Here's Your CHLOU
‘Chlou’ is the scrolly cursive word tattooed on my ribcage. A few years ago, I finally decided I was ready for tattoos. Naturally, I wanted to wait until I was positive that I knew what I wanted imprinted on my body for the rest of my life. ‘Chlou’ was the first idea that ever stuck with me, and I slept on it for quite some time.
My grandmother, Lou Ella Johnson, passed when I was sixteen years old, after suffering with Alzheimer’s disease for several years. She was a gorgeous, religious, strong-willed woman who had unwavering values and didn’t take shit from anyone. Since her passing, I have had a countless number of spiritual run-ins with her. She talks to me in my dreams. I’ve narrowly escaped car wrecks and immediately after seen her name on the side of a truck or billboard. And at times when I’ve been struggling the most, I’ve heard her voice in my head singing, “Steeevie Giiirllll,” the way she used to when I was young. She’s never left me.
In my early twenties, I was working with a girl that was running a puppy mill. I didn’t realize that initially, but she was pushing me to take a puppy off her hands, so I agreed to give it a gander. Spoiler alert: she ended up getting arrested for animal cruelty and child endangerment. When I arrived, I was stunned by just how bad the situation was. There were animals literally everywhere. Trying to remain calm and collected, I followed her to the kitchen where she was very excited to show me multiple litters of puppies mulling about the floor. There was one off by herself playing party of one and yapping her little face off at me. I said, “I’ll take that one.” Her name instantly became Chloe, and she instantly stole my heart.
Chloe threw me through the ringer in our first few weeks together. She ended up having sarcoptic mange and round worm. After several vet visits, hundreds of dollars, and many sleepless nights, we finally got it together. She is now eight years old and healthy as ham. Literally, she’s a little juicy-thick, but she gets it from me. She steals the hearts of everyone she meets. She is sassy and classy with a heart of gold. Throughout our years together, I’ve been through a lot of changes, and to be quite frank, I don’t know that I would still be here if not for her. She truly is my emotional support animal. And she has the same deep brown eyes as Grandma Lou.
Originally, when I decided to get ‘chlou’ tattooed on my body, it was simply for sake of always having my guardians with me, but as I began to develop business plans rooted in goodness, designed to multiply, I knew instantly what the company would be called. And just like that, here’s your CHLOU. It doesn’t hurt that it’s versatile in a clever play on words. The projected magnitude of Chlou is yet to be determined, but one thing is certain, it will always represent strength and goodness. I’m too scared of Grandma Lou to let her down, and I take pride in sharing the legacy of love that her and Chloe emanate whether they’re present or not.