The Dragon Tattoo

Billy walked towards the display window on his way home from work. He always went this way to check out the display. It changed every few days. But one thing remained the same.

Billy was young, naive, lonely and easily distracted by pretty girls. He was still a virgin and quickly infatuated by any girl that would smile at him. He worked for the only movie theatre in town. His job included everything that it took to run the theatre; tickets, refreshments, film projector, cleanup after each showing and closing.

He wasn’t the only employee but he was the most diligent. Billy enjoyed the work, the movies and the clientele. But being young and naive it still found it hard to connect with people. Especially girls.

Billy approached the target of his path, the display window of the local burlesque club. His pace slowed as he neared the large picture window. Today the display area behind the glass was set in pale lavender and white gossamer layers hanging between the glass and the subject of his desires.

There on a banjo chair was ‘the girl with the dragon tattoo.’

Billy felt flush and his mouth dropped. The girl of his dreams wore a revealing costume resembling the original ‘Burlesque’ style. A deep plunge in the front, a multi-layered skirt hiked up on one side, dated high heels from the era and her hair pulled up in the back.

She looked like a mannequin; pale makeup, glassy eyes, oddly smooth skin, unmoving. The one thing that tipped him off was her tattoo. It had been covered with makeup but he knew what and where to look. Billy stared at her, taking her all in. They were both motionless for minutes.

Suddenly Billy felt a bump from the side. It was one of his dojo buddies. He winked at Billy and pointed towards the mannequin. Billy tried to be cool, smiled, nodded at his brother martial artist and walked away with him. The Master would be expecting them for class. Billy turned back and watched as they walked away.

Just as they were moving away he saw her turn to look at him and wink. Then she returned to her original pose and froze. Billy’s heart pounded for good measure as he sighed.

At the dojo the Master spoke of the upcoming celebration for the Lunar New Year, the ‘Chinese New Year.’ Many of the higher level students participated in the Lion and Dragon Dances. The community had come to recognize them with food, drink and gifts. The Master reminded everyone that it was an important event for the community.

Nothing Billy hadn’t heard before. But as the Master continued to lecture, Billy heard him say ‘the Dragon Year.’ Billy’s interest peaked and he was all ears. The Dragon Year.

Billy zoned out thinking about the girl with the dragon tattoo until one of his brothers nudged him. It was time to train.

After class Billy was worn out and sweating. He loved it. Endorphins were pumping, dopamine was flooding his brain. He felt good. They all bowed out and prepared to go home. The Master came in as they were all getting dressed and asked Billy to join him in his office before he left. The other brothers all looked at him. He had never been singled out by the Master before.

Sitting in the dojo office, Billy was curious about what the Master was going to tell him. The Master poured them both a cup of tea with a smile. He handed Billy a cup and saucer then sat at his desk. They toasted a good training session and sipped their tea. The Master set down his cup and smiled at Billy. He began by revealing that he was a family man. It seemed very cordial.

Billy was young. The Master said. He had his entire life ahead of him. Billy began to wonder what this was all about. The Master smiled and sipped his tea. He said he was young once. Just like Billy. Energetic, athletic, promising. Billy nodded and sipped his tea still wondering what was happening. They heard all the students pay their respects at the door and leave.

A few minutes later they heard the door open and close. Billy was on the edge of his seat. What is going on? After a moment he could smell a fresh incense waft into the room. It wasn’t the usual training incense. Then he heard someone walking toward the office door. The Master looked over Billy’s shoulder with a big smile on his face. Billy turned around and was surprised to see, ‘the girl with the dragon tattoo.’

She was wearing very conservative clothing compared to the costume he had seen her in. A flowered, button up shirt with a high collar, a pleated dress below the knees, white knee socks with black patent shoes. Still, Billy knew something more about her that he wondered if the Master knew about.

Billy was stunned but tried to cover his astonishment by smiling politely and nodding. She smiled and nodded back, then walked over to the Master. He didn’t get up. The girl stepped behind the Master and put her hands on his shoulders. The Master introduced the girl as his daughter, Si Yu or Sally. He told Billy that she was his treasure.

Billy hadn’t thought of the girl with the dragon tattoo as being Asian. She appeared more European than Asian, except for her black hair and the tattoo. The Master continued after offering his daughter a cup of tea. He said the next weekend was her twenty first birthday. They were planning a party to celebrate but because of the nearness to the New Year, ceremonies had to take precedence.

Billy became even more curious and turned his head slightly to one side like a dog waiting for instruction. The Master then asked the one thing Billy would never have imagined. The Master asked Billy to do the honor of giving his daughter a proper birthday celebration. Then Si Yu winked at Billy like she had done earlier when he had seen her at the Burlesque Club window.

Billy swallowed hard. He smiled at his Master. The Master took that as an emphatic yes. He reached into the top drawer of his desk and handed Billy a Red envelope and said it was to cover the cost of the birthday celebration. Billy bowed gracefully to the Master and Si Yu escorted him out. She walked him to the door and gave him instructions on where and when to pick her up.

As Billy headed down the street towards home he realized he was shaking.