Love

I was at a friend’s place yesterday and got talking to Michael from Melbourne. He told me that he was more of a live-each-day-as-it comes kind of guy.

He then told me that his wife was not like him in this way.

Michael had two grown-up children and his son had a property in Sydney, which Michael was to live in because his work had posted him there for 6 months. He told me, with incredulity, that his wife insisted on him renting the apartment at the market rate.

At this point he tells me that he can show me a picture but I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone about it. I said, ‘ok.’

He paused for a moment and looked into my eyes to gauge whether he could trust me or not. He delicately pinched his polo shirt collar with his right thumb and forefinger and theatrically pulled the shirt across to reveal a tattoo of his wife as a younger woman across the front of his right shoulder.

With some prompting, he told me he got it done in Sri Lanka by the best tattoo artist in the country just before Christmas a long time ago. Being the best tattoo artist meant it was hard to get some time with him but Michael showed him the picture of his wife and told him that he needed this tattoo done and if he wasn’t going to do it that he wouldn’t get it done at all.  The man fit him in.

Eight hours of pain…

So on Christmas morning, Michael rolled over to his wife and told her that he had got some ink done. She – already with tattooed dates of Michael and their two children’s birthdays on her ankle – excitedly asked where… and he pulled the sheet back to reveal his shoulder.

This Christmas, she is taking the whole family on a trip to Sri Lanka – all expenses paid…