AUSTIN, Texas – Ten years after getting a tattoo, the expression on a stranger's face changed a man's heart and mind about his tattoo.
Tattoos can be a reflection of beliefs, memories or something the tattoo owner just likes, but sometimes the person changes and the tattoo doesn't quite fit anymore.
"I cover up a lot of tribal a lot of names, a lot of initials," said tattoo artist Kelly Barr of Texas Bob's Tattoos in south Austin.
A man, who declined KVUE's request for an interview, recently called Texas Bob's asking Barr for a cover up.
"He's got an old tattoo of a skull with a rebel flag bandana around his head," he said.
An expression on a woman's face changed his heart.
"An older black lady saw him and saw the tattoo and her expression changed as she saw it," Barr said. "That seemed like it just broke his heart a little bit and he decided that day that it was time to do something about it."
Barr blacked out the rebel flag bandana on the man's tattoo.
"He seemed like a little weight had been lifted from him," Barr said.
Barr was moved as well and decided to give the man a bargain.
"Stuff like this; it's a good thing to do, so I cut a deal," Barr said. "I've always cut a deal on this; Nazi stuff I'll cover up for whatever you've got in your pocket."
He decided to tell how one man's change on the inside, ended up showing on the outside too.
"The thing the fella said that made me want to post this was 'If South Carolina can take down theirs, I can take down mine,'" Barr said.
Covering up a tattoo is generally less expensive than the tattoo removal process. Whether you're getting a tattoo or having one covered up, each tattoo artist has the right to refuse service.
