"Tattoo"

" Tattoo"

Justin's mom had sat down the house rules with aplomb. Only the most obtuse person would have failed to understand: no tattoos,no body piercings and no co-ed sleepovers while living in the house of Elaine Tucker Brown.

Still, the day Justin turned 18, he lied to his mother about where he was going and headed straight to the tattoo parlor, as if impervious to his mother's wrath. He got a light blue heart the size of an orange permanently etched on his arm. Above this work of art was the word, "Blessed".

No, Justin was not stupid, but he was obstinate.


Elaine saw this an act of sheer defiance. She was incensed, her anger exacerbated by the fact that Justin had breezed into the house, found her in the kitchen, taken off his shirt with a smile and said, "Got it!"

" No, Justin. Let me tell you what you've got", Elaine said angrily. Yo've got five minutes to go upstairs and pack a bag. I'm taken you to Pop-Pops."


The ride to Pop-Pop's house was chilly, to say the least. Elaine berated Justin for everything she could think of, which wasn't much because