I was a stupid kid once. Some of the very few friends and family I still have would say maybe I still am. You were friendly in the very long line at the store this Holiday. You began asking me questions about some of my tattoos which I responded as nicely as I could. Then you asked me about the large tattoo on the front of my neck. I didn't want to talk about it. You sensed that and snarked that I shouldn't get tattoos if I don't want to share.
First, I'm not obligated to answer your questions. I will if you're friendly and I'm feeling nice, but I certainly don't hold any social debt to inform "spectators" about the meaning and motivation behind my tattoos. Second, like I said I was a stupid kid. I didn't want to admit to a real nice African-American lady that I had 88 tattooed on the front of my neck and the cover up was to erase that part of my life. This goes out to anyone else out there who feels inclined to ask a lot of questions. If they don't want to talk about it, there's probably a reason. Don't pry.