what people think. Granny would want me to move on and enjoy life; that is what she would say if she was here.”
One day, while Jessie was with Andy and Markus at the pizza place, in walked Hannah Utterback, with two of her girlfriends, Gala Wittensmack and Carla Wiesenberger. The girls thought they were big shots and had hot shot attitudes. One was a walking newspaper who could never keep a secret, and Hannah considered herself Miss Beauty Queen.
Andy always had eyes for Hannah, but kept it hidden. Andy had a girlfriend name Julie. Carla and Gala thought they were the hottest girls in town, and the guys liked to look when they all came in wearing their short shorts and tied tops.
Andy said, “Hannah likes you, Jessie. She is pretty, and I think you should ask her out.”
“I don’t think so. She will just turn me down,” said Jessie. “She likes rich guys with sports cars and I drive a station wagon and work at the Happy Pappy Pizza. She wouldn’t give me a chance.”
“Okay, how about this plan. We all know they come in here every Friday night around 6:30 p.m. Let’s all meet here next Friday night and, Jessie; it will be the grand opening of your new tattoo. You haven’t worn a short-sleeve shirt in over a month, and it is time to reveal it,” said Andy, smiling and raising his eyebrows mischievously.
“I suppose I have to reveal it sooner or later, so that sounds like a good idea, because I am telling my mom and dad,” said Jessie. “It is time to see how people are going to react to an eighteen-year-old with a tattoo of his Granny on his left shoulder.”
“I am sorry,” said Markus, “but it is going to be a wild night when you reveal your tattoo. Man, no offense to Granny,” he giggled, “but she is no hula girl. Have you looked at your tattoo much since you had it put on?”
“No, not really,” said Jessie. “I think about it and know Granny is with me every day.”
“I have a question,” said Andy. “Do you ever wonder how Granny might feel being on your arm while you take a shower?”
Jessie was quiet for a moment and then said, “It is just a tattoo. That’s a really dumb question.” Andy was starting to irritate him.
“I was just curious,” said Andy. “Don’t get all bent out of shape. It was just a thought.”
“Hey guys, we have to go,” said Markus, “it is 9:30 and we work tomorrow—payday. I can’t wait ‘til Friday night and the big event. And one more thing, when are you going to ask Hannah out on a date?”
Jessie said, “It will happen. Everything happens at the right time and for a reason.”
Jessie and his friends all went home after they planned out their upcoming weekend. It had been a long week and Jessie was still not over the fact his Granny was truly gone. It seemed like the time had gone by so fast and he remembered his Granny telling him time would seem to fly by as he got older. His mom and dad were in bed, but he had his own key to the back door. He walked into the living room where his mom always left a dim nightlight on. He stood there for a moment and looked at the picture that was hanging on the wall; it was Granny Sublet. He took a deep breath and said, “Granny, I can’t believe you’re really gone.” He stood there staring at the picture and then a very strange thing began to happen. A hazy, but bright light seemed to be forming around the picture.
He rubbed his eyes and thought, “Gee, I had a long week. I know the picture is not alive, but it looks so real.” He walked over to touch it, as the light was becoming brighter. “Yikes! What is happening?” he thought, as he felt the light seep into his whole body. He lit up like a Christmas tree. “I’d better go to bed,” he thought. “Too much staying up late and six days of work has gotten to me.”
Jessie was so tired that he didn’t give the odd experience with the picture much thought, and just went on to bed. He started to undress and began to think about what Andy had said about the tattoo parlor being cursed. He thought, “This is silly. It is just a tattoo of Granny,” and he took off his pants and shirt, collapsed onto the bed, and went to sleep.
It was early the next morning when the alarm went off at 7:00, and he kept hitting the snooze button until 7:30, then he hurriedly took a shower. He turned the water on and got his work clothes ready. He jumped into the shower and started scrubbing and washing, relaxing as the warm water hit his face. He grabbed his washcloth and rubbed his arms with the cool men’s gel that smelled so clean and fresh. As he was rubbing his left shoulder, he noticed that his tattoo was turned backwards—the back of Granny’s head was where her face was supposed to be. “No way!” he thought. “I’m dreaming.”
He peeked again at his shoulder and said, “Yikes! Granny’s tattoo is turned around like she doesn’t want to see me in the shower. Man, this is too much—way too weird! Okay, Jessie,” he tried to talk himself into being rational; “this is just your imagination.”
He rinsed all the suds away and saw that the tattoo was still turned around wrong. He hurried and dried off and put his clothes on as quickly as possible. He examined his tattoo in the mirror and saw that it was now back to normal. It was just a sweet portrait tattoo of Granny.
“Okay, soap was in my eyes,” he said. “That is why I thought Granny’s tattoo was turned wrong.” Jessie thought, “I sure hope my day gets better. I don’t need any more weird stuff like glowing pictures and reversed tattoos. I am not telling the Breathalyzer brothers; they will bug the snot-rag out of me and give me no peace.”
Jessie thought about what they would think and he could not imagine what they might say about his crazy experiences. His mom and dad had already left for work, and it was close to school ending for the summer; they would be finishing up their classes over the next couple of days. He grabbed his car keys and off he went to his job at the Happy Pappy Pizza; it was a Friday, so it would be busy. He had to watch his speed, as his mind was on other things, like his tattoo and the weird things that had happened. As he drove along, he thought more and more about Andy’s remarks about the tattoo shop.
“What if the tattoo shop really was cursed like Andy said?” he wondered. Jessie’s mind was overloaded with strange thoughts, so he closed his eyes for a second and thought, “No way! Things like that don’t happen—or at least, I hope not. It was just my imagination.”
The entire way to work, he could not stop thinking that maybe he should not have gotten a tattoo of his Granny put on his arm. Would the girls and his friends at college think less of him? He again murmured to himself, “Granny, I love you so much. Forgive me for thinking like this.” He finally convinced himself it was okay and it would be all right. As he pulled into the parking lot of the pizza place and parked, he leaned over into the backseat to get his apron. When he turned back around, there stood Andy, grinning like a possum eating sundown grapes.
Andy banged on Jessie’s car door and laughingly said, “Hurry man! You’re late!”
Jessie got out of the car to the sound of Andy’s laughter, which continued like always, but this morning, Jessie had no idea why Andy was still laughing.
“What is going on with you and where is Markus?” he asked.
“He is already getting ready to open up soon, so you’re late, and that means tick-tock there goes the clock.”
“Okay, Andy, let’s get to work. Today is Friday and payday, which makes it a great day.”
Andy said, “Yeah, and we have a place to go. If you remember one of the girl’s—one in particular, Hannah, ring your bell?”
“How could I forget?” said Jessie. “You won’t let me. Come on, I will race you! Ready, set, go!”
They raced to the pizza entry and Andy won. They both laughed and walked inside to where Markus was standing with a look of ‘where have you been so long?’ on his face.
Markus said, “I have been busy making sure we had enough pizza crust, because Friday is always busy like Saturday.”
“Yeah, man, I am sorry; just got started on the wrong foot this morning,” said Jessie, with a look of confusion on his face.
Markus said, “Jessie, man, what’s up? You seem like something is bothering you and I know your Granny has only been gone a little while now.”
“Naw, it’s nothing, guys, just had some strange things happen last night and again this morning, but I made a promise I would not tell you two,” said Jessie.
“Creudulations, manz! We are your friends, and if you can’t tell us then, who are your real true buddies?” Andy said, as he put his arm around Jessie’s neck.
“Dudes, you both are the best—totally the best!” said Jessie.
Andy and Markus both wanted to know the scoop on what was happening to their best friend.
“Okay, you two, but you have to promise that you will not laugh or think it is crazy,” said Jessie.
“We are truly here to please not squeeze, brother, for our best friend, the man, Jessie. You are the man!” Markus said, and they both snickered a little.
Jessie began telling his two friends about what happened the night before when he got home. He said, “I walked into the living room and right there on our wall is a picture of Granny. All of a sudden, a bright light came over her picture and I walked up and touched it and it made me glow like a Christmas tree.”
“Wow!” said Andy. “What in the heck were you smoking?”
“Nothing, man. You know me better than that, guys,” said Jessie.
Markus said, “Is that the end where you see a light at the end of the tunnel?” Then he laughed with a snorting sound—his usual laugh.
“No,” said Jessie, “I went to bed, and this morning when I got into the shower, I could have sworn that I saw my tattoo change and turn around and look the other way.”
“No way!” said Markus. “You must have had a nip of something before work, man.”
Jessie said, “Take it or leave it, but it was like my tattoo was alive.”
Andy said, “I told you, man, that tattoo shop was cursed!”
“Tweed head, I don’t believe that stuff. Too far out for me to believe,” said Jessie.
Andy said, “After work, we will go find that tattoo shop and see if it is still open.”
“We can’t tonight, because of the girls,” said Jessie.
“No, man, it is up to you this time. It’s your call on this one,” said Andy.
Jessie was deep in thought, wondering whether it was grief over his Granny or if the parlor really was cursed—and he was hoping everything would get better as time went on.
Chapter 4
“We will go have some fun. That’s what you need, my man Jessie.”
“Yeah, you might be right,” said Jessie.
“It is settled then. We will see those bodacious babes tonight at the Smack Back restaurant around seven,” said Andy Breathalyzer.
Markus cried out, “Open the doors, man! It is time for us to open up; it’s 10:30.
“Pizza all day, and tonight we will play, and no work tomorrow. College will start back in the fall, so look out summertime, with all the babes at the beach! It’s gonna be totally awesome!” said Andy.
In Dotland, Kentucky, when May came, the fun began.
Markus spoke up and said, “Andy, get your mind on track with work or we will be here all night. We have a little over an hour until lunchtime, and you know how hectic it gets in here.”
“Pizza town clowns are what we are,” laughed Andy.
Before they knew it, it was noon and they were bombarded with customers and call-in orders, which Jessie would do. He had to deliver a pizza to a new address and they had a guarantee that if the pizza was not delivered in ten minutes, then it was a free pizza. That was the Happy Pappy Pizza policy.
Markus hollered out, “Take-out order to Twelfth Street on Main to the Henson residence!”
Jessie said, “We don’t do take-outs past Eleventh Street or I will be later than ten minutes.”
“It’s okay this time; new business means more for the poor,” said Markus.
“I can’t go. It is against the policy to go past Eleventh Street,” said Jessie.
“It is okay,” said Andy with a grin. “Our dad always likes new business because, like he taught us, never turn down a newcomer. Now take the Pizza and go. It is time to roll out of here or you will be late,” said Andy.
Jessie said, “I’m out the door, man, on the way to Twelfth Street and ten minutes or it is free—not out of my pay check.” Jessie loaded up the pizzas and hurried on his way to deliver two fully loaded pizzas. He was driving, listening to the radio, and singing. He was just passing Eleventh Street and it was already twelve minutes past the ten-minute policy guarantee. He was looking for a house with blue shutters, as Markus had noted directions on the back of the bill.
Jessie slowed his car down and saw the big house with blue shutters and a big moving van parked in front of the house. He parked, got out of the car, reached in and got out the pizzas, walked to the front door, and rang the doorbell. He patiently waited until someone answered the door; it was a young girl around eighteen years old, with long blonde hair, and he could not help but notice her big green eyes. She was a real beauty.
Jessie was speechless for a moment. “Uh, uh,” he said, “I have two pizzas for this address and there is no charge, because our policy is ten minutes or free.”
She politely said, “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” said Jessie, “from the Happy Pappy Pizza to you and your family. Please stop in. There are some coupons on the boxes with the address.”
She said, “Thanks, and by the way, my name is Marla Henson. We’re new here.”
Jessie said, “I hope to see you around sometime. Well, I got to get back to work.”
Jessie walked back to his car. He had been taken back with Marla; she was a beauty and well worth his trip. He thought, “Man, I almost did not want to make this delivery.”
He drove back to work and found Andy and Markus swamped with customers. The drive-thru and the inside were packed; it was like no other Friday. Jessie hurried, as usual, to get back to work and put his apron on so he could jump in and start helping out.
Andy said, “Dude, where in the heck fires wily were you?”
Jessie, with a look of surprise on his face, thought, “I can’t believe he is asking me this question after telling me to make the delivery.” Aloud he said, “Andy, you told me to go, and we always welcome new customers, it will get the word out,” said Jessie.
“Yeah, man, I remember what I said, but after you left, business really started to pick up and we were one employee short,” said Andy.
Markus spoke up and said, “Yeah, Carla called in sick—or who knows with that strange chick?”
“We will have to hire another person if she keeps this up. Let’s go through the applications later or wait until Monday after I talk to Dad,” said Andy.
Markus was really working hard, attending to all the customers, and Jessie and Andy were busy too. It was like a flood had come through the Happy Pappy Pizza. In the mist of all the talking, Andy decided to wait to talk to his father about hiring more help for the summer. All three of the boys stayed busy until 1:30, then it slowed down to a steady pace, but, like always, despite working, they horsed around and joked amongst themselves. Andy’s father owned Happy Pappy Pizza, but Andy, being the oldest, was in charge of place. The parlor was always busy, because they had great pizza, and also because they maintained strict cleanliness rules. Every employee made sure to always wash their hands and took pride in treating customers’ right, so most customers returned again and again.
Buzzy Breathalyzer was a real businessman, who began teaching his two sons how to run the family business while they were very young. His motto was: Never make a mess and you will be a success; that meant to do the thing right the first time so you wouldn’t have to do it twice.
Jessie had known Markus and Andy all his life. The three had grown up together and they got along well. The day was finally coming to an end when in walked the new girl, Marla Henson. Jessie was cleaning up the counter tops and putting away some boxes. Andy and Markus were in the back of the store.
Jessie turned around and asked her if he could help her and she said, “I am wondering if you all are hiring?”
“Huh? Well, I think we are going to check with the main boss about it because we are short on workers. I will give you an application just in case they decide to hire, and you will have yours in for consideration if they decide to.”
She smiled back at Jessie and said, “That would be great, and thank you.”
Jessie handed her an application and she sat down at a booth and filled it out. She finished it up, handed it back to Jessie, and told him goodbye. He stood there looking at it and checking out her name and age and thinking about how cute she was. “Those eyes are beautiful. So green they could paralyze you,” he thought.
Andy and Markus walked back into the parlor where Jessie was standing and still holding her application. Markus said, “Who put in for a job? Do we know them?”
Jessie said, “No, she is new in town. Her name is Marla Henson. Her family just moved here. Remember the new customer delivery on Twelfth Street? Well, it was Marla.”
Andy asked, “So, what did she look like, and was she an eye-catcher and looker?”
Jessie said, “She is okay and needs a job. She seems like a nice girl, and I told her that we would know about hiring after talking to the boss man.”
“Good job and very professional,” said Markus with a big grin. “We are pizza dedicated, today is payday, tonight is party night, and we’ll be looking for some awesome chicks.”
Jessie was tired and the day had been a long day with lots of customers and one pretty girl that had caught his attention. “Whoosh!” he said. “It is time to go home and rest awhile and get ready. I will meet you and Andy later.”
“Totally cool,” said Markus and Andy, both were standing at the cash register counting the money to take to the bank. Andy walked over and handed Jessie his check of $112.06 for a long week, plus one for overtime.
Jessie smiled and said, “Thanks, this will come in handy to save a little each week for better transportation, because my station wagon has racked up the miles.”
“Hey, dude,” said Andy, “we will pick you up around seven or so, is that okay?”
“Yeah, sure, it will give me time to rest and help Mom and Dad if they need anything done before I leave,” said Jessie. “Got to go. See you dudes tonight.”
As Jessie was driving home, he had completely forgotten about his tattoo and rolled up his sleeves. The pizza parlor had been really booming and he had gotten a little too warm. On his way home, he yawned real wide from the hard day’s work. He was proud of his check, and he thought about the new girl Marla, and, of course, about stopping by the local bank to cash his check and put some into his savings account for his new car.
He thought about the night and how they always ended up at the pizza parlor on Friday nights, and he laughed to himself. He figured it would be the pizza parlor again tonight, because it was the hottest place in town to meet girls on a Friday night, and it was always packed.
Chapter 5
Jessie was home before he knew it and was pulling into the driveway to park beside his dad’s new, red, GMC truck, which was really cool. He sat in his car for a moment and thought, “One day, I will have a new GMC truck with all the hot features they have to offer.” He finally got out, walked up to the house, and went in.
His mom and dad were sitting at the kitchen table eating supper. His father asked how his day at work with the Breathalyzer boys had gone, and how business was doing. His dad knew how Andy and Markus were; they were workaholics and two of a kind when it came to their personalities.
Jessie told his dad it was a tough day, extremely busy; people were coming out of the woodwork, and then he grinned. “Overall, Dad, we had a very big money-making day, like the Breathalyzers always do with their business.”
Jessie walked over to the refrigerator and got out a soda, popped the tab on it, and took a big gulp. It was then that his mom and dad both noticed his left shoulder.
His mom said, “Jessie, what is on your shoulder? Son, it looks like paint or something.”
Jessie had forgotten about his sleeves being rolled-up above the tattoo. He just causally walked over to the kitchen table, sat down, and took a deep breath. “Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you both about something I did on my eighteenth birthday.”
Immediately, his mother spoke up and said, “You got that hula girl tattoo you always wanted.”
“No, not exactly a hula girl, Mom, but it is a girl, or woman, you would say.” He was trying to avoid the conversation as long as possible.
His dad said, “Well, it’s time we got to see it.”
Jessie swallowed hard and then cleared his throat, “Well, Dad, I got it the night Granny passed away, and that was why I was so late getting home that night.”
His father nodded his head and said, “Well, aren’t you going to at least let me and your mother see it?”
Jessie looked down at the floor and thought to himself, “Well, here it goes; time to show it,” as he took a long breath. He slowly turned his left shoulder around so that his mom and dad could see it. He was not exactly facing them as they looked. He hoped it wouldn’t upset them or make them angry.
There was a bit of a silence for a few seconds then it came. His mother went first. “Jessie. G. Sorrell, what were you thinking? Your Granny is tattooed on your arm for life, and, believe me, I know how much you loved her, but this is way too much for me to comprehend.”
His dad was sitting there with a strange grin on his face, thinking maybe Jessie had not been thinking clearly.
Jessie got up and said, “Look, I am eighteen, and no disrespect to you both, but this was my decision and I will live with it.”
“Yes, son, you will have to live with it, and just think about what you will say when you have to explain it to the girl you fall in love with,” said his father.
“It’s over and done. It’s there, and I am okay with it,” said Jessie.
“Then why did you take so long to tell us about it?” asked his mom.
Jessie said, “I knew how you and Dad would react, so it worked out okay this way.”
“Well, Robert, he is right,” said Jenny, “about being old enough to make his own decision about his tattoo.”
His father said, “Son, we had the big picture hanging on the wall, the one with Granny in her blue dress and favorite black shoes.”
Jessie said, “I know, Dad, but it was something I felt like I needed to do a little deeper.”
His dad held back a grin when Jessie said the words a little deeper. He thought to himself, “Yep, it is skin deep.”
Jessie got up from the table and asked, “Are you done talking with me about the tattoo, because I need to get ready for tonight? Andy and Markus are coming over to pick me up and we’re going to go hang out at the pizza parlor or somewhere.”
Jenny said, “Sure, Jessie, we are done with the talk about the tattoo, and, by the way, you know that was your Granny’s favorite dress and shoes, the blue one we buried her in.”
Jessie said, “Yeah.” Then it was like a cold chill came over him and he shook. “Mom, Dad, see you all later tonight. Remember I have a key to get in, in case you want to lock up.”
Jenny asked, “How long do you plan to stay out? Don’t you have to work tomorrow?”
“Yes, Mom, I do, and have I ever missed work due to staying up late?”
“I just worry about you, son, and those two Breathalyzer boys are something else sometimes. So don’t let them pressure you into anything.”
“Mom, I know how to take care of myself and what not to do. You worry too much! But I love you, Mom and Dad, and sorry I didn’t tell you about the tattoo sooner.”
Jessie went into his room to take a shower, get the pizza smell off his clothes, and spruce up for tonight. He sat on his bed for a minute to reflect about what his mom and dad had said about his tattoo. He turned to look at his tattoo and it looked normal, so much like Granny, it almost looked real, except it was a smaller version. He got up and went to his closet to get some clean clothes and make sure he looked good tonight.
He had not been out to check out girls for a while and he wanted to get his life back on track. He hurried into the shower and got all lathered up with soap and his special, good-smelling, cool body gel. He was letting the water hit his face as he lathered up with soap. Washing his arms, he noticed that his tattoo was turned around again, and this time, there was no soap in his eyes. He rubbed his other hand over it to make sure he was seeing it right and, yes, the tattoo was turned around, with Granny facing backwards.
He panicked, hurried and rinsed off, got out, and wrapped a towel around his body. He hurriedly put on his clothes. Finally dressed, he sat down and pulled up his sleeve to make sure he was not dreaming or seeing things. “Wow!” he said. “It’s back to normal, and it looks like Granny is smiling at me.”
He took a long breath and thought, “What if the tattoo shop was really cursed and my Tattoo Granny is alive? Could it be?” he wondered. “I have to call Andy and Markus to come by early so we can check the tattoo shop out. We were all a little lit that night from the wine.” He picked up the phone, called the Breathalyzer boys, and told them to come as soon as they could get there, and that it was about his tattoo. It was changing.
Andy was listening to Jessie as he talked really fast, and said, “Slow down, man. We will be there in ten minutes. Hang tight, dude.”
While he was waiting for Andy and Markus to arrive, Jessie pulled his left shirtsleeve up and looked to see if his tattoo had changed again, but it was the same; a tattoo of Granny in her blue dress, black shoes, with her hair bound on top of her head. It looked the same as it had looked on the night it was put on his arm.
Jessie had to admit it was a nice tattoo of his Granny. It looked so real, and she did not look her age of eighty-two. He found himself talking to his tattoo and asking, “Granny, are you real on my arm, except small, of course?” With a slight grin and a look of curiosity, he blinked his eyes, and could have sworn she blinked back.
He thought the day at work had been a rough one, but not rough enough that he would think he had a live tattoo on his arm. He was seriously wondering about his sanity. Then he heard a car horn honk outside and grabbed a light jacket and ran out the front door.
As he was leaving, he yelled, “Bye Mom, Dad! Tattoo Granny and me are going out on the town! Love ya!”
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