Read Online To Thine Own Self Be True by Judy Clemens - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Judy Clemens
Ads: Link
party. It wasn’t hard to pick out Wolf in the bunch, his hair and beard long and unruly even for the formal occasion.
“You have any idea where Wolf might be now? Who might’ve hurt Mandy?” Rusty asked.
Hurt, not murdered. Even now he couldn’t handle the reality.
Mickey and Jewel looked at each other for a long moment. Jewel put a hand on Mickey’s thigh. “Tell them what we’ve been thinking, honey.”
Mickey shifted uneasily, glancing at Rusty, me, even Nick. “Okay. You guys hear about the new bill they’re trying to pass through the state senate? The one about tattoo artists?”
“Sure,” Rusty said. “Pain in the ass if it passes.”
“I don’t know it,” I said. “Fill me in?”
Mickey stood, walked over to a roll-top desk in the corner, flung open the cover, and grabbed a stack of papers. He brought them over and dropped them in my lap.
“PA House Bill No. 752,” he said. “The Tattoo, Body Piercing, and Corrective Cosmetic Artist Act. Should be called the Bunch of Bullshit Act. The State wants to regulate tattooing, all because of those damn scratchers who get people sick.”
I thumbed through the pages, but couldn’t make sense of the legalese at first glance. “So what exactly are they proposing?”
“Bunch of crap,” Mickey said.
“It’s a hypocritical, ill-written, open-ended bill, made for people who don’t like seeing tattoos or people with body modifications,” Rusty said.
Mickey raised his hands. “Preach it, brother.”
I scanned the pages again, hoping something would jump out at me. “Like what?”
“Okay, first thing,” Mickey said, “they say all piercing would be regulated by the government, but that’s bullshit. It’s the people who do it right who would get in trouble. The ones who don’t know what they’re doing have no problems at all.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s a powerful piercing gun industry, that’s why. They’re calling the shots. I mean, we now have a law that says if you’re under eighteen you need parental consent to get pierced, but do you see police cracking down on those jewelry stores in the mall, where you get ‘free piercing with the purchase of studs’? I don’t think so. They’ll do pre-teens, even babies, if the parents—hell, if the kids themselves—shell out their money. People like Mandy, who know what it’s about, they don’t use piercing guns at all.” He was rolling now. “Another thing. The bill talks about safety regulations, but says the Department of Health still has to define them. So they want to pass a bill that basically states it’s ‘to be announced’?”
Rusty sat up. “What really gets me is they want to make tattoo artists get a notarized statement from a doctor saying they don’t have any infectious diseases. They gonna make customers get statements, too? The artists are more at risk than the folks getting the tattoos.”
“And how about that part that says you can’t tattoo anybody’s face?” Mickey said. “You want to tell me Jewel’s butterfly isn’t gorgeous?”
We all looked at Jewel, who slanted her cheek away, embarrassed.
“Sounds pretty biased,” I said. “Who came up with this stuff?”
“His Righteousness,” Mickey said. “Trevor Farley.”
“The state senator?”
“Himself. The bastard.”
“Why does he care about tattoos?”
Mickey shrugged. “All I know is he’s trying to make life hell for those of us in the community.”
I looked from him to Rusty. “So how does this involve Wolf and Mandy? I mean, obviously it does because of their professions. But is it more?”
Rusty shrugged. “I don’t know. Mickey?”
Again Mickey looked at his wife. She nodded.
“Wolf and Mandy have gotten real involved in the cause,” Mickey said. “You heard of Dennis Bergman?”
I shook my head.
“Tattoo artist in Harrisburg. Also a lawyer, believe it or not. He’s heading up the lobby, which is made up of tattoo artists and piercers from all parts of
“You have any idea where Wolf might be now? Who might’ve hurt Mandy?” Rusty asked.
Hurt, not murdered. Even now he couldn’t handle the reality.
Mickey and Jewel looked at each other for a long moment. Jewel put a hand on Mickey’s thigh. “Tell them what we’ve been thinking, honey.”
Mickey shifted uneasily, glancing at Rusty, me, even Nick. “Okay. You guys hear about the new bill they’re trying to pass through the state senate? The one about tattoo artists?”
“Sure,” Rusty said. “Pain in the ass if it passes.”
“I don’t know it,” I said. “Fill me in?”
Mickey stood, walked over to a roll-top desk in the corner, flung open the cover, and grabbed a stack of papers. He brought them over and dropped them in my lap.
“PA House Bill No. 752,” he said. “The Tattoo, Body Piercing, and Corrective Cosmetic Artist Act. Should be called the Bunch of Bullshit Act. The State wants to regulate tattooing, all because of those damn scratchers who get people sick.”
I thumbed through the pages, but couldn’t make sense of the legalese at first glance. “So what exactly are they proposing?”
“Bunch of crap,” Mickey said.
“It’s a hypocritical, ill-written, open-ended bill, made for people who don’t like seeing tattoos or people with body modifications,” Rusty said.
Mickey raised his hands. “Preach it, brother.”
I scanned the pages again, hoping something would jump out at me. “Like what?”
“Okay, first thing,” Mickey said, “they say all piercing would be regulated by the government, but that’s bullshit. It’s the people who do it right who would get in trouble. The ones who don’t know what they’re doing have no problems at all.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s a powerful piercing gun industry, that’s why. They’re calling the shots. I mean, we now have a law that says if you’re under eighteen you need parental consent to get pierced, but do you see police cracking down on those jewelry stores in the mall, where you get ‘free piercing with the purchase of studs’? I don’t think so. They’ll do pre-teens, even babies, if the parents—hell, if the kids themselves—shell out their money. People like Mandy, who know what it’s about, they don’t use piercing guns at all.” He was rolling now. “Another thing. The bill talks about safety regulations, but says the Department of Health still has to define them. So they want to pass a bill that basically states it’s ‘to be announced’?”
Rusty sat up. “What really gets me is they want to make tattoo artists get a notarized statement from a doctor saying they don’t have any infectious diseases. They gonna make customers get statements, too? The artists are more at risk than the folks getting the tattoos.”
“And how about that part that says you can’t tattoo anybody’s face?” Mickey said. “You want to tell me Jewel’s butterfly isn’t gorgeous?”
We all looked at Jewel, who slanted her cheek away, embarrassed.
“Sounds pretty biased,” I said. “Who came up with this stuff?”
“His Righteousness,” Mickey said. “Trevor Farley.”
“The state senator?”
“Himself. The bastard.”
“Why does he care about tattoos?”
Mickey shrugged. “All I know is he’s trying to make life hell for those of us in the community.”
I looked from him to Rusty. “So how does this involve Wolf and Mandy? I mean, obviously it does because of their professions. But is it more?”
Rusty shrugged. “I don’t know. Mickey?”
Again Mickey looked at his wife. She nodded.
“Wolf and Mandy have gotten real involved in the cause,” Mickey said. “You heard of Dennis Bergman?”
I shook my head.
“Tattoo artist in Harrisburg. Also a lawyer, believe it or not. He’s heading up the lobby, which is made up of tattoo artists and piercers from all parts of
Similar Books
