Grace Happens by Jan Czech

Author:Jan Czech
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2010-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

14. piercings and body art

“where to now?” I couldn’t help looking at my reflection in every window we passed. My hair bounced and shone. I felt great.

“Here,” said Louise. I read the sign in front of the establishment: PIERCING, TATTOOS, BODY ART BY BILL.

“Bill isn’t tattooing or piercing me,” I said.

“First off, Bill doesn’t live here anymore. His ex-wife, Marcy, does all the work now. Second, you have to be the only fifteen-year-old on the planet who doesn’t have pierced ears.”

I had to admit she probably had a point there, and, while I shuddered at the thought of a needle coming anywhere near me, I couldn’t help noticing the sun glinting off Louise’s earrings—five in the right ear, seven in the left. I took a deep breath and decided it was high time I joined the twenty-first century.

“OK, but only one hole in each ear. That’s it,” I said. A bell tinkled above the door as we entered. A raven-haired woman was bent over a man lying on a table that looked like the kind they use in a doctor’s examining room. She had what I could only assume was a tattoo needle or a dentist’s drill in her hand. A frown crossed her face when she saw us.

“Louise, I told you I can’t pierce your navel until you’re eighteen or until I have written permission from your mother.”

“Relax, Marcy. We’re here for my friend, Grace. She just wants her ears pierced. I know you can do that.”

“Not until I’m finished with Steve, here.” She was finishing up a series of Chinese symbols that ran from his right wrist clear up to his shoulder and around his neck. “Tilt your head, Steve, unless you want this symbol for love to end up between your eyes.” She had a sense of humor, which I saw as a good sign if she was coming at me with a needle. “OK, big boy. You’re all set. You know the drill. Keep it clean, don’t pick at it, and if you have any questions come in and see me.”

“Thanks, Marcy. You’re the best.” Steve heaved himself off the table and pulled on a shirt that he didn’t button. The tails flapped behind him as he left.

Marcy pulled the paper cover off the table and replaced it with a fresh one. “OK, Grace, you’re next.” Apparently I didn’t move fast enough for her. She patted the table. “Come on, this isn’t going to hurt.” I still hesitated. Louise shook her head and tossed her hair behind her ears and I saw those glittering earrings again.

“Let me tell you girls about the first time I ever had my ears pierced,” Marcy said. “I was fifteen and my friend used two ice cubes to numb my ears before she rammed a safety pin through to make the holes. They aren’t even. One is higher than the other. See?” I grimaced and my stomach turned over at the thought of putting a safety pin through my ear. Marcy

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