The Interesting Story

Most people got their tattoos on their 18th birthday. It was what you did. People booked their appointments months in advance at the best tattoo parlors in town. You didn't want to find that they had no more appointments left. May was a very busy month because most people had their birthdays in May, so it was very hard to get an appointment then. Sometimes, people got angry at the people who worked at the tattoo parlor where they paid hundreds of pounds just to get an appointment. Gary wasn't like most people. He didn't want a tattoo. His parents, his friends, and his girlfriend all told him that he would want a tattoo one day, like everyone else.

"I know you think you don't want it," said Gary's girlfriend, Claire, "but just think. When you turn 18, most of your friends will have their tattoos already. People will want to see yours. Look, you can tell them that you're getting it later, that you couldn't book an appointment, but how long can you lie? One day, you'll look around and think, 'God, why don't I have a tattoo?' Everyone else does."

"But why do I need one?" said Gary. "Everyone else has one, yes. But I don't want one."

"But Gary," said Claire. "You're always like this. You think that, because you have to do it, that it's something bad. You were like this when you learned to drive, as well. Think of it like this: getting a tattoo is a way to tell the world about yourself. It's a way to say, 'This is me, this is who I am, this is what I want.' And I can't wait to see what you choose."

Gary sighed and started talking about something else. That was the other thing, the thing that Gary couldn't talk to anyone about. He didn't think it mattered. Why did you need a tattoo to tell the world about yourself? Why couldn't you just be yourself, dress how you wanted, talk how you wanted, and so on? People know who you are just by talking to you, don't they? But no, the tattoo was important. What you chose for your tattoo said what you thought, what you liked, who you were. Some people got tattoos of their pets, or strong animals like lions, or stars, or moons, or whatever. Some people got words in foreign languages. Some people got simple shapes. Actually, Gary didn't know what he would get. For several years, when he thought about getting a tattoo, he felt anxious. He knew who he was, but he couldn't take Gary and put him in a picture. He was more than that, more than just a few words or a shape. People thought it was bad to tell other people what your tattoo was going to be. Of course, many people did talk about it. Gary's friends had told him what tattoos they wanted. But they were sure. They knew what they wanted. So when they asked Gary what he wanted, he told them he knew, but he didn't want to tell them. One day, his mom found out that he was anxious about his tattoo. She told him it was normal that many people get anxious.

"So just get it in a hidden place. Get it on your bum, if you need to."

But it was true. Most people got their tattoo on their arm or leg, so they could show it to people. Some people really wanted the world to know who they were, so they got their tattoo on their head or their hand. Some people wanted to keep it hidden, so they got it on their back, or the bottom of their foot, or, yes, their bum. But those people often got treated badly. These days, it wasn't cool to get a hidden tattoo. The day after your 18th birthday, everyone wanted to see it. So if it was hidden, they sometimes took your clothes off and took a picture, anyway. Gary did not want that. Gary knew that there were some people who didn't get tattoos. One of his uncles was like that, but he had never met him. His family didn't like to talk about him, either. Gary didn't understand why. Why were people who didn't get tattoos treated differently? They were seen as strange. People said they were like children, because children didn't have tattoos. They often couldn't get jobs, because their boss wanted to know who they were, who they really were, and if someone didn't have a tattoo, they were hiding something, weren't they? So Gary knew that one day, he would probably have to get a tattoo. He could keep saying no, but one day, he would have to. On the day of his 18th birthday, his parents took him to the tattoo parlor. Of course, they did. They had booked an appointment months in advance without telling him. Gary didn't want to go. He said he wanted to go and see his friends. But his parents had booked the appointment for 10 a.m., and they couldn't change it. When Gary got there, he went into a room with the tattoo artist. The tattoo artist was a woman who was maybe 40 or 50. She had lots of tattoos, of course. All tattoo artists did. They were the only people who could get more than one tattoo. Well, other people could, but they were treated as strange.

"Wasn't one enough?"

Gary was surprised that the tattoo artist was a woman. Usually, men got tattoos from other men, and women got tattoos from other women. But his parents had probably chosen a woman because it might make him feel less anxious. Or maybe it was the only appointment they could get. Anyway, she was very friendly. She gave him a cup of tea and asked what things he liked, what his hobbies were, if he had any pets or people he really loved. His parents must have told her he was anxious about it. It made it worse. Gary did have lots of things he loved, of course. But none of them were so special. None of them were so great that he wanted them tattooed on his body. And where would he get it? He didn't want one where everyone could see it, but he didn't want to be treated badly by the guys at school. And then Gary had an idea.

"Can I get a tattoo on my head?" The tattoo artist looked very surprised.

"Well, yes, you can. But you have a lot of hair. Nobody will be able to see it. And I can't tattoo you until you get your hair cut."

Gary stood up.

"Could you wait while I go to the barber, then?" The tattoo artist sighed and checked her watch.

"All right, but be quick." Gary ran out. His parents were waiting outside the room, and they were surprised to see him.

"Don't have time to explain," he said. "I'm going to the barber's."

His parents probably thought he was going to get a tattoo on the side of his head. That was a popular fashion. Yes, it meant you had to cut your hair short, but it looked really cool. But Gary didn't want that. He told the barber he wanted him to shave all his hair off. The man was very surprised.

"But you're so young. You have wonderful hair. Do you really want to go bald?"

"Yes, yes. And I don't have much time."

So the barber shaved all his hair off, and Gary was bald. He looked very strange, but he didn't care. He said thank you, paid the barber, and then ran back to the tattoo artist.

"Oh, my God," said his mother when she saw him. But she didn't have time to say anything else, because he was already back in the room with the tattoo artist.

"I'm ready," he said, panting. "And I know what I want."

Nobody liked Gary's tattoo. Firstly, it wasn't original. Everyone wanted an original tattoo, and Gary's was just a simple X shape. Lots of people had those, but they usually got something with the X to make it more original. But not Gary. He just had a big X shape. Of course, the place he got the tattoo was very original. Too original. His friends all thought it was funny. They said that only Gary would get a tattoo on the top of his head, so it was perfect for him. But his parents hated it, and his girlfriend Claire really hated it. Weeks passed. Gary's hair started to grow again. His friends stopped laughing about his tattoo, and life started being normal again. But then the questions started.

"When are you going to get a real one?" asked his dad. "I mean, that was a funny joke, Gary, but you need a real tattoo. You can't go bald every time you want to show it to someone." Gary couldn't believe it. He had done the thing that everyone wanted, hadn't he? So why was it a problem? But his dad wasn't the only one. Claire asked him to get a new tattoo every day. She drew pictures for him, texted him ideas. Finally, it was too much for him, and he stopped seeing her. Gary didn't get a new tattoo, of course. The first one had hurt, and it cost a lot of money. Yes, his parents had paid for it, but he hated that they paid for something he didn't want. And really, he didn't like the tattoo he'd gotten. It was fun to make everyone laugh, but it really didn't look good. Gary's hair grew, and soon you couldn't see the tattoo at all. He was happy with this, and he didn't feel anxious anymore. He could forget that it was there. But of course, this just made everyone else angry. Fine, Gary had gotten a bad tattoo, but now he was hiding it from the world.

"You can't get a tattoo there and then cover it with hair," said his mother. "You should shave off all your hair again, or get a new tattoo."

"No," said Gary. "I won't do it. I got the tattoo, okay. You should be happy now. I don't have to be like everyone else." Gary went to university, and there he had more problems. Everyone showed each other their tattoos. It was a great way to make friends, because you could talk about why you got your tattoo like that. And when someone had a hidden tattoo, everyone wanted to know where it was and what it was. Gary told nobody where his tattoo was. Several girls tried to sleep with him, because they thought he might have it on his bum. When people found out where it really was, they were not happy. Some boys from the football team went into his room at night and shaved all his hair off. The next day, everyone saw his tattoo and laughed at him.

"What a bad tattoo," they said. "It would be better to have none."

Until then, Gary had been thinking about getting another tattoo. It was just too hard with his X-shaped one. But now, he knew that he would never get one. This was who he was. And he found out that there was a word for it: tatless. Tatless people were people who couldn't get tattoos, or didn't want tattoos. Some tatless people had tattoos, but they removed them, or they never showed them to people. Finally, Gary met other tatless people. He was very anxious, but when he met them, he knew that they were his people. They understood what it was like to be treated so badly. They understood why he didn't want a tattoo, and they thought he was great for the tattoo he got. Gary liked one of the tatless guys very much, and they became boyfriends. They had to keep their love hidden, of course. If Gary's parents knew he had a tatless boyfriend, they wouldn't be happy.

Many times, Gary's boyfriend, Kyle, said, "You know, you could get that tattoo removed. I know it's hidden, but it's so much better when it's removed. When mine was removed, I felt amazing. And it's very safe. I have a friend who does it."

But Gary said no. "It's hidden. That's enough. If I can't see it, it doesn't matter." Gary and Kyle stayed together over the years. When Gary grew older, he started going bald. He had been worrying about this. Now his tattoo wouldn't be hidden, and he would have to remember everything that had happened. He hadn't talked to his parents in years, and he didn't want to remember the day he got that tattoo. So he decided to get it removed. But first, he had to shave off all his hair. Kyle did it for him. Gary closed his eyes, and Kyle shaved it very quickly.

"I don't believe it," said Kyle.

"What?" said Gary. He was so anxious that he didn't want to open his eyes.

"Did you have it removed already? It's gone." Gary opened his eyes. And it was true. On his bald head, there was no tattoo. The X was gone. Somehow, it had removed itself. Gary laughed.

"My body knows what it wants," he said. "And it didn't want that."