Dolly has always been such a good girl. She’s always gotten good grades in school.[1] She actually likes school! And she can literally count on her fingers (on one hand) the number of times she got in trouble at school:

1. 2^nd grade—swinging on the kindergarten swings with her friends after they were told not to
2. 3^rd grade—refusing to participate in P.E. with her friend[2]
3. 9^th grade—wearing a too-short skirt[3]

As for trouble with the law, there was that night her VW Beetle’s light was out and a policeman pulled her over. When he came to the car window, he was startled to see the beautiful long blond hair pulled back under a ball cap and said, “Oh, I thought you were a boy,” (ouch) implying he wouldn’t have pulled her over had he known the truth. She got off with a gentle warning, really just a reminder that it’s not safe to be driving without a working light, dear.

And the one night she accidentally drove right through a stop sign where a policeman was lying in wait. She couldn’t play innocent this time.[4] She had to do traffic school!

And folks, that’s it![5]

But all this sugar and spice hides a very sticky center. Our Dolly has an inner bad girl. Yes, indeed.

And this inner bad girl thinks tattoos are sexy.[6] Especially sleeve tattoos.

(Those of you who have known Dolly a long time are probably clutching your pearls right about now.)

And what can be sexier than a sleeve tattoo?

Prison tattoos.

(And the pearls cascade to the floor.)

Yes, indeedy. Dolly likey. (But let’s be clear. No face or neck.)

MFT has tattoos. Five of them. And three were done in prison. The biggest one is a sleeve on his left leg. (MFT and I will really have to do a shared post so I can show it to you, dear readers. There is a big story behind it, so he will need to help write that one. And of course we’ll share a photo. Read it at Post #11.)

Now, you can’t fully love a prisoner without loving their history, and MFT has his history inked right onto his skin. You might call this a timeline of bad decisions, but I call it a treasure map to my heart. (aw) And because I love itemized lists, you know what’s coming, don’t you?

Here are MFT’s tattoos, in chronological order:

1. A generic skull & crossbones on his leg, inked during his wild youth.[7] He admits this one was stupid.
2. His second wife’s name over his heart. Dolly dislikes this one, because it looks bad. It’s bled and looks like a blob. (You weren’t actually thinking Dolly dislikes it because it’s another woman’s name, were you?)
3. His prison girlfriend’s name on his upper chest. He chose that spot so he could show it to her at a visit, since it’s frowned upon to be removing articles of clothing in the visiting room. (Does Dolly like this one? We’ll never know, as she was unavailable for comment.)
4. His leg sleeve which tells his story and conveniently covers up #1. (And I’m probably using the term sleeve wrong, as it doesn’t cover a full 360 degrees.)
5. His third wife’s name on his ring finger.[8] Just how many wives has this man had? Well, Dolly is the third and final one, and she is immensely proud that it’s HER name in the seat of honor, in the inner sanctum, on this hallowed ground. MFT didn’t give that place up easily. (And here comes the part where the little old church ladies faint—Dolly has MFT’s name on her ring finger too.)

Now that we are blessed to be having family visits, I get to see them in person, up close. I get to trace the map to find my treasure.

MFT has plans for another big tattoo, one with lots of detail. It will be the ultimate homage—Dolly as a pin-up girl.

Dolly, The Prison Tattoo.

You can’t get any more bad-ass than that!

[1] Except for that D in Algebra 2 which we will blame on the boyfriend who didn’t think homework was very important.

[2] Even then, Dolly didn’t like sports.

[3] This was in 1989 when they probably didn’t even make long skirts. And Dolly has long legs, so a proper knee-length skirt is not knee-length on Dolly.

[4] Confession—she had known about the missing light and still drove at night.

[5] Since getting in trouble was very traumatic and memorable for her, she’s sure these are the only ones.

[6] If they’re done well.

[7] Lest I give the wrong impression, MFT’s wildness was law-abiding.

[8] MFT likes his names, doesn’t he?