Tales from another broken home.

And all these stupid silly songs
keep trying to catch your ear
I'm trying desperately
it's just so hard to persevere
and even if you listened
I never had much to say
cause it's the same old song
I've written for the day

shelter me oh genius words
just give me strength
just to pen these things
and give me peace to well her wings
and oh carry on all you minstrels of the world
we will catch our ladies ear
we will win for us the girl

From "The Minstrel's Prayer." By Cartel.

I felt a gentle rub on my belly as I yawned and stretched my arms. As my eyes flickered into focus I saw Ryan looking down at me.

"Hey there." Ryan smiled pushing my hair back from my eyes.

"Hey." I smiled.

"Jerry's here to do Mike's tattoo and he says we can watch."

"Cool."

I rolled out of bed and grabbed Ryan into a tight hug. As I bent over to pull my pants on Ryan slapped my butt hard and ran from the room laughing. I pulled on the pants and put on one of Mike's sweaters that was like two times to big for me. I was going to be in lazy mode till I had to get ready for the gig. I walked downstairs and sat down just as Jerry put the stencil on Mike's bicep. He shot me a highfive and began to trace over the stencil with his tattoo gun. Mike didn't seem to be in any pain at all, then again he was a pretty strong guy. After half an hour of watching I followed my Mam into the kitchen to help her make some coffee.

"How are you honey?" My Mam smiled.

"Pretty good just getting ready for the show."

"Well maybe we should get you some vitamins and stuff to make sure you don't get to exhausted."

"Yeah I guess so. Wanna see the photoshoot pictures?"

"Oh there back already. Well yeah of course I do."

I handed my Mam the bundle of photographs. She thumbed through them and looked confused.

"Riley when did you get a tattoo?" She said her voice raising.

"Huh? Oh no Jerry just drew that on." I said lifting my shirt to show her.

"And what about these nipple rings?"

"There fake Mam."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Then show me."

"Mam they're fake ok." I shouted walking away.

"Riley James you get back here and take off your shirt."

I walked upto her and lifted my shirt off.

"Fine there pierced."

"Honey when did you do this? Who would pierce a kid your age without a parent?"

"A friend of Jake's did it for us."

"You've had them that long and you didn't tell me?"

"I knew you'd be angry."

"Well your right I am angry."

"I'm sorry Mam I just wanted to get something pierced."

"Well you could have come to me and we could have talked about it."

"I know, I thought you'd say no."

"Who's us?"

"What?"

"You said a friend of Jake pierced US."

"Me and Ryan."

"Oh great it gets better and better. Does his Mam know?"

"Yes and she knows he has a tattoo too."

"I bet she's mad as hell."

"No she was cool about it. Cooler then you anyway."

"If you had told me then I might have said yes but you were dishonest."

"Prove it."

"Prove what?"

"That you'd let me get a piercing."

"What?"

"Let Jerry pierce me now."

"Riley this little argument of yours isn't making a whole lot of sense."

"Mam please."

"What do you want pierced?"

"My lip."

"And why should I agree to this?"

"Cuz I get good grades, don't cause too much trouble. eh..I'm your only kid and I love you?"

My Mam laughed. " And I love you to but I don't think you should be putting needles through your skin."

"But it's okay for Mike to do it? Don't you love him?"

"Of course I love him we're getting married but he's a grown up I don't make his decisions for him."

"Come on Mam."

As we were talking Ryan walked in.

"Hey Ms.James can I grab some soda?"

"On one condition."

"Name it." Ryan laughed.

"Show me your various tattoo's and piercings."

"Okay I guess." Ryan shrugged and lifted off his shirt to reveal the star tattoo

"What would you think if my son got his lip pierced?"

"I'd think he'd look pretty cool."

"Well I guess we should go and talk to Jerry then." My Mam sighed.

As we walked in the door Jerry was finishing off the outline of Mike's tattoo.

"Ok I'm gonna wrap it and then we'll do the shading in a few weeks when it's fully healed." Jerry explained as he wrapped Mike's arm in ceram wrap.

"Everything okay guys?" Jerry laughed as he looked at everyone staring at him.

"Well Jerry I was wondering if you had time to pierce my sons lip." My Mam said quietly.

"Well yeah it would only take a few minutes. You don't seem to be too happy about it though?"

"A Mams gotta let go a little at some stage. He's a big boy and he wants it."

"Well okay then Riley sit-up here."

Jerry lifted me onto the plynth he had setup for Mike. He grabbed fresh gloves and some sterilizing stuff out of his box of supplies and then took out a needle and a ring.

"Ok where you want it?"

I pointed to a little spot in the left hand corner of my mouth and Jerry marked it with a sharpie.

"Ok all ready?"

"Yep."

Jerry clamped my lip and told me to take a deep breath in followed by a breath out. On the count of one I took in a big breath and when Jerry said two I blew it out as he slid the needle through my lip. It didn't really hurt at all. There was a small plastic tube sticking out of my lip and Jerry attached the ring to it and pulled it through. He screwed a little ball into a gap in the ring and cleaned a little bit of blood of the rim with a cotton swab.

"Wow dude it looks so cool." Ryan smiled.

"Ok I do kinda like it." My Mam said pretty reluctantly.

"Yeah its cool kiddo." Mike laughed patting me on the back.

"Well guys I'm gonna clear up and then I guess we're heading to the show."

Ryan wasn't coming tonight. He wasn't allowed go to three shows a weekend during school time but his Mam had agreed to let him come as often as he wanted during the holidays. We got to the show played it had a few problems with one of the songs but overall it was cool. I got a little loaded afterwards but I wasn't too bad. Jerry dropped me home around 2:30am and I collapsed into bed.