Tattoo Talk
I was lying on the couch when everyone came back in. I feigned sleep interested to hear what they had to say.
"He's a good kid." I heard dad say. "Bit of a temper though."
"Eddy said he got it from you." Shane said. There was a lot of laughter. I wasn't sure if I should be insulted by that or not.
I sat up to make room for others to sit down. Oh boy this place was going to be crowded. Andi and Wes moved the game onto the floor. I wonder where everyone's going to sleep. I sure hope Tammy bought enough supplies.
"What's that?" Andi asked pointing at me. I looked around trying to figure out what she as talking about. Then I figured it out. She was pointing at my foot, or more specifically, my ankle. Now everyone was looking.
"It looks like a tattoo." Sad said. "Of a Pegasus?" He looked at me. His face was a mixture of surprise and maybe pride?
"It is. Levi gave it to me as a sort of late 16th birthday present when I was in Florida." I chuckled at the memory of that present. "Levi worked in a tattoo parlor when he was in college and offered to give me one for free." I turned to dad. "I knew you had wrestled as the Wild Pegasus and Pegasus Kid. I thought it would be a nice tribute to you."
"I bet your mother, Dave, and Jason didn't think so."
I was surprised. I had no idea that dad knew mom remarried. I was pretty sure he meant Dave as in Levi's father.
"I was grounded a month because according to mom, I should have known better. Oh and trying to explain it to Trevor wasn't easy either. I had to tell him it was my favorite mythical creature, though I'm sure he saw through it. Heck I could have gotten my nose pierced last year and she probably would have reacted better."
"It probably scared her that you knew that much about the sport. If Athena had done something like that when she was sixteen, Martha probably would have reacted the same way." Bret said.
"I want a tattoo too!" Wes spoke up then. We all laughed.
"Not until your eighteen Wesley." Marissa said. "And maybe not even then."
"Ah mom!" Wes said and then went back to playing the game.
I watched him and his sister. They have only lived in this cabin and probably don't even know why. To them life was good and nothing bad could happen to them. Hopefully their grandfather never finds them. Even though I hadn't heard the story of why Shane and Marissa went into hiding, I knew something bad must have happened.
***
Later that night I was sound asleep on the couch when I felt a cool hand on my forehead. I woke up and saw my dad looking down at me. He put a cloth on my forehead but I didn't go back to sleep.
"Chris what are you going to do when this is all over?" Uncle Ric asked. I had wondered that myself.
There was silence. "Been here fourteen years Ric I don't know. Not go back home that's for sure."
"Why not? I figure seeing Danny again after all these years must bring back memories."
"I can't do that to Nancy. Eddy told me that she and Jason are very happy together and they adopted a boy. That kid would be caught in the middle of this. I just can't do that."
"Chris you've got 3 children and not to mention Tatem. Tatem deserves to know just as much as Megan and David and you are going to just stay in hiding because you don't want to break up Nancy's marriage?"
"Look Ric I've been hiding for fourteen years to protect my family. If Vince had known that I survived who knows what would have, happened? I know Owen feels the same way. It's not saying I don't want to see Nancy, Megan, David, and Tatem again, I just can't."
"Come on Chris why not?" Uncle Arn asked. I hadn't even known he was in the room. "When this is all over she'll probably know anyway."
"I just want to leave things alone. I've already caused problems with Daniel finding out." Dad said.
I wanted to say something but I was more interested in what they were saying. But I wonder what he meant by he caused problems with me finding out.
"He seems happier then I've ever seen him." Uncle Arn said.
"Yeah but he's got Jason."
Whoa. Where'd that come from? I decided to let them know I had been listening. "Yeah but he wasn't you."
It was quiet for a few seconds. "I just can't." Dad said and I heard him, or someone, walk away.
"Don't worry about him Danny." Uncle Ric said. "This has to be tough on him."
And then I was left alone in the room.
I was lying on the couch when everyone came back in. I feigned sleep interested to hear what they had to say.
"He's a good kid." I heard dad say. "Bit of a temper though."
"Eddy said he got it from you." Shane said. There was a lot of laughter. I wasn't sure if I should be insulted by that or not.
I sat up to make room for others to sit down. Oh boy this place was going to be crowded. Andi and Wes moved the game onto the floor. I wonder where everyone's going to sleep. I sure hope Tammy bought enough supplies.
"What's that?" Andi asked pointing at me. I looked around trying to figure out what she as talking about. Then I figured it out. She was pointing at my foot, or more specifically, my ankle. Now everyone was looking.
"It looks like a tattoo." Sad said. "Of a Pegasus?" He looked at me. His face was a mixture of surprise and maybe pride?
"It is. Levi gave it to me as a sort of late 16th birthday present when I was in Florida." I chuckled at the memory of that present. "Levi worked in a tattoo parlor when he was in college and offered to give me one for free." I turned to dad. "I knew you had wrestled as the Wild Pegasus and Pegasus Kid. I thought it would be a nice tribute to you."
"I bet your mother, Dave, and Jason didn't think so."
I was surprised. I had no idea that dad knew mom remarried. I was pretty sure he meant Dave as in Levi's father.
"I was grounded a month because according to mom, I should have known better. Oh and trying to explain it to Trevor wasn't easy either. I had to tell him it was my favorite mythical creature, though I'm sure he saw through it. Heck I could have gotten my nose pierced last year and she probably would have reacted better."
"It probably scared her that you knew that much about the sport. If Athena had done something like that when she was sixteen, Martha probably would have reacted the same way." Bret said.
"I want a tattoo too!" Wes spoke up then. We all laughed.
"Not until your eighteen Wesley." Marissa said. "And maybe not even then."
"Ah mom!" Wes said and then went back to playing the game.
I watched him and his sister. They have only lived in this cabin and probably don't even know why. To them life was good and nothing bad could happen to them. Hopefully their grandfather never finds them. Even though I hadn't heard the story of why Shane and Marissa went into hiding, I knew something bad must have happened.
***
Later that night I was sound asleep on the couch when I felt a cool hand on my forehead. I woke up and saw my dad looking down at me. He put a cloth on my forehead but I didn't go back to sleep.
"Chris what are you going to do when this is all over?" Uncle Ric asked. I had wondered that myself.
There was silence. "Been here fourteen years Ric I don't know. Not go back home that's for sure."
"Why not? I figure seeing Danny again after all these years must bring back memories."
"I can't do that to Nancy. Eddy told me that she and Jason are very happy together and they adopted a boy. That kid would be caught in the middle of this. I just can't do that."
"Chris you've got 3 children and not to mention Tatem. Tatem deserves to know just as much as Megan and David and you are going to just stay in hiding because you don't want to break up Nancy's marriage?"
"Look Ric I've been hiding for fourteen years to protect my family. If Vince had known that I survived who knows what would have, happened? I know Owen feels the same way. It's not saying I don't want to see Nancy, Megan, David, and Tatem again, I just can't."
"Come on Chris why not?" Uncle Arn asked. I hadn't even known he was in the room. "When this is all over she'll probably know anyway."
"I just want to leave things alone. I've already caused problems with Daniel finding out." Dad said.
I wanted to say something but I was more interested in what they were saying. But I wonder what he meant by he caused problems with me finding out.
"He seems happier then I've ever seen him." Uncle Arn said.
"Yeah but he's got Jason."
Whoa. Where'd that come from? I decided to let them know I had been listening. "Yeah but he wasn't you."
It was quiet for a few seconds. "I just can't." Dad said and I heard him, or someone, walk away.
"Don't worry about him Danny." Uncle Ric said. "This has to be tough on him."
And then I was left alone in the room.