Sitio: http://readers.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,978010!9"#",00.

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*rag$ento:
I don't know. Scarring myself for life seemed much easier than having to tell Jackie that it had all been a
grotesque mistake, that I'd just been messing about; if I could show her the tattoo, my eculiar logic ran, I
wouldn't have to bother straining after words that were beyond me. I should e!lain that I am not a tattoo
kind of guy; I am, and was, neither rock'n'roll go"to"hell decadent or lager"squaddy muscular. #ut there
was a disastrous fashion for them at our school around that time, and I know for a fact that several men
now in their mid"thirties, accountants and schoolteachers, ersonnel managers and comuter
rogrammers, have terrible messages $'%&'( )I() *+ )I,,', ',-.-/0 S)-./0'1 from that era burned
into their flesh.
I was just going to have a discreet 'J$/' done on my uer arm, but 2ictor the tattooist wasn't having any of
it.
'3hich one is she4 5J5 or 5/54'
'5J5.'
'6nd how long have you been seeing this J bird, then4'
I was frightened by the aggressive masculinity of the arlour " the other customers $who were all firmly in
the lager"squaddy muscular team, and seemed ine!licably amused to see me1, the nude women on the
walls, the lurid e!amles of services offered, most of which were conveniently located on 2ictor's forearms,
even 2ictor's mildly offensive language.
'I'll fucking be the judge of that, not you.'
*his struck me as an odd way to do business, but I decided to save this observation for another time.
'6 coule of months.'
'6nd you're going to marry her, are you4 +r have you knocked her u4'
'.o. .either.'
'So you're just going out4 -ou're not lumbered4'
'-eah.'
'6nd how did you meet her4'
'She used to go out with a friend of mine.'
'0id she now. 6nd when did they break u4'
'Saturday.'
'Saturday.' 7e laughed like a drain. 'I don't want your mum in here moaning at me. 'uck off out of it.'
I fucked off out of it.