Paper Cranes

by Nicole Hite

  Raising an eyebrow, I turned toward Lee. Shrugging his shoulders, he wasn’t exactly appalled by my choice. I shook my head in amusement as he returned his paperwork to Gidget. He began talking to her in a low voice so only they could hear. What was he up to?

  “Kat? You ready, babydoll?” a striking woman with a Betty Davis hair cut called. She had a septum piercing, but her arms were full of colorful artwork.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” I said with clenched jaw.

  “This your first tat?” Brandy asked as we made our way to her station.

  “How could you tell?”

  “You’re shakin’ like a leaf on a tree, sweetheart.”

  “Want me to hold your hand?” Lee asked.

  “Yes, please,” I said, unashamed of my sudden fear. Perhaps this wasn’t the best idea after all.

  “Where are we putting this?” Brandy questioned.

  “On my back, between my shoulder blades I guess. That way I can cover it up if it’s atrocious,” I giggled.

  “You can lift your shirt up, almost over your head, or take it off except for your bra.”

  “I think I’ll just go ahead and take off my shirt.”

  “Now we’re talking!” Lee joked.

  “Oh shut up and give her your damn design,” I scolded him. Although, I wasn’t exactly turned off by his humor.

  Removing my shirt, I took a seat on the giant examination table covered in plastic. Lying face down, I was surprised the table had a cutout for my face. Upon further examining, it was more on the lines of a massage table. Either way, it was comfortable as hell.

  “I know this is going to sound weird, but I need to shave your back,” Brandy said.

  “I wasn’t aware there was anything to shave,” I giggled.

  “Everyone has tiny baby hairs. It’s a clear surface. Even if we think there isn’t any there, we still do it as a precaution.”

  “I won’t argue with you there,” I agreed. “I have to warn you first though. Sometimes I have tremors or muscle spasms in my arm and back. If they get to be too much, let me know and we can stop.”

  “No worries at all, sweets. I’ve had plenty of situations like this.”

  I felt a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I was terrified to mention it, but she had a right to know. Especially if she asked me to settle down. I didn’t want to have to be rude, although I really did have a hard time being evil.

  After she washed, scrubbed, and cleaned the surface, she laid the stencil for my pending artwork.

  “Look okay to you,” Brandy asked Lee.

  “Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

  “Okay, kiddo, you ready to do this?”

  “Bring it!” I finally relaxed, yet still reached for Lee’s hand.

  The buzzing of the gun fired up as I felt Brandy lay a glob of something on the section she would attack first. As soon as the needle hit my skin, I got my first glimpse at how crazy this idea really was. The initial sting of the needle slowly subsided as the vibrations began to kick in. In a way, it felt sort of soothing. Ink therapy if you will.

  Every once in a while, Brandy would hit a sensitive spot, forcing me to squeeze Lee’s hand a little harder than necessary.

  After only thirty minutes under the gun, Brandy turned the machine off.

  “All done, babes,” she said, slathering my back in goo.

  I could hear the pull, tug, and ripe of the saran wrap. Lightly placing the opaque wrap on my back, she taped it up, ready for her next victim. Popping off her rubber gloves, she put on a new set to clean, and prep for Lee.

  Crawling off the table, I motioned for Lee to come over. Before he took a seat, Brandy sterilized the chair, work station and replaced all of her equipment.

  “It’s beautiful, Dove,” he whispered into my ear before kissing my cheek.

  “Take a seat, lumberjack,” Brandy asked as she patted the chair.

  “I kind of like that,” I raised my eyebrows.

  “You know me. I like to play with wood.”

  “You are so hilarious,” I said as I playfully shoved his shoulder.

  “Where do you want this tattoo?” Brandy asked.

  “I think his left peck, over his heart. Yeah, that sounds good.”

  “Do you have the design?” She asked.

  “Yes, but I want to do something really quick.”

  Pulling my cami from under my arm, I walked over to Lee. Wrapping the fabric across his eyes and I tied it tight.

  Raising a middle finger in front of his eyes, “Can you see what I’m doing?”

  “No but I’m kinda digging this kinky shit, Dove.”

  I handed over the design to Brandy. She looked wide-eyed at me, laughing a bit.

  “Are you sure you two are just dating?” She chortled as she laid the stencil on Lee’s chest.

  I wasn’t sure where she was going with that comment, but it made my face flush bright red. I couldn’t look Lee in the eyes either since he had been blindfolded in preparation.

  “Affirmative,” I confirmed the placement, “You better not look, sneaky!”

  “I have no intention of peaking. I want it to be as much of a surprise as yours.”

  Lee didn’t have a whole lot of hair to remove on his chest, contrary to what his beard said. Watching Brandy as she laid the stencil, I stood proud at my choice. Although I had wanted it for myself one day, seeing it on Lee made it look even better.

  “Want me to hold your hand, pumpkin,” I mock.

  “Aww, that’s the first term of endearment you’ve ever used for me,” he roared with laughter.

  “Seemed only fitting given the tattoo I picked out,” I chuckled under my breath.

  “Is that so? Got a Chucky fetish, do we?”

  “Far from, you’ll see soon enough.”

  “We ready?” Brandy asked.

  “Let’s hit it.”

  Lee took the pain a lot easier then I had. Never once did he flinch, squirm or squeal. He was more relaxed than anything. I guess it was to be expected with all his other tattoos covering his arms.

  Brandy skated through the process in twenty minutes, easy. She squirted antibiotic foam and wiped his down good.

  “That’s the best part right there,” he mumbled.

  Slathering his tat with goo, she wrapped his in opaque material as well.

  “Are we ready for the big revealing?” Brandy looked far too excited.

  “I’m itching in anticipation,” I squealed.

  Brandy placed a hand mirror in my hand and helped Lee to his feet. Taking his hand, I walked us over to the floor to ceiling mirror.

  “On the count of three. 1…2…3…”

  As I lifted the mirror, Brandy removed the cami from Lee’s eyes. Staring at the mirror, I nearly started to cry. Not only was it beautiful, but an identical replication of Lee’s. No wonder she said what she said.

  Placed neatly between my shoulder blades and across Lee’s chest were matching paper cranes. Clearly, they meant a lot to each of us, but to know Lee felt the same stirred something within me I had been suppressing for so long.

  “Wow, I guess we do know each other better than we thought,” he smiled brightly.

  “I don’t know how to make one for you, but at least this way you can have one from me on you all the time,” I grinned.

  “It’s my favorite tattoo to date. Thank you, Dove.”

  “Why are you thanking me?”

  “Because it means a lot to me and you got it. You really and truly got it. They remind me of you without putting your name on me,” he beamed.

  I was never one to take a compliment and Lee knew it, but I tried my best.

  “You are welcome. They remind me of you too, which is why I am over the moon you gave me the same gift in return.”

  “If my crane had something written on it from you, what would it say?” he asked inquisitively.

  I had to think for a minute before responding, “You are trusting.”

  “I would secon
d that one.”

  “What about mine?” I asked curiously.

  “Hmm, that’s a tough one since I’ve already given you so many good ones. How about, ‘You are the best friend I’ve ever had.’ “

  My cheeks blushed as I went to hug him. In hindsight it was a great idea, looking back on it now, not such a great idea. We both yelled before I had the chance to give him a proper squeeze and kiss.

  “This is going to make for a pretty interesting sex life. Perhaps we should have thought this through a little more,” Lee tittered.

  “I think you are right. So, are we ready for our next appointment?” I asked, putting on my shirt thanks to Lee before paying Brandy.

  “Lead the way, Dove,” Lee said holding the door for me.

  I grabbed Lee’s hand, shuffling us down Magazine and right onto Jackson Avenue.

  “What are you up to?”

  “Come on! Hurry or we’ll be late!”

  “Okay, okay, okay. If you hop on my back, I can get us there so much quicker…I think. I guess it depends on where exactly we’re going.”

  “I wanted to see the American Horror Story Coven Mansion and a couple houses down is Madame Esmeralda’s Voodoo and Tarot Cards. Get excited!” I said as I jumped on his back. “Talley-ho! Ride on!” I giggled as we trotted down the sidewalk.

  Passing the coven house, I was surprised at the magnitude of the house. The massive two-story mansion was pristine white with two huge wrap around porches. It was surrounded by massive wrought iron gates, and guarded by, at least, twenty enormous columns. Even in the daylight, the place gave me the creepy crawlies.

  We raced by the house, coming to Madame Esmeralda’s just in time. As we walked in, my senses were on overdrive. There were things everywhere; shrunken heads, skulls, tall votive candles of Jesus and even voodoo dolls. An unlikely combination if you ask me.

  The place reeked of incense and patchouli. This place was strangely off for someone who carried voodoo dolls right next to a stack of Marie Laveau post cards. Just as I had placed a dia de mortes mask on its hook, I could hear the jingling of beads clacking back and forth.

  “Entre, entre. You must be the lovely, Kat,” she extended her hand to me. She was much younger looking than I had anticipated, but eccentric at that. She wore a head scarf just enough to cover her purple dreadlocks. Esmeralda had silver rings on each finger, some with stones and some without. Her bangles jingled as she examined my hand. Her smooth palms skimmed across mine as she glanced to my left to meet Lee.

  “And who is this exquisite gentleman here?” Extending her hand once again, the metal knocked around ever so faintly.

  “This is…”

  “Her boyfriend, Lee,” he finished.

  Staring at Lee for a fleeting moment, a sideways grin surprised even me. His chest was puffed, proud to call me his. I hadn’t had that sort of feeling in a while, if ever. No conversation needed to be had in order to come to such declaration either. And, I wasn’t going to fight it either. I wanted to be Lee’s girl.

  “Very well. If you don’t mind, I’m going to put the closed sign on the door just so we won’t be interrupted. I have a feeling this is going to take some time,” she winked.

  The comment was bizarre, but whatever made her comfortable. Then again, was she trying to make me feel at ease for her? I started to worry as she came back and led us to the back room.

  Passing the different cupboards, there were elixirs of, yes, you guessed it – snake oil, sage, myrrh, dragon’s blood and even oxlips flowers. Next to the countless bottles were several decks of tarot cards, spell books, black candles and numerous tribal masks. The shop alone was fascinating.

  We noisily made our way through the beaded curtain, making our way to a round take in the middle of the room. The scene was completely stereotypical that it nearly made me collapse in laughter. The table was covered in a velvety cloth, with a giant crystal ball in the center. Esmeralda removed the ball, making way for her deck of cards.

  As we took our seats, she began shuffling her deck of tarot cards.

  “Now, I need you to cut the deck in half. Now place the bottom portion on top, and lay your hand on top of the cards. The deck needs to take in your presence in order to give us and accurate reading,” she said in all seriousness.

  Was this chick for real?

  “It seems the deck has a lot to say, so I’m going to do what is called a ten card draw named the Celtic Cross. Ready?”

  “Ready,” I said realizing it would do me no good to be sarcastic right now. Es seemed to take this awfully serious.

  The first card of the flop was laid down and I immediately was drawn to it. Before me was a young man who looked like he was hammering a skull, but upon closer examination, it was a pentacle.

  “Interesting,” Esmeralda examined, “you drew the Eight of Pentacles.”

  “What does that mean,” I was no spellbound.

  “The first card represents the heart of the matter or what the real issue is in your life. It represents the atmosphere surrounding most of the matter at hand. It’s stating you need to dedicate yourself fully to a task long enough to see it through.”

  My only interpretation was Lee, to stick it out with him through thick and thin and he’ll get me through this struggle.

  “The second card is the Wheel of Fortune card. These are the obstacles that are standing in your way from obtaining the matter at hand. It’s your path of destiny. It seems you’ve just recently had an unexpected turn of good fortune.”

  Depends on what her interpretation of good fortune is.

  “You need to link your chain of events to see the connections between your success, luck and happiness.”

  It would make sense as to why I was so destined to be with Lee, yet terrified to be with him due to the disease. That was my real obstacle here.

  The third card was a little intimidating with a King and his sword.

  “Ahh, seems like you have high expectations for yourself. Seems like you try to play by the rules just enough to achieve your goals or making dramatic changes in your life. The cards tell me that lately you’ve started to decipher what perfect clarity of thought is. Perhaps, being direct with your actions toward those people who inspire, not love or devotion, but absolute trust and loyalty.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at those words. I was beginning to see Lee in that capacity. It was more than love and devotion. We were beginning to trust and respect one another on a much deeper level.

  “Yes, The World card is forth. These are influences now coming into being. Truthfully it is the foundation on which the situation is based. Possibly you are dealing with coming to terms with the true meaning of security in love or life, however I do see travel or change of residence in your very near future.”

  Es was right on the money so far. She was starting to turn me into a believer. Maybe this voodoo shit really wasn’t a total waste of time, but what about my disease? All of this sounded all well and good, but not the big picture.

  “Hmm, yes.”

  “What?” I pleaded.

  “Your fifth card is the Eight Cups. These are reasons why your influences would be passing away.”

  Ah yes, here we go. It was only a matter of time before the disease came into play. How accurate that this would be the very reason I’ve been pushing Lee away.

  “It seems that although your influences are good for you, you can’t help but try to suppress the real issues at hand in your life. You can’t let go of the bad which makes you emotionally withdraw and a bit lethargic.”

  There was no denying that when I wasn’t with Lee, the emotions try to overtake me. The depression toward life and even Lee at times, catching up quickly.

  The next card was upside down, which made me incredibly nervous. I would bet my life that that was not a good sign at all.

  “Oh. Okay. You’re sixth card is the Two of Rods. These are your future influences. At some point you need to come to terms with your future and those influences
around you.”

  Well no shit. The whole reason I came here was to avoid this very card. I knew times were going to be tough for Lee and I, but I had been content on ignoring them lately. Life seemed so much better when I didn’t think about it twenty-four-seven.

  “I see an erosion of power, and…”

  “And what?” I begged.

  “I’m having a hard time seeing a visual of the future for some reason. Regardless, you can’t lose hope and clarity. Most importantly, don’t allow others to be caught off guard due to your inability to come to grips with the impact of the event.”

  In other words, don’t sugar-coat it just to make another feel better about my situation.

  “Card seven is a more promising though. This is the King of Pentacles or how others influence the matters at hand. Your attitude towards your future is dependent on your attitude. Know that the people around you are dependable. They are trying to embrace tried and tested methods, so cut them some slack. They understand your struggles on some level. Just know that their word is gold. Don’t turn your back on them.”

  She was absolutely right; I needed to lean on my friends and new friends more. They were important and understood my situation, including Lee.

  “The Seven of Swords; this card makes me extremely happy to see. This is how you intend to handle the influences in your life. It is extremely important to keep those you love and those you interact with in the know. Although it’s easy to slink into depression, know that there is always and opportunity to withdraw from the hopeless situation and to fight another day. You need to disengage from your struggle, girl.”

  This was better than therapy.

  “I have a word of warning though. You are exceedingly bright but you are clever enough to know outright deception. You are smart though, you’ll find a way to turn the tide in your favor.”

  What the hell? I didn’t know anyone in my life who meant me ill will. Maybe Esmeralda was starting to lose her mojo.

  Ouch, another upside down card.

  “Interesting. It’s rare you get two very similar cards – The Three of Rods. This card represents your hopes and fears. It seems you really will have an unexpected element, person or event that will come into play. But sugar, don’t let your pride and arrogance come into play. A great act of betrayal is coming, but be sure not to sink to the depth of your opponent.”