Red Booth Snippet
Red Booth is currently on hold but it gets mentioned a lot in the comments, so I've decided to drop a snippet.
I've been doing some re-reading of Ye Old Blog because I read somewhere that the best way to finish something is to remember that you've done it before. One thing I recall about The Goodwill of Sofia Madigan was some of the critique about how negatively the poor characters were portrayed.
I didn't quite understand it at the time. To me, the poor characters in the stories were these chaotic unlikable underdogs with hard lives because those were the kinds of people Tomas' mother chose to make community with. She didn't want to be around people who were doing better than her.
In hindsight I can see it was kind of gratuitous. Particularly with all the side characters.
I don't think this snippet needs much set-up
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Layla made the appointments and Sofia was pissed they’d all voted to come to Venus’.
“What”, Layla had said, “They thought it was cool they were on TV.”
The team of nurses ranged from early twenties to late forties. By some miracle they all found a day they could meet to commemorate their teamwork during Hurricane Sandy. Venus showed up long enough to take a photograph with the women in their scrubs before they changed into street clothes. DiVo, Landon, and I divided the work out by placement since they were all getting the same tattoo.
“Me first, me first”, said an energetic brunette who clearly didn’t need the complimentary wine coolers Venus had out for our guest.
“Well. I guess you ladies aren’t afraid of needles.” I'd said as an icebreaker.
They all laughed except for Sofia who was standing in the back looking around the shop. She grabs a sparkling water from the cooler and chats with her co-workers while waiting for her turn. She actually chats with them because most of the other ladies are filling us in on the office gossip. These nurses were ten times cruder than any group of people I’d tattooed and they were funny as hell.
We get a great playlist going. The tattoo is a simplified caduceus with a butterfly near the top.
“Left or right arm”, DiVo asks Sofia when it’s her turn.
“I don’t know if I want it that visible.” she admits.
“How about on the hip ?”, DiVo Suggests, “You mentioned wanting one there.”
She agrees and follows DiVo to the stations with more privacy. There is so much going on that I don’t’ even think to check on how its going. I’m about to reset my station when I notice Sofia and Layla in the corner. Layla’s tattoo had been my favorite to do. It flowed perfectly with her quarter sleeve. I couldn’t believe I’d never tattooed her before. They huddled together a little close and Sofia looked worried.
“What’s going on?”
Layla gave DiVo’s apprentice a look.
“Let me see it”, I said. Sofia shook her head.
“I don’t want anyone to see it.”’
“Come on”, I gestured to the basement elevator. She followed me in which led to a chorus of ‘ooohs’ from some very drunk nurses. She hadn't seen the basement since the remodel and was taken back by the transformed space. One of the private rooms was open. The paint had barely been dry a week.
She lifted her shirt and pulled her skirt down a little. The design was blown out and the lines were absolute shit. The tattoo also looked damp and was way to red. All he had to fucking do was trace.
“…it hurts.” she said
“He dragged the needle really bad.”
“You should have been watching him”, she said.
“He’s DiVo’s apprentice.”, I said, “Venus wouldn’t have hired him. DiVo’s to nice.”
“This is why I don’t like tattoos.”
“When the skins heals over I’ll fix it.”
The skin took forever to heal and we ended up firing that guy. I was supposed to fix it but never got around to it.
Until now.
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In my mind, part of Red Booth’s story structure is set up around Tomas covering up this tattoo for Sofia over the summer and the multiple sessions are somehow the center point for all the flashbacks. I didn't quite figure the tenses out so who knows how this will be incorporated.
Speaking of flashbacks....
Severance 9
When I started writing Severance I kept thinking I'd first write a story that takes place after AYC during Aria, Paris and Sera's vacation to Hilton Head in the epilogue. In that story I would have established Sera and Hippolyta as a couple. It's sort of hinted earlier in Severance but just as some background Sera and Hippolyta had a pretty serious on-again off-again relationship.
Chapter 9
Chapter 9 💎🥤🎪
I've been listening to this Lana Del Ray/Rain combo alot
