The Test of Time

By Diane Franks

This short story was originally published in the Forget Me Not Anthology.  It is not a full length book.  It is approximately 10000 words. 

He's not the man her used to be.  She's desperate to find a way to bring him back to her.  She needs a tattoo to help her remember.  She needs a tattoo so he won't forget.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diane Franks
• Release date: Jan 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524229665

Book preview

Chapter 1

Iwalk into that tattoo parlor feeling so out of place. Here I am, a little old white-haired lady, stepping into a parlor full of hard-bodied young men and women. I’m sure I must look a sight! As soon as I walk in, a young woman with bright red and blue hair greets me.

Hello. You must be AnnMarie. My name is Lily and I’ll be your artist today. Come on back with me.

I follow her to the back room and I settle into a chair sectioned off with a curtain. She pulls the curtain closed and we’re sort of cocooned in a little world of our own. The thick curtains muffle any noises outside of the makeshift room.

Please let me know if there is anything you need or anything I can do to make you more comfortable. I want you to be able to tell your story with as little interference as possible. You can begin your story anywhere you would like.

To be honest with you, Lily, I’m not sure where to start. Today has been a hard day and I’m still a little in shock, I think.

Why don’t you start there, then? What happened today?

I look at her for a moment, close my eyes, and begin my story.

Chapter 2

Let me go back to the beginning of our love story. I was fourteen years old and having a sleepover with my best friend, Stacy. We had stayed up talking late into the night. We always slept in her living room on the couches because we could watch TV as late as we wanted and then talk until we fell asleep. Well, on this particular morning, Stacy’s brother, Will, came into the living room with a friend of his.

They had been out hunting and had come home just long enough to get some food before heading back out. Their talking had awakened me and I pulled the covers from over my head and sat up to see who it was. As soon as I locked eyes on the guy with Will, I wished I had never come up from under the covers. There was an immediate connection between us—some spark that pulled at both of us. I couldn’t believe this gorgeous guy was seeing me with my monumental bedhead.

I jumped up and scurried to the bathroom and was determined to stay in there until they left…until I realized that he must be thinking I was taking an awful long time going to the bathroom, and that was just embarrassing! I came out of the bathroom with combed hair and headed back to the living room. The guys were still in there and as soon as I came back in the room, I could see this guy grinning ear to ear. Will introduced his friend as Ken, but all I could do was nod at him and look away.

They went to the kitchen to eat after that, and I found myself torn between wanting to go in there with them and wanting to hide in mortification. I didn’t know what it was about this Ken that made me have such strong feelings. I had never really been