Rachel Gilder's

The Prince and the Tattoos

Ever heard of the old saying, “That came from out of left field?” I’ve got a new saying… “It came from outer space.”

Life has a funny way of throwing you a curve ball when you’re expecting to bunt, nice and easy. It wasn’t too long ago that a Prince came to my door through the terrible storm brewing in my life, searching for a person to join his union of strikers against dating. Without hesitation I asked, “Where do I enlist? Do I sign on the dotted line?”

While marching in our circle of strikers, shouting out chants and hoisting our signs of “Just say NO to dating,” our eyes locked. The small spark behind his eyes burned instantly into my heart. I wasn’t expecting this. “Now what?” I thought. Now what am I supposed to do? Ignore him? Pretend I didn’t see what I just saw? Pretend I didn’t feel what I just felt?

So time wears on, and what started as a spark began to flame. One night the Princess met the potential Prince for dinner. After many hours of talking, smiling, laughing, and eye contact across the table, it was time to hurry home before the clock struck midnight. While walking out to the awaiting chariot, the Prince did something that no other Prince had done before. He gently grabbed the Princess’ hand and placed it within the nook of his tattooed arm, and led her into the night. It was at that precise moment that the Princess opened the gate to the great walls she had built around her heart and let the Prince in. Fireworks exploded in the night air. While nobody else could see the brilliant, colorful display in the dark sky above, the two watched as the sky erupted into color.

The tattooed Prince and the Princess drove into the night happily ever after.