This Story Will Stick With You

(A dad and his young daughter come into my work. The dad is a total biker guy, tattoos and all, while his daughter is the cutest little thing with a tutu and a tiara. While I’m talking to the dad, his daughter keeps interrupting, so I make her a deal…)

Me: “If I can talk to your dad for a couple minutes, I promise I’ll give you this tattoo, and you’ll look just like your dad!”

(The daughter agrees and I put a fake tattoo sticker on her arm. She runs up to her dad and shows her tattoo to him very proudly.)

Daughter: “Look daddy! I’m just like you now!”

(The dad and daughter leave for a little while, but they both come back an hour later.)

Father: “I just wanted to thank you for giving her that tattoo.”

Me: “Oh, it was really no problem! We keep them on hand to distract children and keep them entertained while we speak with their parents.”

Father: “No, I really really wanted to thank you. Her mother died last week, and she’s stayed home missing school for a week. She doesn’t understand, but she knows enough to know her mom isn’t coming home. I had to fully explain to her the other day why. This was the first time I’ve seen her smile in days.”

(He hugged me and left; I never saw him again. Wherever you are, sir, I hope everything got a little easier for you!)