At first people thought it was a scam. A tattoo place that can show you your future… c’mon. Then people started to realise that it was true.

I’ve debated getting my own tattoo for a while now, but I’ve been debating whether it’s better to no or not.

After a car crash 5 months ago took Deb from me, I reached a point where I needed to know… if there was a reason to continue.

Entering the store, I met the not unpleasant smell of rubbing alcohol and the buzzing of the tattoo machines. There was a small seating area to the left and right. Slightly ahead was the reception desk where a bald, early 30s guy was sitting on his phone. He looked fierce with his face piercings and his sleeved arms telling his story. He looked up at me.

“Hey pal!” He said with a warm smile.

“Umm, hi” I managed to mutter whilst staring at my feet.

“Nervous? Let’s take a seat and have a chat. Not really had anyone to chat to today yet. The names Rex.” He said, grinning as he moved over to me, put his arm around me and lead us to the seats.

“Not much of a talker I guess. Ohhh, the looks get ya?” He said, chuckling away.

“Sorry, just didn’t expect you to be so nice to me.” I said, grimacing inside realising how pathetic I sounded.

“Well you always choose how you are with people and when you know the day you’ll die, you tend to be a bit nicer to people.” Rex said, a little less cheery than he sounded.

I kept quiet. Unsure of how to respond.

“Lemme explain how this works. You can get your story tattooed on your body. You can get the full Shabang or a little piece. You can’t chose the piece though. It’s the next bit of your story that gets tattooed first and you can’t skip it. The most important bit, once it’s on, that’s it. No changing it, even if it’s bad. Events are locked in and no going back.” Rex said calmly. He had clearly done this many times before.

A young woman walked past us from the tatto area and out of the shop. She was sobbing as she went passed.

“Guess she had a bad one. Never an easy sight. You know what her leaving means though?” Rex asked, looking at me.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Free seat. You up for it, pal?” Rex said, shifting his eyes into the back of the shop.