My family went to the shore for a family reunion, then made plans to stay in Wildwood. We hadn't had a vacation in a really long time, so this was much needed. At the reunion my cousins and uncle were talking about how they wanted to get a family tattoo. I suggested a shamrock, since my family's irish. They weren't really sure. But, if they were getting it done in Wildwood, I wanted to be there to see it. I never saw someone getting a tattoo.
At A Glance Author Cass Contact casango88@aol.com When Six months ago Artist Charlie Studio High Octane Location Wildwood, NJ So, we get to our hotel rooms. My uncle and two cousins stayed on the other side of Wildwood, where we were at North Wildwood which is right by the boardwalk. They decided not to get a tattoo.
And lately, since I started to stretch my lobes, I was getting the body mod bug. I really want to get something done. Since my mom's very restricting when it comes to stuff like that, we decided on a navel piercing.
Now my mom, she'd just gotten surgery around her navel and had scar tissue there. So, she thought she'd get one too. And my cousin had her's pierced twice, but decided to get it done again. So, the three of us started to look for places to get it done.
The last night that my cousin was staying there, we went to do it. We walked the boardwalk to find the place that we'd picked.
We walked inside, signed the papers, paid. There was this guy walking around the store, he had a gold rosary on and big baggy clothes. His name was Charlie. He turned out to be very nice, too. I remember my cousin asked if he did them straight and he replied, "Line it up with a ruler." Ha. I was so nervous, I knew there was no turning back. And with my sister, who had her's done already, yelling at me that if I didn't do it she'd hate me. It was harsh and I know she didn't mean it. But, it was the push I needed. I had to do it now. See, I have an anxiety problem. So, it couldn't be easy.
I just kept on pacing around the store, like a cat. I kept on going back on my word, saying I was or wasn't going to do it. I'd never been that scared in my life. And this wasn't even that big of a deal. I got really worked up for nothing. But, I tend to do that a lot.
We went back into a white room. I knew if I didn't go first, I wouldn't do it at all and it'd be a huge tantrum I'd have. So, I laid on the bed. We all were originally going to get hoops, because my sister said she liked them better. But, when we got back there, I changed my mine and he said that he would be easier. Our piercer, Charlie, kept on talking about his family. We talked for about 10 minutes before he actually did it. But that made me feel a bit more comfortable. When the time came, I closed my eyes and Charlie, kept on talking to me. And I told him to, because I was scared out of my mind by this point. He rubbed the area around my bellybutton with cleanser. He coached me in the breathing and the needle went in. That simple. The clamp hurt the most. And it felt more weird than pain. A good weird. He had a hard time getting on the ball, which hurt really bad. But, after he got it on I hopped up, feeling all proud.
My cousin asked if I wanted to see it in the mirror, I said no. I'm not sure why. I was feeling kind of dizzy, I guess. She was rubbing my back, because I was turning white. Then I heard her say, "She's dead weight." I was half passing out. I heard some of what they were saying and I felt my piercer carry me out. I swear to my mom I didn't pass out. But, she said I did.
He carried me into a black light room onto a couch where my cousin sat with me while my mom got her's done. There was a fan that blew on me and some guy who was sitting there talking to me. He was all amazed I got it done. I felt so embarrassed. But, they were all very nice to me. And since my cousin and I weren't in the room when my mom got it done, some random, little guy held her hand. Ha.
My mom had had surgeries around her navel before, so she figured she'd get it and maybe it would cure her pain from the scar tissue. And it did. She can't wait to show everyone this summer in her bikini.
We all left with new metal in our bodies. I cleaned it well and it's been good ever since.
I'm happy I got it done. It's one of the bravest things I ever did.