Working Class Hero

Before I get too far, I'll fill you in on what TJ looks like. First off, he's 5'7". And he's a skinny ass. He's just a little guy. And he's Italian, Sicilian, actually. He and his father were quick to tell me that. They're very proud of their heritage, and they should be. He looks Italian. It's great. He's got that dark skin complexion that gets really deep when he's out in the sun. His eyes are amazing. They're a beautiful dark brown and look almost black at times. When I looked him in the eye, it was almost like he could see my soul. I felt like we were the only two people, and everything else literally faded away. They also held all his pain. He's been through a lot, more than any person should, and you can see it in his eyes. There's a sadness there. And when he smiles? It's infectious. I would be having the worst day and as soon as he smiled, I forgot about all the bad. It's not even a smile, that's a bad word to describe it. It doesn't do it justice. He grins. He doesn't fake little smiles, he goes all-out. And it's great. He's got a beautiful grin. And it always reaches his eyes. They shine. And his perfectly white teeth sparkle out of his tan face. It's the best thing in the world when he's happy like that. It all sounds so cliche, but it's as if nothing can go wrong. Everything in the world is right.


TJ has tats. He has quite a few. I never figured myself as a tattoo kind of girl. I always thought they were fine on other guys, but not boyfriend material. But I love his. First of all, they're all on the right side of his body because he has some scarring on his left from the grenade. I'll start with my favorite. It's this huge kind of tribal design that goes pretty far down his right side and his ribs. In it are 4 zodiac symbols: his, both his parents', and his sister's. It twists all the way up over the top of his shoulder and onto his chest. On his shoulder he has this face. It's kind of creepy, but it's one of those things you feel drawn to look at. Right below that he has a band that goes around his arm and has dagger-like designs coming down from it. He has his last name in big letters across his upper back. He also has angel wings on his shoulder blades. He hates them. He thinks they're "chick wings", lol. He wants to go and get them made to look more BA.

On his forearm he has three tats as a reminder of his time in the service. One is of the gun that he used while over there, and it has a helmet on top of it. Which I always thought looked like a brain until I realized what it was. Another one is the same design as a badge he got. And the third are the words NEVER FORGET, which was written on one of his medal recognition letters. He plans to turn it all into one half-sleeve, but hasn't had the chance to go back yet. But the best thing about his tattoos is that he drew up all the artwork for them. They're all original pieces. If that's not sentimental value, then I don't know what is.