Traditional Change Read Online Free PDF

silently debating who should do the talking.
    "Let me guess," Sawyer muttered. "You want tattoos?"
    The boy laughed awkwardly, and the girl gave a serious nod. "I want the saying on my family's crest tattooed on my arm right here," the boy said then, touching the front of his bicep. "It's Latin, and it means 'We are one, we unite'."
    "Just spell check that shit," Sawyer answered, still carving lines in Rebecca's back. "I don't speak Latin. So I'm going to do up whatever you write, and if it's wrong, I will have no way of knowing."
    "Yeah, sure," the boy answered quickly.
    "What kind of lettering?" Sawyer asked, and Rebecca thought she heard impatience growing in his tone.
    "Just like, you know," the kid replied. "Make it look like handwriting, and about this big." He made a circle with his hands, and Sawyer nodded.
    "Three hundred bucks," he answered, then tipped his head at the girl. "And you?"
    "I, uh…" she sputtered, looking at her boyfriend. "I want my son's footprint on the back of my shoulder."
    Rebecca worked hard to keep her face straight.
    "Names?" Sawyer asked, his tattoo machine still buzzing away happily. "Dates?"
    "Yeah," she answered with a surprised look on her face. "His name and birthday."
    "Three hundred and fifty," Sawyer quoted. "Takes about an hour and a half for your Latin, and two hours for your footprint. Just tell the guy at the front."
    "Yeah," the boy said with a big smile. "Cool. So, uh…" he began, then swallowed hard. "Does it hurt?"
    "Fuck yeah it hurts," Sawyer said evenly, Rebecca giggling at his harsh manner.
    "Oh," the boy answered in a sad tone. "Well, okay. That's badass by the way," he added, pointing at Rebecca's back.
    "Thanks," Sawyer said, then rotated in his chair so his back was to the young couple. "Let 'em know up front."
    The couple stood uncertainly for a moment, then disappeared into the hall without another word.
    "Let's get back to your tattoo. You have another hour before your session ends," Sawyer said to Rebecca, placing his hand on her back to lower her down.
    "So you hate doing footprints, huh?" she asked, as the needle sliced against her skin again.
    "Actually, no. I don't mind them at all. Tattoo artists seem to always tease whatever the trendy tattoo is. Right now that sits pretty high. But it's always different. One year it's the tramp stamp, the next year it is the wrist tattoo."
    "Are there any tattoos you won't do?"
    "Sure. I won't do any Nazi shit, or tattoos filled with hate. I also limit the dark stuff. If it's too twisted and morbid, I can only do so much. I'm also not good at portraits. I will do them, but it's not my best skill. I make sure to warn the client first, but they always seem to be happy." He paused for a second, wiped at her back, and continued on. "I also won't tattoo on some dude's junk or a chick's pussy. I have no desire to be anywhere near that."
    "Not interested in pussy, huh?" Rebecca teased.
    Sawyer chuckled. "You know what I mean. I also won't do neck tattoos or face tattoos unless I can see the person clearly is covered in them. If it's a first tattoo, I'm not going to do something that is so drastic it could fuck up their future career. No drunk tattoos either. I take this seriously, and so will my clients."
    Rebecca clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut. Her back was on fire, and she wasn't sure she was going to be able to sit still for much longer. They both sat in silence for a while, but she needed to focus on something besides the constant burn in her back. He must have sensed her discomfort.
    "So, tell me why you decided to get a back piece. Pretty ballsy," Sawyer said over the buzz of the machine.
    "I'm asking myself the same question right now." Her voice cracked. "But seriously, I needed to do something to signal a big change, I guess. It's hard to explain, but I need to change the course I've been on. This is sort of jump starting that." She inhaled sharply as he tattooed over a rib again.
    "Well I'm pretty damn