I Pierced My Own Ears
My mother told me and my sister that we were too young to get our ears pierced. Emmylou was 4 and I was 7. I had wanted my ears pierced desperately, as so many girls in my class had done. And naturally Emmylou wanted to do what I did. But Mama said no, and we had no choice but to not get our ears pierced until we were teenagers... or did we?
A few nights later, I snuck downstairs after my parents went to sleep and into the garage. I grabbed the emergency hurricane kit and hurried back upstairs and into my sisters room. She was lying in bed with her blankets held up to her chin, grinning widely in the yellow glow from the nightlight. We both crawled into her closet, and I lit one of the candles from the hurricane kit. "Me first," Emmylou begged. "No, me! I'm the oldest," I responded. Her face started to scrunch up, and great big tears started to well up in her eyes. "Okay, fine," I said, and pulled a needle out of a sewing kit. I ran it throu8gh the flame of the candle and wiped it off with a little antiseptic wipe. "Ready?" Emmylou clutched her stuffed rabbit to her chest and nodded. I leaned over, put the needle up to her ear, and after a bit of hesitation, stuck it through her earlobe. "Ow!" she cried out, but I shushed her. I stuck a little rhinestone stud in that I had swiped from my Aunt Isabelle. "Ready for the other one?" She shook her head, then nodded, then shook her head, then nodded. I tried to be quicker this time, and she tried to be braver.
It was my turn, and I wiped the needle with another antiseptic wipe and ran it through the flame again. Since Emmylou was too small to do it for me I had her hold up a mirror for me. I took a deep breath and put the sharp tip up to my earlobe. I could feel my pulse running through my head, and squeezed my eyes shut before plunging it into my soft skin. It stabbed and burned and I wailed "oooooowww." Emmylou put her hand on my shoulder to console me. She was so small and young and yet she took it like a champ. Inspired, I said "I'm okay" and put in one of the other pairs of earrings I swiped form my aunt, a little pair of plastic roses. I quickly did the other one, fighting back tears. Emmylou and I hugged each other before going to bed.
The following morning, I woke up to hear my Mama screaming. She'd seen Emmylou's new additions. I didn't know what she was yelling about, and I ran out of my room into hers. She saw me and screamed some more. Our ears were caked in dried blood, so thick you could barely even see the earrings beneath it. My father piled us into his truck and drove us half an hour to urgent care. We had the earrings removed and returned to our aunt (who found the entire situation HILARIOUS) and my father went ahead and let us get surgical steel ones instead, because the piercings were otherwise fine. My mother was pissed at him for a while about it, but we refused to return our new earrings. Emmylou's ears look great, but mine are slightly lopsided.
A few nights later, I snuck downstairs after my parents went to sleep and into the garage. I grabbed the emergency hurricane kit and hurried back upstairs and into my sisters room. She was lying in bed with her blankets held up to her chin, grinning widely in the yellow glow from the nightlight. We both crawled into her closet, and I lit one of the candles from the hurricane kit. "Me first," Emmylou begged. "No, me! I'm the oldest," I responded. Her face started to scrunch up, and great big tears started to well up in her eyes. "Okay, fine," I said, and pulled a needle out of a sewing kit. I ran it throu8gh the flame of the candle and wiped it off with a little antiseptic wipe. "Ready?" Emmylou clutched her stuffed rabbit to her chest and nodded. I leaned over, put the needle up to her ear, and after a bit of hesitation, stuck it through her earlobe. "Ow!" she cried out, but I shushed her. I stuck a little rhinestone stud in that I had swiped from my Aunt Isabelle. "Ready for the other one?" She shook her head, then nodded, then shook her head, then nodded. I tried to be quicker this time, and she tried to be braver.
It was my turn, and I wiped the needle with another antiseptic wipe and ran it through the flame again. Since Emmylou was too small to do it for me I had her hold up a mirror for me. I took a deep breath and put the sharp tip up to my earlobe. I could feel my pulse running through my head, and squeezed my eyes shut before plunging it into my soft skin. It stabbed and burned and I wailed "oooooowww." Emmylou put her hand on my shoulder to console me. She was so small and young and yet she took it like a champ. Inspired, I said "I'm okay" and put in one of the other pairs of earrings I swiped form my aunt, a little pair of plastic roses. I quickly did the other one, fighting back tears. Emmylou and I hugged each other before going to bed.
The following morning, I woke up to hear my Mama screaming. She'd seen Emmylou's new additions. I didn't know what she was yelling about, and I ran out of my room into hers. She saw me and screamed some more. Our ears were caked in dried blood, so thick you could barely even see the earrings beneath it. My father piled us into his truck and drove us half an hour to urgent care. We had the earrings removed and returned to our aunt (who found the entire situation HILARIOUS) and my father went ahead and let us get surgical steel ones instead, because the piercings were otherwise fine. My mother was pissed at him for a while about it, but we refused to return our new earrings. Emmylou's ears look great, but mine are slightly lopsided.
By:
adventureolive
Age:
22-25
,
Female
