We landed and even though I had been there multiple times, every time you saw Vegas it was like a new city. It had changed since the last time I was there and built up and gotten much bigger.
Before leaving Joe had proposed and we were now engaged so both of us were in a new beginning mind set.
Joe was in awe of The city of Las Vegas.He had never been to Vegas, so now he wanted to see everything he could. We spent the entire week checking out tattoo shops during the early day around the city taking notes on what I would need to get rolling in a shop. Every night we were on the strip checking out all the attractions and different foods. We would joke about elopement when we passed the small chapels and were mentally planning everything we would do when we moved. Every night we would return back to the hotel room too exhausted to think about sex. The lights, the sights, the food, all of it was an excursion we couldn’t wait to try our new life in.
By the end of the week our mind was made up. I went and got myself a Vegas cellphone so that I could have a local number for any job selections and we started our planning on our flight home.
We arrived home with a plan and a vigor to set it in motion.
Joe’s family was not really in the picture much aside from the occasional phone call and us visiting them once every so often. His family was nice enough but I could always tell they didn’t really accept me fully and we’re always playing nice so the move was even more mentally enriching to us becoming our own family.
We talked everything over with Cindy and she decided she was on board to move with us and wanted to bring her mother with us. Since we helped her care for her mother we knew it would be trying but we figured out a plan to get a u haul and pack everything for both her family and mine and we would drive her Pathfinder alongside and take turns with both her mother and Slater for brakes.
Cindy had a friend that lived in Vegas as Cindy worked it out that we would all be able to stay with her while we hunted for places to live once we arrived. The only thing we had to worry about was the money to get there and the time frame for going. We both agreed June would be best for the move since our lease was going to expire that month.
I spent the next month setting everything in motion with the smaller details then went to Rocky and Fatman with my news. I didn’t want to leave them blindsided since they had become like family. Fatman had already made plans for him to separate from Rocky and move further north to get closer to retirement so he understood. Rocky didn’t like it but he understood as well. He asked if there was anything he could do to keep me there but he and I both knew that financially it would be much better for my family. I was going to miss these guys but I knew if I was ever to make a change now was the time while Slater was still young enough and not locked into schooling yet.
The next few months consisted of trying to get everything ready for the move. I started introducing the other tattoo artists at the shop with the clients I felt would best fit their styles and personalities. My clients knew I wasn’t going to just pass them off to anyone after the relationships we had built so they were thankful. The crew at the shop was looking at my exit like a ticking clock.
Slater’s 3rd birthday was in May and I decided it would be the chance to get everyone else together to say goodbye before we left. I invited everyone else we really wanted to celebrate with only to have my decision to move solidified. No one showed. Not a single person came to her pool party, not one family member, friend or neighbor, not one “friend”that I had with kids. No one. That was the nail in the coffin with my feelings for anyone left from my history.
2 weeks later the house was packed, most of the furniture was sold except what we were taking on the truck and moving day was less than a week away. I called Cindy to confirm what time we would be getting the u haul in just a couple of days to get the final blow. Cindy had decided she was going to stay longer and couldn’t go just yet. She begged us to just stay a couple months longer. There was no viable option to stay. I had already given all my clients to the other artists, my job already knew I was leaving, my apartment lease was up in 5 days and we couldn’t renew even if we wanted to since we had just barely enough to pay for the gas and u haul to get to Vegas. It was a huge punch to the gut. Joe and I tried to figure out what to do but I knew we just had to cut all the losses and just go. Every option would only cost us more in finances or sanity.
The next day I listed all my furniture for free and had everyone come and pick it up. We realized we could only afford a 10×10 trailer and the gas to Vegas leaving us with barely $600 once we arrived. We started weeding out of everything to bring, tried selling anything we owned and packed as much of Slater’s belongings as possible. I knew I needed $350 once we got there to get all the licensing they required in the shops to work so we knew it would be tight. I had one last payment on my food stamps that we received from getting the medical help for Slater so we decided to stock up on dry goods to last as long as possible for once we set down. I talked to Cindy and asked if we could still go to her friends place once we arrived and if she would let us stay until I could get a place figuring out it would only take at most a month to get a cheap place in the slums if needed. She reached out to her friend and confirmed that she had a place but that the house was in foreclosure and was empty with no appliances or hot water but it had walls and electricity. Her friend conveyed that she wasn’t sure when the house was going to auction but it wouldn’t be very long and as long as we respected the house we were welcome. I’d take it. At that point anything was better than staying in a place where we had nothing left to gain any standing.
Cindy had agreed that we could take the Pathfinder and make the payments once we got to work and she would follow us out a couple months later. With nothing left but our basics, we rented the trailer and loaded up whatever we could fit and started our drive to Vegas.
The entire drive took us 4 days. We stopped only 3 times to sleep and get a hotel. Since we really couldn’t afford much we tried to find the cheapest motels we could. The road trip was exciting for Slater so it was nice to have this time enjoying her excitement. Every time someone asked us where we were going she would proudly say “we’re moving to Vegas” always with a huge smile.
Joe would occasionally voice his concerns about where we were going to stay and what we were going to do once we got there. Every time he did, all I could think was how, no matter what, we were going to make it. I wouldn’t entertain anything less. I knew no matter what all I had to do was just get there and it would work out. I didn’t care if I had to start escorting again, if that’s what it took to survive I’d do it.
We arrived in the early afternoon and met up with Cindy’s friend. She met us at her house and gave us the keys and the address and a basic rundown on any issues we may encounter. We drove straight to the house that was all the way in Centennial on the mountain’s edge. We went in and unpacked the bare necessities and I found a u haul storage unit not far away that only charged 1$ for the first month. We went and unloaded then returned the trailer to ensure no further fees.
That night we took Slater to the strip to show her the lights. She was in awe at the entirety of the strip. We saw the volcano eruption, the sirens of TI( which was totally different from the pirate show I remembered) the gondolas, and all the different sights. Slater was so excited and watching her happiness only made us more relaxed with the idea of being there. This was a whole new start for us to start our family in this amazing city.
After a long day of exploring we returned to the house to eat dinner. When we arrived back we noticed someone had thrown out a water dispenser that had a water heater and we snatched it from the garage pile and brought it into the house to see if it worked. We were going to have to buy ice every night for the cooler to keep our foods cold and I had already dressed the idea of a cold shower but I knew that Slater wouldn’t be comfortable. Once we dragged it in and plugged it in finding it worked, I knew we were going to be good. I rigged up a line to the cooler so that I could heat up water to put into the bath or a sun shower bag for us to wash up. The bonus was I could make a cup of noodles or the single Mac n cheese cup now with ease.
We inflated the air mattresses and once she was asleep I made my list of every number I needed to call first thing in the morning to start my job hunt. I woke the next morning and made my appointments with the red Cross for my CPR and Blood Bourne pathogens class since I needed a newer card anyway. Once that was done we dug out the bowls of cereal and raided the cooler for cold milk. Once we ate it was time to get a shop to hire me so that I could get the health card.
The health department wouldn’t give a card unless you got a shop to endorse you so the main objective was finding a shop. I brought along a digital portfolio so that it was easier than having a huge book of photos. I went down the list and we hit every one in a procession only stopping for the occasional 7-11 break. Everywhere I went I asked people I saw with tattoos where they went or where there was a good shop. After a while Joe and I kept seeing a few shops always being either recommended or recommended to avoid. Each shop that continually came up, we visited. Every time I handed over my portfolio I felt like a kid asking if someone liked my drawings. There were shops where I knew my work was well admired and sometimes I felt like the 6th grader walking into the high school. Joe would see my frustration and remind me that my work was just as good, if not better than most of these people and I had just not gotten the chance to do these kinds of pieces. He wasn’t wrong. I just knew I needed the opportunity to prove I could do it.
Squatting was not the most ideal with trying to bathe a 3yr old but we were making it work. And we were happy to have a safe place to sleep that was quiet. Every day was filled with planning and trying to play with Slater and every night was a routine of instant dinners and bedtime stories or movies.
By the end of the first week I had already had my class with red Cross and started my hunt for a shop with multiple shops showing interests with 3 main prospects that I saw promise in. I looked at my options and picked the shop I knew I could build my client list with. Joe thought I was crazy when I told him my pick.
In all the hunting and all the people we asked they all said the same one shop but to avoid it. I took that as my go to. Joe couldn’t understand why, so I had to explain it. No matter who we asked, in every genre of people they all knew that chain of shops. The chain that I’ll just call Diver City had 5 locations. They were spread out across the valley. Every person we asked said to avoid them. Every person said they didn’t have good artists or that they were rude or whatever excuse they made, but no matter what I knew everyone tried them. I figured if they all sucked no matter what I would shine and could at least get a chance at tons of customers. Joe saw my logic.
Once I picked I called them back and accepted their offer. After that it only took me a few days to get the health department papers in hand to start working.
The timing couldn’t have been better. Since our arrival to Vegas we were living off of the last of savings I had saved before leaving Florida. I had paid the cell phone ahead just in case so no matter what we had a live line. The daily expense of getting ice and the gas to get around were the only things we tried to spend on besides the occasional treat for Slater at the local gas station before taking her to the park everyday.
The day I started work we had $5 left to our name.
Joe dropped me off with hesitation. “If you don’t make anything we won’t be able to drive back to the house tonight, we are getting low on gas.” I watched him and we both understood this was the intense moment of truth if we were going to truly roll the dice or have to figure out another avenue. We had no one to fall back on and this was our hail Mary. He was going to take Slater to the park and use the last $5 to get her a hot dog and slurpee and enjoy the day at the park.
He drove off and I made it my mission to not leave empty handed that day.
Most of the guys were cocky and upset they had to share another station with some new chick that didn’t even start at the slower shops. The owners had put me instantly at their Strip location and the staff was not happy about it. They tried to be rude but I ignored it. It wasn’t the first time I encountered insecure men in this industry and it wouldn’t be the last.
I watched as they all bickered and then tried to price clients out of the water for basic tattoos.. I was in awe at the audacity they had and the ignorance. I watched as they turned away so many clients and only took the people that would pay the big price tag. So many times I was thinking that with their antics I would never get a chance to tattoo. The counter kids and the guys were always the ones to jump and quote prices, so I sat back and waited, hoping to at least do one tattoo even if it was small. But as luck would have it when it came to my turn in rotation the very first person that asked for a price, didn’t even blink when they quoted him a hefty price of $700. He paid for it and jumped at the chance of getting into my chair before I had the chance to even know what he wanted. After I tattooed him he even tipped me another $200 and was on cloud nine telling me how he had just won a ton of money. My mind was blown. In Florida, that was a good week, and to have a day like that was the luck of the draw. The Tattoo gods were smiling down on me and it was perfect timing.
Joe came to get me that night with a somber look in his eyes and asked meekly,”SO, can we get gas to get home?” I didn’t give way to my joy. “Yep” was all I said. He relaxed a bit. “Can we get some dinner too?” Once again I said “Yep.” Then he proceeded further. “So what can we afford?” That’s when I decided to throw him a bone,”Whatever we want, you want steak and eggs or maybe some Mexican food?” He was curious now, “so how much did you make? ” That’s when I let him know the plan. “Well I cleared $500, so we are gonna get some gas, get dinner and dessert, and then go back to the house and pack up so we can get a weekly tomorrow morning before I come back to work.” We both started to beam. He was just as amazed as I was. “Fuck YES! Fucking love you, fuck yes Vegas!” As he high-fived me.
We both reveled in the moment knowing that this was just the start and all the stress and hard work was about to pay off.
We left the parking lot with a relaxed shine glowing from us both.
That night we went and feasted on the first real dinners in almost 4 weeks. Afterwards we went back to the house and packed up everything and cuddled into the blankets and watched a movie on the portable DVD player, while planning on our exit from squatting for the next morning. When we woke up the next morning, we cleared everything out, packed up everything and drove to a weekly ,not far from the strip. Even after dinner and getting gas we had enough to pay for the week and have some left over for groceries. Joe dropped me off to get settled into the weekly while I worked to get us some more security financially.
The strip location didn’t disappoint. Even with the guys constantly trying to talk shit or discourage me I kept working. Everyday I did at least 1 tattoo and each day I brought home money. Once the guys finally noticed that I really didn’t care what they did and I stayed happy they started to be quieter. One of the guys finally asked me what my deal was. That’s when I told him, “it doesn’t matter what you guys do, I’m just happy to be making this money because back home 500$ was a good week, my best week was $1200, and in one week I surpassed both of those so you can bitch all you want I’m just happy to finally be able to provide for my family.” After that he understood I really didn’t care as long as I was working and getting to tattoo.
Joe, Slater and I walked taller and smiled wider just knowing this was just the beginning of our life in Vegas.
I called Cindy and sent her money for the truck payment and checked in with her progress. Since it’s leaving left her with no real help she had been suffering to care for her mother. The money was an added help. She was happy to have the help financially on the truck and I agreed to try to help as best as possible while looking into building to get a place for her and her mother’s arrival.
Joe and I agreed that until Cindy arrived and we were more settled in a real apartment (and not just a weekly) that he should be a stay at home Dad so that Slater had care that we both trusted. We knew no one in the city and it was not the best of areas that we were staying in so I definitely didn’t trust any of the transients to watch her.
Everyday we would speed time together for breakfast before I went to work and while I was working Joe would take her to any local parks or the pool. After work every night we would have dinner and then explore the city some more together.
It was almost 3 months later that Joe and I finally agreed to just get married at one of the little chapels but we both agreed we wanted to take a little time to get the experience we wanted.
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