“Well, what’s your guess?”
She taps her left index finger on her lips while keeping another hand on the steering wheel. “I would say that you didn’t get your first tattoo at age fifteen.”
“I actually did.”
“Wow, I didn’t expect that! What did your parents think?”
”My mom wasn’t too happy, but my dad liked it. I got this one tattooed first,” I say, showing a black spade symbol tattooed on my right forearm near my wrist.
“I should have known, a spade for a Spade. No wonder your dad liked it.”
“He has a matching one. That’s how I got the idea. I need to show you a photo of us, showing our arms, grinning like fools.”
“Your upbringing was nothing like mine.”
That much has been evident ever since we met. “Sure, but both had their good parts, right?”
She smiles, quickly glancing my way before focusing back on the road. “I would have to agree.”
“Back to our game. Any other guesses?”
“You haven’t lived in four cities?”
“I sense some hesitation. Is that your final answer?” I tease her, looking out of the passenger side window, avoiding her gaze.
“It’s my second answer, remember?”
I whisper, “I worked at Wendy’s, not Taco Bell.”
“Spade, this is not how you play the game! That’s almost cheating.”
“It’s not. The entire idea is that you tell three things that could all be true, but one isn’t.”
Tanya shakes her head and clicks her tongue to express her disapproval. “We should have played Fuck, Marry, Kill instead.”
“We have time for that later if you still want to play.”
“Let’s see. First, I want to know which four cities you have lived in.”
“You already know I’m from Staten Island. Right after high school, I spent two years in San Francisco living with my aunt, who’s also a tattoo artist. She taught me many things about our craft. Then I lived in Seattle for over a year, training how to tattoo better before moving to Chicago once I got my first permanent job. I was there for twelve years before moving back home,” I say, counting the cities with the fingers on my right hand.
“That’s amazing—all those beautiful places! Which one was your favorite?”
“They all were great, but I wouldn’t mind returning to Chicago. But for now, I’m happy to be living in Brooklyn.”
“Did you leave someone special behind when leaving Chicago?”
She’s sometimes so obvious, and I love it. “Are you asking me if I was dating someone when I moved?”
“You got me. I didn’t want to pry, but I’m curious.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m an open book, you can ask me anything.” I glance her way quickly. “And the answer is no; I wasn’t in a relationship when I left Chicago three years ago.”
“Okay then.”
“And I wouldn’t have asked you on this trip if there was someone special in my life.”
“Why is that?”
