Just Rest Your Head and Call Me Mrs. Spungeon.

***I wrote this a few years back-sharing it on the anniversary of Sid's death seemed kind of fitting***

"No it's Ok, really. It's punk rock. Put your head back down." 

I assured her as I gently pushed her head back to rest on the table.

 "I'll call you Nancy and you call me Mom, Ok?

My friend Mel posted on Facebook a few weeks back that she was having reconstructive surgery on her ear lobes.

She had them stretched out for quite some time and decided that she wanted to change that.

She asked if someone could remove her stitches when it was time.

Always willing to help a friend in need, I said I would.

The day was yesterday at high noon and I was prepared.

I got out my big bottle of alcohol, q-tips, Bactine and my sewing scissors.

For the record, I have kick ass Gingher sewing scissors. Both the big ones and the tiny stork shaped ones.

In an emergency, had to leave the house in 5 minutes, I'd grab the kids, my scissors, then B and the pets.

They would be very useful after the apocalypse.

I boiled the scissors and tweezers and made a fresh batch of honey ointment. (For another post)

Mel came over and we chatted a bit.

 I felt bad ass when I flung my instruments into the pot of water, to boil right before show time.

Something about the clatter of metal things in a metal pot.

Then it was time to get down to business.

I was midway through the first ear, carefully clipping away at the tiny black knots when the truth came out.

Me: "You know this is just like what Nancy Spungeon's Mom did for her in that book she wrote. You ever read that book?"

Mel: "No"

Me: "Nancy's mom wrote it after Sid Vicious killed her. There's this part where she is reminiscing about helping Nancy take stitches out of her ear. Her ear was ripped off during a fight and they sewed it back on. That's how I knew that I could take your stitches out. Because of that book."

That story about Nancy's mom taking Nancy's stitches out was in a Playboy magazine's of my Dad's that I came across when I was 10.

It's one of those little stories that stays with you.

We will not discuss why I was looking at my father's smut magazines. I will only say that you know you all used to do it too.

And those of you who attended the "Straight-Edge Devo Party" of 1987 will remember the impressive amount of smut that lurked in the back closets of my home.

Ok-but sitting there, in the kitchen, with one of my oldest friends, clipping her stitches out, it was like life coming to full circle.

It was a really cool moment.

It was magic.

Mel (putting her head up in alarm): "Wait, you've never done this before."

Me: "No, I just read it in that book"

Mel: "I thought you had done it before at work or something!"

Me: "No it's Ok, really. It's punk rock. Put your head back down. I'll call you Nancy and you call me Mom, Ok?"