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Tears well in both our eyes, but I fight to hold mine back.
“You gave me a second chance at being a father. Thank you for that. I couldn’t be prouder of your recovery. The fight you have inside you is your best asset. You’ve fought against the odds. You can achieve anything as long as you tell yourself you can. Believe it, TJ. Believe in yourself.”
Reggie reaches for my hand, and when I cover his with mine, my tears make their descent down my face.
“I’ll be looking down on you, so make me proud. You hear me?”
I swallow past the lump lodged in my throat and say, “Yes.”
“I love you, son. Don’t you ever forget that.”
“I love you too, Reg. Thank you for saving me.”
“Ah, I just helped you. You saved yourself.”
I hold his hand as he closes his eyes, and I watch his chest rise and fall for the last time.
“Got any other tattoos?”
I shake my head. “Nope. This is my first.”
“Mind if I ask what it means?”
“Just lost my good friend. He’s looking down on me now, and I need that reminder.”
“I’m sorry, man. That’s rough.”
I swallow the emotion and change the subject. “I thought this would hurt more.”
John chuckles. He wipes my shoulder and the needle returns to my skin. “The shoulder is an easy spot. Collar bone and ribcage are pretty painful.”
“I kinda like the pain.”
“Some of us do.”
“This is the first time I’ve had a needle pierce my skin for a good reason.”
“Heroin?”
I nod.
“I was addicted to painkillers for three years. Addiction’s a bitch.”
“This might be my new addiction.”
“It’s not a bad one to have, my man. But you’ll eventually run out of skin. Then what?”
“Guess I’ll have to leave some space open for emergencies.”
When John’s done, I admire the finished product in the mirror. Reggie’s face surrounded by clouds on my shoulder, casting rays of sunlight down my arm.
It’s the first of many, and I make my next appointment before I leave.
I miss you, Reggie. And I’m going to make you proud.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The Present
