Tattooed Sisters

The Chinese symbol for sisterhood is comprised of four symbols. I have three sisters. Yep, the next logical step is a tattoo. At least, that is what my youngest sister was determined to convince me of two years ago.

As the oldest of the group I have a certain status—determined at birth—that has stuck with me through the years. For example, whenever we travel together … I drive. Once a year, we gather from our various homes in the Southern California area to go on what we call “Sister Weekend,” and I always drive. If anyone else is behind the wheel, a battle inevitably ensues over how close she should follow that car ahead of her, whether or not she looked before changing lanes, and why the hell she always has to brake so late!

Another expectation of my birth order is that I have to carry the key to the safe in our hotel room. Before heading to the spa, we dutifully remove our valuables and put them in the little black hotel safe, then one of the girls quickly hands me the key. When it comes to keeping the peace, my role is unquestioned. “Call Michele, she’ll talk to her,” has been uttered by each one of my sisters—dozens of times each. So you see, it isn’t unreasonable to expect that I would be capable of talking them out of permanently marking our backsides.

My youngest sister started her tattoo plea by telling me the history of the symbol. She gave a long, rambling account of how each symbol possessed individual meaning at the same time as it was a part of the whole. Just like us. My dear sister told me that the only thing anyone should ever consider tattooing on their bodies would be a symbol whose meaning was so enduring there would be no chance of regret. What could be more permanent than our sisterhood, she asked. Lastly, she used true sister logic—you can pick the size and the placement carte Blanc. I said no. Then I said absolutely not. Right after that, I started thinking.