Moe's Tattoo
Note: Inspired by "The Rose Tattoo", but not as dramatic and definitely more romantic. Francine and Maury are the only ones who know of their father's surprise anniversary gift to Lynn. She receives the usual pampering, but then Moe exposes his true gift to her, a red rose tattoo, symbolizing their everlasting love and passion and her ravishing good looks.
Chapter 1—A Little Rebellious
It still amazed Moe how someone so classy, dignified and eloquent could ever love him as dearly as Lynn Marie did. She had literally danced into his life that one fateful day back in Pierre Dulane's Dance Studio and it was as if time itself had stopped. Moe had never envisioned love as being so magnificent, but he realized that he and Lynn were very similar. Before she had decided on moving into Springfield from the marine town of Lighthouse Harbour, she had felt dissatisfied with her life. She often used art, literature, nature and dance to escape feelings of loneliness, insignificance and depression. If she hadn't had turned on the television to watch the news on the night she wanted to overdose her way into the pearly gates, she would've never had the chance to meet Moe and he would've never begun living life to the fullest state.
It wasn't soon after happy hour that Moe had gotten off of work, and luckily the nearest tattoo parlor was still open. Inside was a rather intimidating bruiser of a man who had been bald from birth, looking much like Othello would have if he actually existed. Despite his stature and his intense eyes, the man was very kind and was more than happy to fulfill Moe's request.
"What'll it be, Sir ?", the man questioned, in a lyrical Arabic accent.
"I would like to have a rose over my heart. It's for my anniversary. I would've never thought of doing something like this until now. I'm a changed man !", Moe said, full of enthusiasm.
"Sounds like this wife of yours is magnificent.", the man named Abdullah stated warmly as he prepared to ink the rose tattoo on Moe's chest. Gritting his teeth lightly at the slight pain of the needle, Moe smiled and said with a dreamy sigh,
"She is more than that. She is the essence of love itself."
Chapter 2—A Romantic Evening Out
It was the day of Moe's wedding anniversary to Lynn and he had come home late. Fortunately, Lynn and the children were still asleep so he hadn't roused them from their slumbers. He slept in a bit before they awakened, but they had seen the "surprise" he had been talking about. He had forgotten to button his shirt while he was in the throes of a euphoric reverie. Francine, ever diligent, buttoned her father's shirt and patted his cheek.
"Silly daddy !", she said, affectionately, as she kissed him and giggled softly. He began to flutter open his eyelashes and yawned.
"Ah, good mornin' there, muffin.", he said, tousling her hair and patting her shoulder.
"Good morning to you, dad.", she said, with an added wink.
"We saw what you want to give mom.", Maury piped in, with a clever grin.
"She didn't see it yet, did she ?", Moe asked, slightly frantic.
"Of course not, dad. It's alright. It's still a mystery. Ooh, this is romantic !", Francine said, twirling about.
"Dad, you really are something. She will never know until this evening.", Maury said, and just then, Lynn walked in with a large smile upon her face and a twinkle in her chocolate eyes.
"What are you three plotting ?", she questioned, her dark eyes deep and sensual.
"Nothing, nothing at all. But, we'd all better get dressed because my dear, I am taking you out to dinner.", Moe said as he got upon his feet and held his love close to him, stroking her cheek tenderly. She pulled him forward her and kissed him affectionately, running her slender fingers through his hair.
"Happy anniversary.", she said, looking forward to giving him his present at dinner later on that evening. Moe couldn't wait to see the expression on her face when he revealed the tattoo, but she was going to tell him something she had never told him before that would make the moment even more special.
During dinner, Lynn knew it was the opportune time to give him the ring she had saved up for in the recent months.
"Alright, keep your eyes closed.", she said as she fished the plush navy box from her purse and handed it to Francine.
"Open your hands, daddy.", Francine said, warmly, remembering what the sapphire had looked like when she and her mother had been shopping a few months ago at the local jewelry shop.
"Now, open your eyes.", the three of them said together, anxious to see their father's reaction. Moe opened his eyes and then eagerly opened the suede box, revealing the stunning sapphire ring, and Moe had a bit of trouble not tearing up. He had never been given a gift by anyone before, and he wasn't expecting that Lynn would ever do that for him, since she asked for nothing but was extremely generous when it came to love and time with him or the children.
"It's gorgeous, honey. Thank you. I will only take it off in the evening and wear it with love every waking moment from here on.", he said as he dried his tears of thankfulness and joy of her gift. He also had given her a ring, but told her the true gift was a surprise and would be revealed to her later that evening to her alone.
"Ooo, an air of mystery. I like that. I'm curious to see what the present is, Moe my love.", Lynn said, her smile electrifying the entire room. As the family ate, they talked and laughed, and relished their time together for the rest of the evening.
Chapter 3—The Big Reveal
By the time the Syzlak family had arrived home, a message had been waiting for Francine and Maury. Their best friend, Natalie Sturm had called, wondering if they could come over for a sleepover that evening. Pleadingly, the two young children probed their parents with glistening eyes. They didn't want for much, and they were more than happy to let them have a little bit of independence. After all, the two children were becoming older and soon would be teenagers and Moe was a tad reluctant to cut the apron strings. Lynn too, knew she had to allow Francine and Maurice to be independent at least somewhat. Without any further deliberation, the two children had packed their belongings and hauled them over to Natalie's house, which happened to be a few blocks down the street.
Moe and Lynn kissed the two siblings goodbye before they left and then the two sat together on the couch as they had so many times in the past when he had been dating her.
"This really reminds me of old times. I love being close to you, breathing in your essence.", Moe said, romantically as he leaned over and inhaled the fragrance she was wearing. She smelled like peach Schnapps, and was even more delicious to devour with his eyes. He nuzzled her neck affectionately with his nose and she giggled.
"My surprise, where might it be ?", she asked, curiously. Moe wriggled his eyebrows playfully and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the rose on his chest.
"Oh, it's exquisite…My father, bless his heart, you remember him, had a tattoo almost exactly like this one, except it was on his right shoulder. When mother died of breast cancer, he did so to remember her and to remind him he would never love another "rose" like her again. He had her memory engraved within that tattoo. I know that sounds strange, but whenever he touched it, he could sense she was there, giving him a kiss from heaven.", Lynn said, as she traced the tattoo gently. Moe chuckled at her touch to his skin. Her fingers were petal soft and quite delicate even though her body was like a sculpture. She literally was a work of art come to life.
"I remember Alice before she passed away. She was an incredible woman. Your father, Herman, bless his soul, is still alive and kicking. How is he, by the way ?", Moe questioned, remembering he hadn't heard from Herman as of late.
"Oh, he's well last I had received an email from him. He said he'd catch up with us at Christmastime. I'm really glad you remembered him as well as how important roses are to me. That is the most beautiful gift one has ever given to me. Did it hurt, though ?", Lynn said, as she traced the rose again and Moe seemed to drift off into a bliss-filled state.
"Mmm, no. It was slightly painful but nothing I can't handle. Remember, I was a boxer once.", Moe said, as he pretended to jab her in the upper jaw and she acted like she had been knocked out.
"Oh no…I didn't hit ya too hard, did I, sweet cakes ?", he asked, as he waved his had over her, knowing full well she was playing. She pulled him close and kissed him passionately. Eventually, they had made love on the couch until the wee hours of the morning and both had fallen asleep into each others arms, cradled in ecstasy.
When Moe and Lynn awakened, they cuddled close for a moment or two, complimenting each other on how sensational the night had been (particularly when they had made love) and Moe paused for a bit. Lynn trailed her finger over the tattoo again. It was akin to finding the honey spot on a dog. Moe melted at the touch and sighed euphorically.
"Oh honey, I love you.", he said breathlessly and held onto his spouse tenderly.
"I love you too, Moe.", she said, kissing his tattoo and then his lips.
The two had already gotten dressed for the day and waited for Francine and Maury to arrive home before taking them to church. It would be a typical Sunday after all. Church came first, then a day at the putt-putt golfing center. After golfing, video games and riding around in go-carts for about 4 hours straight, they would come back home and prepare for their summer vacation. True, they didn't have much summer vacation left, but at least they would enjoy what little bit of summer they did have before it was completely gone.
Chapter 4—Aloha, Hawaii
Moe had been pooling his funds to take an island vacation at least some point and time in his life. He figured there would be no better time than the present and had begun doing research when he had been away from work and able to spend some time surfing the internet at home. Soon, he found what he was looking for. He had been able to get some excellent prices on a Royal Caribbean cruise and had set a time and date when they could all travel together. Gathering the Syzlak clan collectively upon this excellent news, the 4 of them cheered together and couldn't wait to set sail on their adventure to Hawaii.
Hawaii was everything they had expected it to be. White, powdery sand beaches, palm trees, coconuts, enchanting island girls handing out leis and kisses to the tourists arriving into paradise. Moe had thought these concepts never existed, since he had been such a pessimist in the past. In fact, he hadn't recalled a time when he had ever experienced this much happiness in his lifetime and it made him wonder if he had been dreaming all of it. Pinching himself hard in the right arm he made himself aware it was most assuredly not a reverie at all, but real life. It was true that life could be hard at times, but he had come through difficult moments to make it to this point. He knew he would never look back despite the mistakes he had made, and thanked whatever powers that be that he was in this place now, the closest he had ever been to heaven. He now knew what true paradise was, even though it was only a short vacation and that in a few days he would have to go back to Springfield.
"Moe ?", Lynn said, as she tried to gently awaken her husband from his deep sleep in his hammock. He had been watching the sunset and the sound of the seagulls overhead mixed in with the crashing waves had lulled him into a gentle slumber. Slowly, Moe opened his eyes and smiled tenderly at his wife and saw that Maury and Francine were there waiting for him.
"What's up ?", he asked curiously, wondering what they were planning while he had been napping.
"Actually, there's a huge luau going on and fortunately for us, we'll get to go before we take off tomorrow.", Maury said, pumping his fists excitedly.
"Come on, dad ! You have to dance with us !", Francine said as she took her father's hand and led him to the celebration. Moe lost himself in the exotic melody of the ukulele; he danced with all of them before partaking in the largest feast he had ever seen.
Epilogue
Moe wasn't likely to forget his vacation in Hawaii. In the tavern, he kept photos around in plain view so his patrons could see them. It was a slight ego-boost and perhaps a little boastful for him to have done that, but to be honest, he knew he couldn't help himself. A little part of him enjoyed the fact that he had been able to do what a lot of people couldn't.
Even though Moe had returned back to work and school was about to start for both Francine and Maury, the "aloha spirit" had stuck with them. It was so contagious that it would be remaining with them for quite some time, maybe even the rest of the school year. In fact, Moe himself was pleased that he had been able to see what viewing life through "rose tinted glasses" was actually like and he enjoyed it. He hoped that he could see many more sunrises and sunsets in Springfield with his wife and children and remember that there was good in everything, no matter how small. His time in Hawaii helped him remember, but most importantly, his family and the romantic mark of the rose would never fade or allow him to forget how true that all was.
The End