Chapter Three

The minute I stepped foot in my house I fell to my knees. Part of it was due to exhaustion, but the other part was due to my emotions finally catching up with me. I was already overwhelmed with the thought of finally being in my home country, and seeing Skyler was the icing on the cake. Even strong soldiers cry sometimes, and that's exactly what I did.  I cried remembering the sleepless night she caused. I cried at the thought of my soul getting ripped apart when she left. Most of all, I cried out of loneliness. Spending a year and some change in a foreign country with no loved one to write letters to really sucks. Not going to lie, I almost wrote her a letter on more than one occasion, but I could never get the courage to send it. 

After successfully crying my eyes out, I picked myself off the floor and wandered into my bedroom. Slinging my duffel bag on my bed, I  exhaled loudly. Everything was how I left it. Pristine and untouched for over a year. That was oddly comforting if not a little sad. As much as I wanted to sleep, I had adult responsibilities to fulfill, and currently that was putting my clothes away. A simple task that marked the re-entry into civilian life. 

Somewhere along the way, my exhaustion must have taken over because the next thing I knew it was light outside. 5:45 AM. It's going to take a while to get used to this. Today, I planned on going to the tattoo parlor and to my parents house to visit. Oh, I also needed to get groceries. First thing first, a nice warm shower. Stripping, I looked in the mirror at my body.  I ran my hand over where I had an intricate rose tattoo over my right hip bone. A few scars here and there plagued my front, but overall I would say I was still a catch. I know, I know, how narcisstic of me.  

I felt rejuvenated when I stepped out of the shower 25 minutes later. It felt amazing to stand under cascading, warm water without the need to hurry up and clean yourself. I wandered back into my room to change into clothes for the day. My outfit of choice consisted of a black Army t shirt, white skinny jeans, and my tan combat boots. To top it all of, I decided to wear my galaxy black snapback. They are by far my favorite accessory and my signature look. I have an ever growing collection that I proudly display on my dresser. 

After grabbing an English muffin with honey and banana, I headed out the door. My black Kawasaki Ninja roared to life as soon as I started it. I smiled at that, pleased that my baby was still in perfect condition. Bikes were kind of my thing, and in my spare time I kept my bike as clean as I could. It fit my image well I thought, sporty and badass.

Pulling into the Crystal Dragon tattoo parlor felt like pulling into my safe space. Along with bikes and snapbacks, tattoos  were something that I was passionate about. It was soothing to me to get them. Today, I was going to get an origami wolf's face on my left forearm. To  me, the wolf symbolizes strength and loyalty to the pack; something the Army has taught me. I greeted Lindsay at the front counter and sat in the lobby, patiently waiting for the artist, Leo to take me back. Leo is a 25 year old surfer looking man who is absolutely brilliant at his job. He is the one that has done all my tattoos and I honestly wouldn't want any other artist. He has a two year old son, Max, that I absolutely adore. 

"Sammie," Leo called out, "time to get 'er done"

Everytime I get a tattoo, I get ridiculously happy. Like I said, it's one of my sanctuaries. I could feel someone standing behind Leo, and I assumed it was an apprentice. I always thought apprenticing at a parlor would be the dream; that was until the Army came along.

"Sammie, this is my apprentice and she will be watching and learning technique today" Leo said as he disinfected the area my new ink would be. Wait, I knew that perfume. I turned around and couldn't believe my eyes. The tattoo apprentice was Skyler.  

"Umm hi again..." Skyler mumbled awkwardly. 

"I was going to text you later," I returned the dialogue, probably just as awkward.

"Wait you know each other?" Leo decided to contribute to the conversation.

I didn't really want to get into the past, so I just sat forward in the chair and stayed silent. Leo must have taken the hint as he started to draw the tattoo in his pen on my forearm.

The great thing about Leo is that he is fast with his work. It only took 40 minutes, but damn was it a smooth looking tattoo. I was so pleased with the outcome, and so was Skyler judging by the look of awe on her face. After being so close to her for an extended amount of time, I let down my guard and started a conversation with her.

"How did you get into the tattooing business?"

"Right after I found out you left I helped your mom clean your room and box stuff up. I saw a notebook filled with your sketches and I remembered how much joy you got from drawing. I guess I didn't want to let that go, so I took up tattooing." she responded thoughtfully.

I didn't expect her to be so blunt about it. Not going to lie, I was a little surprised. She didn't seem like the type to be into that, let alone do something to prevent a feeling from leaving. It was a strange feeling to know that she kept that part of me alive in her daily life. 

"You know the drill with caring for a new tattoo," Leo rambled as he walked me to the door.

"Wait I have to pay still, you dufus" I exclaimed as I attempted to take money out of my wallet.

"Nope it's on us," he said ushering me out.

It was only until I was out the door that I realized Skyler was shadowing behind me. 

"Umm.. did you want to get coffee now?" she muttered shyly.

Here goes nothing, I thought "yes, I would love that". 

Smiling, she took my hand and let me across the street to a small cafe.