I flew home to Kansas today. Flying Southworst wasn’t as bad as it usually is. Aside from the man with the annoying voice speaking to his business partner in a volume that required earplugs and the baby that was screaming bloody murder, the flight was fine. I saw a beautiful sunset and even flew over a thunderstorm. Seeing lightning from above a storm is amazing, to say the least.
It was wonderful to have my parents pick me up at the airport. It had been several months since I last saw them. They commented about my shaggy hair. The last time they saw me, I had a shaved head. My mom added that she likedit best when my hair was long (down to the middle of my back). I’ll never forget how diappointed she was when I cut it all off.
We finally got home and I gave my dad his Father’s Day card and showed them the magazine I had been published in. They were proud, and I still love to please them. I’m sure the album reviews will be on teh fridge sometime soon. I felt like the timing was right to break the news about the gift I had given myself for my birthday. Shortly after showing them the magazine I said, “I have something else to show you.”
I then lifted the left sleeve of my t-shirt to reveal the tattoo (I’ll post a photo of it soon) that now covered my entire shoulder. My mom was digusted. She looked for a few seconds. The anger was in her eyes. She was disappointed. I tried a little humor…“Mom, you can design the next one, if you want.” Nothing. No response. Dad took it fine. He didn’t look much longer than mom, but it didn’t visibly bother him. He later explained that it was my body and I could do what I wanted. There were more important things to be concerned about and he was just happy I was in town.
“Did you know about this?!” my mom shot at my dad.
“No!”
“Does your brother have one too?” she asked me.
“No, he does not.” Not yet, I thought to myself.
My brother called shortly after the unveiling. He wanted to know how it went over. I explained, in the company of both parents, making light of it for the most part. My sister called while my brother was on the phone.
“Your brother is here with a big tattoo,” she yelled as my dad was talking to her.
Dad handed the phone over to me and I told her about it. She glossed over it and told me that Friday would be good for dinner.
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