Sunday and Monday I set out trying to find places to do this thing, but no one was open. I was so angry. Why couldn't this town be like Florida? Tattoo parlors are open every day from noon till 1am. What is this garbage of 2-10pm and closed Sundays and Mondays? I mean come on. There are people, like me, who are impatient and I certainly wasn't going to try to do this myself. Ok, I am into pain but I certainly don't want to be the one inflicting pain on myself. I don't play that kind of game.
Last night, when I found out I was being cut early, I quickly got my section cleaned and had my side work finished. I hoped in the car and went to the closest place I could think of. I really don't remember the name but it's by the college. It was a rinky dink little parlor. The main area was the size of my bedroom and the bathroom couldn't have been much larger than mine. I still went inside. She told me "$60 for the two" and it was a done deal. I took my tie off and sat in the chair.
The first one was the smiley. The lady was really excited that I came in asking for this one. Apparently she's been trying to sell it here but no one seems to want it. It just isn't their thing. Everyone wants navel piercings and tongue rings. That seems to be playing out so she said the next ones are snake bites and monroes. I told her I've had just about everything but have had to take it out for one reason or another but this was one I had really been thinking about for a while. She handed me a cup of Listerine and we began the process. She did warn me that she might accidently get my lip. You have to understand that the web that connects your upper lip to your gums is small and since the inside of the lip has saliva on it, it tends to be slick. I held my upper lip up so she could put the clamps on. It's all about teamwork baby. Now the first piercing really didn't hurt. I was completely shocked with how smoothly that went. It was like biting the inside of my cheek. The problem was that it was uneven. She also said there was a chance of rejection and asked if I would mind if we re-did it. In my mind, I knew it would be more painful but I didn't want to have any issues, so I told her it was ok. She took the needle out, got a new one and clamped me again.
This piercing was much more painful. It wasn't bad enough to make me jump or scream, but it was enough for my hands to ball into fists. A single tear went down my cheek out of reflex. That portion of your face is so close to your nose, which has hundreds of thousands of blood vessels. It hurts to pierce your nose and your eyes automatically water if you get your septum done. This was no exception. This was the part where I really started to bleed. Because I now had two holes in that small flap of skin, I was bleeding a lot. She was having a hard time keeping a grip so she left the needle in. It was poking my lip but it wasn't horrible. She gave me some paper towels and I applied pressure for a few minutes till the bleeding stopped. It really wasn't any surprise; I tend to bleed more with oral piercings.
The next was my tongue. I told her that I have blood vessels both in the center and on both sides so she would have to go at an angle. I showed her my scar and told her about the two previous ones that I had. She asked if I wanted it in the same spot or if I wanted to deviate a little. I preferred it where it was so she told me that this time would be more difficult. She clamped my tongue, which was more painful than I remember, and she put the cork underneath. The needle going through was much more painful than the first two I had there, but I figured it would be. My tongue closed up in that same spot twice already. I knew it wouldn't be a pleasant experience (but I'd still do it again knowing what I know now).
She said I was a trooper. For as much as I bled, I didn't make the job any more difficult and I didn't give her a hard time. I mean the smiley is rather difficult to pierce when you think about it. I still tipped her $10. I really wanted Daylan there so that he could take pictures of the process, but I'm glad he didn't because most of my friends are really squeamish when it comes to blood. Instead, I'll post pictures of the piercings. Keep in mind, it hasn't healed yet so I am much more red than I normally am. Once I heal, my mouth will look more normal and pink.
So that is my mouth in a nutshell. It's nothing really extreme but it's not a piercing that is everywhere. I have only seen it in person once. Buffy had it and I fell in love with it. As you can tell, I always smile big and you can always see my teeth. This is a piercing that I hide without effort when I am talking. It's only when I smile that you see it; hence the name "Smiley".
The general concensus is that it's weird but it suits me perfectly. I don't fit the typical mold so this is the perfect thing for me. It's weird, it's wild and only I can pull it off. Ok, I know I'm not the only one but it's like my red hair. People want to try it but they aren't bold enough. If they are bold enough, sometimes they can't pull it off. It just feels weird. It's not sore or tender, it's just not a feeling I am use to. It isn't that it feels weird laying on my gums but rather it feels weird rubbing on the inside of my lip. My tongue only hurts if I talk a lot. Eating is no where near the issue it was with my first two efforts. Of course it has got better each time. So that is my adventure with a needle.
It's hard to imagine that I use to have a huge phobia with needles. Once I turned 18, I got tattoos and piercings to combat that fear. Here I am with a ring in a place most people wouldn't even imagine having one. Most haven't even heard or seen of this but here I am. Obviously that fear is no longer in effect.
No comments:
Post a Comment