Piercing connection

Last night I went down to High Priestess to get two new holes pierced in my right earlobe. A. greeted me at the door, his face covered in swirls of tattoos, with multiple piercings in eyebrows, nose, ears, and lips. He took my order with friendly professionalism, and put my opal earrings in the autoclave. I waited a little while, and joined J. in the piercing room.

J. had many tattoos, also, though none on his face. Wood plugs the diameter of a pop can stretched his earlobes. We talked about our children while he prepped my lobe and pierced it. We have kids about the same age, his daughter eight to T’s seven. He spoke of his daughter with great affection, how she snuggles with him, she’s the light of his life. It was a sweet connection, and I thought, how wonderful to live this life without judging by appearance. I could have missed that easily, but instead my life was enriched.