Page 40 of Illicit Illustration

Before the images could load, a text came through, making my pulse skip and I closed out of the window.

Fourteen: Sorry, was distracted by something earlier and didn’t see this come through.

Yeah, I’m sure you were, dirty girl, was what I wanted to reply, knowing that she’d been looking at porn when I’d sent that message. But I behaved myself because Seven didn’t know what she’d been doing.

Seven: No worries, you’re here now. Anything I can help with? Need someone to talk things through?

Fourteen: No. It’s fine. Just a project that I was working on. A friend helped me get things figured out.

But had I? She hadn’t called me after I’d left, and she hadn’t sent a response to my email with the pictures I’d sent her. Maybe Ihadcome on too strong.

Seven: You going to answer my question from earlier, or do you want me to go first?

Fourteen: Gasp. You mean you’ll share something with me, and I don’t have to drag it out of you?

Seven: I’ve given you answers about myself.

Fourteen: Begrudgingly. But sure, you go first. Although from what I know about you, I have a hard time believing you don’t go after what you want. I can’t see there being much you would want to do that you wouldn’t make happen.

Seven: Sometimes even assertive people have things they keep to themselves.

Fourteen: Like specific details about their jobs?

Seven: Touche. But this has to do with my job in a roundabout way.

Fourteen: I’m intrigued. Go ahead.

Seven: I’ve been thinking of holding workshops at my shop during summer break. For kids whose parents can’t afford to send them to summer camp.

Fourteen: What kind of workshops?

Obviously, I couldn’t tell her outright that I wanted to teach kids how to fine-tune their illustration skills and tell them what kinds ofjobs they could use those skills for that didn’t require more than a high school diploma, because then she would have asked questions about what professional experience I had in that area. But I knew if anyone would understand the need to encourage kids to pursue artistic endeavors, she would. I also had a few other local business owners I thought might be good to partner with because I knew they had similar backgrounds to mine and applied their creative talents to practical businesses.

If it hadn’t been for my art teachers in high school, along with Hudson’s parents, seeing my artistic skills and encouraging me to find a way to use them without needing a college degree, I wouldn’t have become a tattoo artist. I’d probably be working in construction with my dad and uncle. Which wouldn’t have been nearly as fulfilling as the career and life I’d been able to build for myself over the last decade doing something I was passionate about.

Seven: Helping them learn how to do things with their hands. Actual skills they could develop without having to rely on going to college.

Fourteen: You didn’t go, did you?

Seven: No. Wasn’t in the cards for me. We didn’t have a lot of extra cash growing up, and I wasn’t the best student academically, so I found a way to harness my other skills.

Fourteen: And those skills would be?

Seven: Nice try. But I want to be a safe place these kids can come to where they don’t feel pressured to conform to what some guidance counselor thinks they should do. Not everyone is cut out for college, and there aren’t enough adults that encourage kids to go into other trades.

Fourteen: Carpenter? You like polishing your wood?

I couldn’t hold in the smile because of our interactions earlier in the evening, but I wasn’t budging on keeping some things to myself.

Seven: Nope.

Fourteen: Plumber? You going to come snake my pipes?

Seven: While my snake would love to be introduced to your pipes, no.

Fourteen: Mechanic? You want to check my fluids?

Seven: Wow, you’re really giving this your all to figure it out. But, no. And last I checked, plumbers and mechanics don’t mark things for people. You’ll just have to be patient.

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