This story is about Beverly, a 44-year-old massage therapist who has been working at Dedos Magicos for over twenty years. The story begins with:

When Beverly enters the room, the first thing she notices is her new patient’s tattoo. A cape of ink stretches from the nape of the man’s neck to his hip bones. His entire back is covered with blues and greens, patches of pale brown (147).

The man is Sgt. Derek Zeiger, “male, a smoker, 6’2”, 195 lbs., eyes color: brown, hair color: black, age: 25” (147). He’s an Iraq veteran, and is seeking Beverly’s services because of the 1722 bill: “Direct Access for U.S. Veterans to Massage Therapist Services” (148).

During Zeiger’s first massage, Beverly wonders about his past. She thinks about her own past, and how she nursed her dying mother and father when she was 18. She deliberately didn’t go to a traditional college because she didn’t want to leave her parents alone with “[d]eath mounting the stairs at night” (150). While her father died quickly, her mother lived, albeit sick, for many more years, and Beverly tended to her. During that time, she got her degree in massage therapy: