Mr. Tatto Wants Me

"Why is it suddenly cloudy? Is today's weather forecast wrong?" Jose gazed at the situation outside through the thick glass in the main room of Racher Art, and he was even holding a glass cleaner. "When is the pizza I want coming?"

"Does pizza fly or walk on its own?" The voice came from a woman beside a tattooed man sitting on a sofa not far from Jose's position. A bottle of wine with three shot glasses, a pack of cigarettes, and a lighter lay on the table surface. The woman lit the cigarette's tip that was already pressed to her lips. "Maybe you should blab to the pizza guy because he's starving you."

Jose ruffled his loins at her. "You're right, Bianca. I should scold him until he cries."

Bianca smiled as she took a drag from her cigarette and leaned against the broad chest of the black T-shirt clinging to the tattooed man's body. "What are your plans for tonight?"

"Nothing." Denis lifted the sloka glass filled with a small amount of wine and gulped it down.

"Then let's meet at the 24night."

"Sure."

Jose stepped aside into another room of the two-story building owned by his friend and boss. Not long after the sound of a scooter stopped in front of Racher Art, Jose hurriedly ran out because he was ready to cuss out the pizza delivery man who stood with his back to him while removing his helmet.

"Denis, look how your employee is going to cuss out the pizza delivery guy," Bianca said as if ready to enjoy Jose's wrath. Still, Denis didn't look at his friend while Jose was already gyrating behind the pizza delivery girl who had just opened her big box.

"Hey, what took you so long? Almost thirty minutes since I ordered it on the app. Don't you prioritize your customers?" Jose began his rant. "Are you-" The man's lips pressed tightly together as Marra turned her head and smiled.

"I'm sorry, and I didn't do it on purpose. On one trip, I delivered to six places, and you got the last part. Then, on the way here, my scooter almost hit a small dog in the middle of the road. It turned out that the dog's leg was already injured. It looks like he was abused." Marra sighed heavily, wearing a regretful look as she recalled the little dog. She couldn't even bring it back home.

"I see." Jose softened. He even smiled, then rubbed the back of his neck. "I've misunderstood. I must apologize to you."

"No big deal." Marra handed him the pizza box.

"Money, huh?" Jose felt his pants pocket. "It's inside, just a minute." He rushed in and placed the pizza box on the table's surface, making Bianca's forehead furrow as Jose's expression looked happy. Where did the anger go?

"Denis, give me your money." Just as Denis pulled his wallet from his pants pocket, Jose hurriedly grabbed it. "Why is that girl so adorable."

"What? Didn't you scold her earlier? Now she's changed?" Bianca asked.

"She's too cute to scold, and she's like a lollipop." Jose came out and handed her a bill he had taken from Denis' wallet. "Just take the change."

Marra's eyes widened. "Really? You disappointed me earlier, so I had to give you the change." She reached into her jacket pocket.

"No, there's no need. I meant it. Consider it my apology for going too far."

"Hey, I told you it was no big deal." Marra smiled. She took Jose's hand and placed the change there. "Hope you enjoyed the pizza. I have to go back now." She looked up at the sky. "It's almost raining." He put on his helmet and hurried to sit on the scooter's seat, but just as he turned the key, the rain came down immediately. Marra rushed to get out of Jose's way.

"Miss pizza delivery lady, I think you should stay here for a while," Jose said. Perhaps he would enjoy this simple moment.

"I can't, and I have to return the scooter and go home. Don't you have a raincoat in there?" Marra looked back, and it was deserted. She squinted at Jose like she was suspicious of something. It was raining like this, and they were alone. She thought of the worst as she crossed her arms to protect herself. "No! No!" Marra began to fume.

"What?" Jose raised a pair of hands. "I'm not a bad guy. What are you thinking?"

"Then lend me your raincoat."

"Just a minute, I'll check inside." Jose stepped aside, indifferent to Bianca and Denis' activities on the sofa. The woman had been sitting on Denis' lap for who knows how long, draping a hand over his face while gently caressing it before passionately embracing each other's lips.

While Jose searched for something, he found Denis's raincoat in the drawer where the tattoos were executed but stared at it for a long time. "Should I lend this to that girl?" She smiled, then shook her head. "No, it's better for her to get caught in the rain here. Wouldn't it be nice if we could chat for a while? She could be the one to talk to when Denis and Bianca get hot." Jose closed the drawer. "I'm a good guy, and I won't hurt the pizza girl." He was full of confidence and walked back to Marra with a face full of regret, pretending.

"You have it, don't you?" asked Marra, but seeing Jose shake his head made her sigh in annoyance. "Are you serious? Did you search properly?"

"Sure, I've done it from corner to corner. So, Miss. It would be best if you hung around here for a while. Let's go in."

Marra shook her head quickly. "No way."

"I'm not alone here. My boss and his friend are here."

"All men?"

No, she's Bianca, my boss's date. They're there and ready to enjoy the pizza you brought." Jose pointed to the sofa to his right, which would be invisible from the main door of Racher Art as a two-meter-long curtain covered it, only opened if desired.

"Really? You're not lying?" asked Marra skeptically.

"You can check for yourself."

Marra took a hesitant step but ventured in any way. As she looked to her left-the girl almost cursed at the sight of a pair of humans busy making out, she moved back. "No way. What are they going to do next? You tricked me, huh?"

"Haish." Jose snorted. He girded his loins and turned his head to the right. "Hey! Can you guys stop doing that? You're making this girl uncomfortable, and she's my guest. If you want to continue - go upstairs."

Bianca looked away from Denis, and she gave Jose an exasperated look. "Since when do employees manage their bosses? Don't you see what your employees are doing, Denis?"

"Leave it alone."

Jose smiled wryly, feeling victorious now, and looked back at Marra. "They won't do that again, so come on in."

"Can I just sit there? I don't want to join them." Marra pointed to the space on the side of the thick glass.

"Sure, I'll take two chairs, just a moment." Jose perked up again, and he arranged two chairs on the side of the glass like he was in a cafe. "Sit down. Would you like some coffee?"

"You don't have any poison or drugs, do you?" The girl didn't fully believe him.

"Not at all."

Marra nodded doubtfully. She ventured back in and sat on the chair.

"I'll make some coffee for you." As Jose stepped aside, Marra turned her head to the right. Earlier, she hadn't paid much attention to the pair of humans on the sofa out of surprise, but now Marra could see that the man in the black shirt Jose called 'boss' had many tattoos covering both arms and wrists. Even the skin on his neck was almost invisible.

The man turned his head towards her, making them exchange glances for a few seconds before Marra broke the contact and focused on opening her phone.

"Hey, what are you looking at? I'm right here." Bianca directed Denis' face to look at her again. "As long as you're with me, don't look the other way. Okay?"

***

"Let's finish it, Ma'am. After this, take medicine." Marra was still kneeling in front of the wheelchair occupied by Lauren, her mother.

Holding the plate and spoon, she was busy feeding her mother her daily medication and getting some rest.

Marra placed the cutlery in a bucket with a pile of clothes that she would dry and then got a glass of water and some medicine for Lauren.

"You're smart. You're the best," Marra praised after Lauren swallowed all the medicine and water. "Now you need to rest in your room. Let's go there."

She pushed the wheelchair into the modest rental house they had lived in for almost two years, with only one room, a small kitchen, bathroom, living room, and courtyard. Marra often rested in the living room on a sofa because she was used to it. It was no longer a problem for her.

Lauren had had schizophrenia for years, and her husband had run away from the responsibility, leaving Marra alone to care for her mother with patience.

If Marra were working, she would go with Lauren with Aunt Romel, who lived next door. After all, Lauren had nothing to do except sit in a wheelchair or lie on the bed, and the woman never made a sound. She was busy staring blankly without focusing on anything.

After pulling up the blanket, Marra cleaned Lauren's dirty cutlery before drying her wet clothes in the yard. Just as she placed the bucket in the bathroom, a ringing cell phone called from the living room. Marra positioned it near the television.

"Luke? Do I have to work today?" Marra wondered, picking up the phone. "Hello, do I have to leave on my day off?" She sat down on the sofa.

"No, it's not like that. I called you because I wanted to offer you something, you like money, so you should accept this offer, Marra."

"What offer?"

"Didn't you used to be a DJ?"

"Yes, then?"

"My friend, the owner of the 24Night club, needs you. Can you come there? I'm sure he'll pay you handsomely for your work, Marra."

"24Night?" Marra remembered something, and she was pretty familiar with the name of the discotheque.

"Yes, how? You can do it. I recommended your name to him before calling anyway, so you should come tonight."

"Alright, I'll try."

"Good luck." The call ended, and Marra lay down on the sofa.

***

"Luke said I should just go straight up to the third floor because that's where Matthew's office is," Marra muttered after getting off the jeepney and jostling with the other passengers. It was often tedious, but what the heck, she didn't have her vehicle.

The girl carried her backpack as she walked down the sidewalk. In the distance, a large marquee with sparkling lights highlighted the name of 24Night Club. Marra only had to cross the street and arrive. This wasn't Marra's first time at a new workplace, so she was used to being confident even if she didn't know what to expect.

The girl found a lot of vehicles in the large parking lot, human visitors with their nightly appearance quite arousing to the opposite sex. This was no stranger to the nightlife. Marra moved on, ignoring the men whistling at her, and took out her ID to show it to the two guards at the front.

"Little girl, are you sure you came to this place?" asked the man with the thin mustache in front of Marra. After glancing at the guest's ID card, he looked directly at the petite girl.

"Yes." Marra began to wonder about the man's thoughts. "Am I not of legal age to enter?"

"Yes, old enough." The man returned Marra's ID card. "It's just that I think girls like you are better off going to the movies to watch movies."

Marra smiled. "Tonight, my work is inside the building, and I must meet Matthew."

"Mr. Matt?"

Marra nodded. "Yes, I heard he needs a replacement disk jockey. I'll do it."

"Are you capable?"

"Of course. Can I come in now?"

The guard stepped aside. "Good luck. Watch your step. There's a lot of crowds."

Marra nodded; she stepped into 24Night for the first time. Just passing through the main door, the thick smell of alcohol greeted her breathing. Her appearance was certainly not sexy like most women of the night. She only wore jeans and a rainbow hoodie, the girl who always looked cute and was often considered a child.

"Third floor, third floor, let's go to the third floor." It was the only sentence that kept coming from Marra's lips as she passed by the many people, the long barista table filled with several humans. It turned out that the altar for disk jockeys was empty, so the dance floor area was deserted.

Marra hurriedly approached the stairs to the third floor after asking a barista, she moved fast enough while ducking her head that she accidentally bumped into someone's burly arm and fell to the bottom among the other patrons, but they passed her by.

Marra looked up to find an outstretched hand, and she remained standing without accepting it. When she looked up, she found the face of someone who felt familiar until Marra fell silent for a while.

"Are you alright?" A heavy and hoarse voice disturbed Marra's ears.

"Ah, I'm fine. Sorry for nudging you. I was in a hurry." Marra stepped aside, but for a moment, she stopped and turned her head to watch the back of a black T-shirt that was roomy enough to hold. Its arms and neck, covered with tattoos, began to move away, disappearing among the crowd of visitors. "I feel like I've seen him before. Is this deja vu?" Marra nodded, and she continued to walk towards the other stairs.

***

Despite wearing only a hoodie and jeans, Marra confidently performed on the unique altar for disk jockeys. The sound of music echoing from the speakers made many 24Night visitors go crazy on the dance floor area.

Marra's action looks energetic. She also smiles broadly and dances quite agile, with headphones attached to her head. Several times her hands touch the turntable when accelerating the tempo of the music and changing the pitch to sound more harmonious.

She could divide her focus at the moment, and it didn't matter that other people thought of her as a child because of her petite body and adorable face. They didn't know that Marra could do so many things like now.

Round lights full of glittering lights swirled on the room's ceiling, the dark atmosphere further immersing many people in their activities.

Matthew had just come downstairs; as he took a sip of his cigarette, he approached some close friends who were customers of his nightclub. They sat in a row on a long sofa among other neatly arranged sofas.

"Matt, since when do you employ children? Is that legal?" asked Jamie as Matthew sat beside him. Several shot glasses, bottles of alcohol, a pack of cigarettes complete with lighter, and an ashtray lay on the table surface.

"Who?" Matthew's forehead furrowed. "You know my place would close down if I hired a minor, so who are you talking about?" He was confused.

"Her." Using a chin gesture, Jamie pointed to a disk jockey performing. "She's a kid, isn't she? Can't you find another replacement for Leah? Your place is closing down soon." He snorted, then gulped down the contents of the sloki glass.

Matthew looked at Marra and laughed. "Are you serious?"

"What's Matt laughing at?" Jose and Denis had just joined us.

"I don't think we'll be able to come here again sooner or later," Jamie said.

"Really? Why?" Jose looked at Jamie and Matthew in turn. "What's wrong, Matt?" He nudged his shoulder.

"Jamie accused me of child labor." Matthew was still laughing.

"Jose, you saw who replaced Leah."

"Leah?" Jose looked at the DJ's altar, and he was immediately transfixed when he found Marra there. Denis did the same, and their expressions were the same.

"I was right, wasn't I? Matt shouldn't be like this, even if he needs a job, not in a place like this," Jamie advised.

"Wait a minute." Matthew pressed his cigarette butt into the ashtray. The man's laughter had disappeared like smoke. "The girl is over 21. What are you worried about? She's petite, she's–"

"Adorable," Jose commented, still watching Marra without pause.

"Right, she's adorable. Jamie, do you remember Luke?" Matthew asked.

"The pizza delivery guy?"

"Right, the girl's name is Marra. She was a pizza delivery girl at Luke's place, and Luke himself recommended her to me. She's not a kid, and she's a hard worker." Matthew tried to break all of Jamie's doubts.

"Matt's right. She's a pizza delivery person. He was waiting for the rain to stop at Racher Art the other day," Jose said, nudging Denis. "I was right, wasn't I?"

Denis nodded, his gaze momentarily shifting from Marra to Jamie, then back again.

"So, the girl's a pizza delivery girl and a DJ?" Jamie nodded, his gaze now shifting to admiration for Marra. "Does she have a hard life out there?"

"Maybe." Matthew moved on. "I have to take care of something. Leave my little girl alone so he can hold out until Leah gets back." He stepped aside.

"Matt is acting like a possessive father."

"True," Jose said, "but I like that girl's act." He smiled, remembering his first impression of Marra at Racher Art, and then moved on. "I think I'll go down to the dance floor to appreciate her persistence in dancing and turn up the music." He stepped aside energetically.

"What was that? Did Jose like it?"

"I don't know." Denis leaned back, pulling his cell phone from his pants pocket while replying to a few chats. The man's eyes repeatedly glanced at Marra as if hypnotized.

"You don't have a date tonight?" asked Jamie.

"Martha will be here soon."

Jamie chuckled. He patted Denis on the shoulder. "Looks like your handsome face is the belle of the ball until all the women approach easily. I'm still very jealous of you. Could you share one or... two, maybe?" A smirk appeared. He was sure Denis understood his words.

"That's easy, and I'll talk to them when I'm done." He smiled and moved on, and Denis was already well known as a womanizer among his friends, who could doubt the man's charms–every woman could easily throw themselves into Denis' bed and willingly spend their money on him. Denis Arthur Racher's money was flowing.

***

"Is everything okay?"

Marra put on her helmet and turned around, and the question had come from Luke, who had just put a few boxes of pizza in the large box on his employee's computer. Because she didn't answer–Luke also looked intensely at the girl in the pink jacket.

"Why? Are you quiet? How are you doing at work? I mean, it's been a few nights at 24Night," Luke said again. He was known to be an attentive and loyal boss.

"Oh, that, everything's fine."

"Matthew's not giving you any trouble, is he?"

Marra shook her head. "Not at all. I've been there three nights, he's a professional man, and his girlfriend is very friendly."

"Lover?" Luke thought. "Ah, you mean Celine?"

"Right, we had some interaction. She's so beautiful." Marra smiled. "Well then, I'm going to deliver all those pizzas now. The sky is ready to cry again." The two of them looked up-discovering that the sky this afternoon was indeed starting to become unfriendly, already gray, and soon it might be joking at will.

"Be careful on the road. Remember not to break the traffic signs."

"I understand." Marra sat on the motorcycle seat, starting the engine before driving off with her spirit. Luke lingered there, silently staring at Marra's departure until she turned a corner and disappeared from his sight.

The brown-aproned man who aspires to be a sous-chef or a pastry chef in Paris is charismatic. His 170centi tall upright body makes Marra always look up to him when communicating with him–an idol for some customers and even employees at the pizza shop he has managed for two years.

Since graduating from college, Luke had wanted to move to Paris, and he craved the world of pastry with the sweet fragrance of confectionery. Still, Luke was forced to bury that dream after his father had an accident and suffered a stroke that confined him to a wheelchair.

Luke has several siblings, but he is the only one who has not settled down here, while the rest of them do not live in Manila and are scattered in Cebu, Boracay, and other locations.

As a result, Luke is the only one who can care for his father even though he now has a 24-hour nurse at home as he runs the pizza shop himself, a distraction from the disappointment of failing to pursue his dream of going to Paris.

The man's fate was almost like Marra's, taking care of his parents and working hard, but Luke was luckier than Marra, who didn't even have another sibling to rely on. The girl worked hard day and night to care for her treatment and living expenses with Laura.

***

"Isn't she so cute?" Celine's hands were arranging several different colored daisies into a glass vase on Matthew's desk, and the woman was Matt's girlfriend since they were in high school. Let's call her ready to be his future wife.

She sat on Matthew's chair while her boyfriend sat on his laptop in the corner of the sofa, working on this month's expense chart.

"Who?"

"Your little girl." Celine smiled and blinked as Matthew looked at her questioningly. "Marra."

"Then, are you jealous?" It was Matt's turn to smile wryly.

Celine shook her head. She cut the flower stems that were too long. "No, that girl doesn't seem interested in anyone. I think everything on her mind is limited to how to work well and make the boss happy, then the next day, she will act like that without worrying about anything else."

"That's a good mindset." Matthew refocused on the laptop. "So, you like her too?"

Celine nodded. "How could such a sweet girl be ignored, I want to be friends with her, but I think Marra is too busy to be limited to sitting together in a coffee shop. I'm sure she has other things to do."

"That good character is what makes me willing to accept Marra, especially since Luke himself proposed it. I heard that her mother has schizophrenia."

Celine's hand stopped as she was about to put a green daisy into the vase. She squinted. "That bad? It must be a hard life, but she seems to be cheerful, or maybe she only complains when she's alone." Celine supported her chin. "This is too hard for her." She snorted.

"It's better not to ask if Marra doesn't reveal everything herself. She doesn't like being a burden to others. She's too mature."

"Right, Matt. When else can you find loyal workers? Even you can only find money-grubbing women here." Although Celine was also aware of the possibility of Matthew being wooed by the many ladies of the night in his workplace, she was confident that Matt would not go overboard and protect his girlfriend's feelings.

The reason they were still together so far was mutual trust. When many girls at school were crazy about Denis, only Celine acted indifferently, making him like a ray of sunshine in Matthew's eyes.

Also, when many men see a person through his body, for Celine, only Matt looks like a normal human being. She will indeed have a pleasant future if she continues to be by his side because they complement each other.

Knock-knock-knock!

"Come in."

The door to Matthew's study opened and revealed Marra's petite figure smiling there. Celine then got up, and she returned the curved smile on the girl's face.

"You've come," Matt said.

"Yes, I'm starting right now."

"Wait a minute." Celine reached for another bouquet of daisies wrapped in newspaper, obviously not the ones she had ruffled earlier. She moved towards Marra. "Have you eaten yet?"

Marra nodded. "Yes."

"Good, you need to replenish your energy before action, and this is for you." Celine handed her the bouquet. "I picked each daisy of a different color from the farm, some to fill the vases in this room, and some for you. You should decorate your house for color."

"Thank you very much."

"Okay, work well." Celine gently rubbed the top of Marra's head, looking at her like she had found a little sister.

"Excuse me."

***

This was Marra's fourth night as a disc jockey at 24Night, some people were getting to know her, even asking for her cell phone number and offering her a ride home, but this was Marra, and she would politely decline because she didn't want to be distracted by anything other than work while at 24Night.

Getting into a relationship or playing with men wasn't on the 23-year-old's mind. She didn't want to shift her focus from taking care of Laura. She was only thinking about how to make more money so that her life would be better, which seemed fair, right?

Marra was back in action, the speakers blaring different music from the previous nights. She is busy controlling the controller that doubles as a turntable and mixer to adjust the pitch, volume, and FX panning. Mastering the audience on the dance floor is a disk jockey's delight, and she's good at it.

Denis and his friends had just arrived, ten o'clock or so, and Jose hadn't missed even one night of Marra's set during his time at 24Night. The girl was enough to hold Jose's attention like candlelight in a dark room, becoming his desired focus.

Tonight Denis was with Selena, but they still joined Denis's friends and enjoyed the whiskey and merriment that echoed in the room.

"Isn't this boring?" said Jamie, shaking the sloshier glass filled with whisky before his face. "It is."

"You hate whisky?" asked Jose.

"No, it's the atmosphere."

"So, you'll rip off your clothes and dance on the table? That should be fun." Jose smiled amusedly.

Jamie snorted in annoyance, and he set his glass of wine down hard enough to make a sound as it made contact with the table's surface. "Is that funny? Why don't you ask someone else to do it."

"Who? Who?" Jose looked around. "Does Matthew have a stripper here?"

"He won't. There's Celine upstairs," Denis said.

"Oh, the good girl. Would you do it, Selena?" Jose smiled mischievously.

"Get lost, and I'm just having a good time with Denis." Selena went so far as to push Jose's arm, but he just laughed it off.

"Let's make a bet," Jamie said, getting excited.

"What bet? I don't have any money, and boss Racher Art hasn't distributed the salary yet." Jose quipped at Denis.

"Is it the end of the month?" The Rancher Art boss commented.

"No, that's too easy. I mean... her." Jamie pointed at the disk jockey as he blinked his left eyelid.

"Marra?" Jose was taken aback. "What do you want to do? What bet, idiot!"

"Why the sudden outburst? I'm not even talking about money. Are you reading my head, hm?"

"Then what? Don't mess with that girl, and she's too innocent." Jose was not willing to let anything wrong happen to Marra.

"Innocent?" Selena suddenly burst out laughing. "Are there innocent girls in a place like this? Jose still believes that?"

Jose's jaw hardened, and he gave Selena a disapproving look. "She's not like you."

"Of course, didn't many people talk about that girl refusing a ride home and refusing to share her cell phone number? Is that a tug-of-war or a sell-out strategy?" Jamie said.

"Will you shut up?" Jose was getting annoyed.

"Just do it," Denis said, looking intensely at the DJ. "What do you want to do, Jamie?" He gave Jamie the benefit of the doubt.

"It's easy. Ask for her cell phone number. If one of us gets it, then–"

"I'll buy him a drink for a week here," Selena interrupted. She smiled at the three men. "Agreed?"

"Agreed!" Jamie exclaimed excitedly. Jose was silent and resigned, while Denis just nodded. "Then I'd better start first. Jose, watch my behavior." Jamie felt confident, and he moved towards the altar of the disk jockey. Several people were watching the man's movements.

Jamie seemed to invite Marra to shake hands, but the girl refused. I don't know what he said, and Marra just shook her head before Jamie returned with a crumpled face. "He said he didn't have a cell phone. Isn't that an old-fashioned lie?"

Jose laughed at the denial. "I told you, she won't be easy."

"Then it's your turn."

Jose shook his head. "I didn't agree to it, did I? So, it's between you and Denis."

"Your turn, Denis. No woman will turn you down, so relax. Give it to me if you get the girl's number."

Now, it was Denis' turn to take vast strides toward Marra.

***