“Yeah, like whoa.” Katrina’s eyes grew wide before they settled back down. “How about Mr. O? Will he be making any special guest appearances?”
“I don’t know yet. He thinks he won’t be able to because he’s a first-time senator and it might be frowned upon he’s doing that. I’m not too concerned because I would rather have the focus on me and my shop first. I have a few big names decided they want to be on. I already have a commitment from Dolce Gabbana and a few others.” Aaliyah sipped her tea. “So, even if O doesn’t appear, it won’t affect my brand too much.”
“Does this mean I won’t get to meet the elusive Mr. O?” Katrina playfully frowned. “He seems like a good guy from what I’ve stalked about him.”
Aaliyah turned to her assistant. “You’re so honest with your messy I love it.”
“I’m serious! He seems like a hella dope guy. Like, did you know about that bill he’s trying to get passed in Congress about falsely calling the police on black and brown folks like us? That’s seriously dope! I’m not even from Cali and I would totally vote for him.”
The Ocean Effect. It was something Aaliyah secretly coined whatever good Ocean did. He often acted if no one was watching. Now that everyone watched what he did and whom he did it with, he still acted like he didn’t have a care in the world.
The Ocean Effect also meant there would be very little time spent with him. So many people pulled Ocean in every aspect, Aaliyah thought about the last time she’d physically seen him. Almost three weeks prior. The last time she’d spoken with him was around the same timeframe.
It was something Aaliyah had to get used to. Ocean wasn’t available like he was two years prior where he had set hours. Sometimes he would leave in the middle of the night for a delivery or surgery but he was widely available.
That was Dr. Ocean Ellison. Senator Ocean Ellison took his place and Aaliyah still tried to figure out where she belonged in his life.
She would worry about that later. As Aaliyah sipped her tea and perused over the various consent forms, she wondered if she was really cut out to be a senator’s wife.
~~~~~~
It was just her and the glorious sounds of H.E.R.
As Aaliyah began tracing an outline of a custom tattoo for a new client, she burned nag champa incense and turned off every light in her home except for one in the living room. She needed as much as focus as possible. She only had one time to get the tattoo right and her success rate wasn’t something she wanted to mess up.
It was the perfectionist within her; Aaliyah hated failure no matter what she did. It was an unhealthy ambition and she would be the first to admit how it caused more harm than good to her in various pockets of her life. Aaliyah also knew her pedantic spirit came in handy when she went to art school and then the gross details of opening her shop.
Either she gave it her all or she went home.
The client requested a hummingbird on the backdrop of varied splash of watercolor paints. Soft hues of lavender, pink, and blue would go lovely on the pale skin of the client. Aaliyah often sent a client markup of her tattooing on dark skin to see if they would like it and she made that intentional.
If the client loved the markup, she made an appointment. If they requested the same markup on pale skin, she declined the offer. She knew a backhanded racist comment when she saw it.
She spent the next few hours working on the markup until it was perfect in her eyes. If the beak was too pointy, she corrected it. If the feathers weren’t just right, she softened them. If the colors were too loud, she added mixtures until they were muted.
Aaliyah wasn’t like other tattoo artists who could boast how many times they’ve made mistakes. Sure, she had plenty and they were all regretful, but she always corrected them the moment she saw it and never alerted the client about said mistake.
It was why Aaliyah was one of the primer tattoo artists in the nation. Her pieces were pricey but everyone could admit they were worth it. She didn’t just give perfection; she gave an experience.
Years of being denied the same perks and benefits as her lily-white counterparts didn’t dim Aaliyah’s star but rather, brightened it. She could’ve been bitter about everything and she had reason to. Instead, she channeled that energy into becoming the best. She would always have her detractors and haters, but success was always loud and never wrong.
“Ah…” Aaliyah sat back and admired her work. The hummingbird was the right shade of purple, black, and green against a soft pastel background. The clash of something with something soft made the tattoo stand out and become vibrant.
She would test the tattoo on her assistant, Katrina, and then snap a photo of it for the client. Then she would patiently wait as she worked on the next piece. Wash, rinse, and repeat.
Her cell phone suddenly rang and Aaliyah was startled by the interruption. She turned down her gospel music and glanced over at her phone. “Ocean,” she whispered under her breath.
Aaliyah purposely kept herself busy so she wouldn’t have to think about him nor stalk his social media pages. He only had the standard Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram like so many other politicians who wanted to stay connected but really couldn’t have cared less.
Now he was blowing up her phone at hours only reserved for liquor stores and open legs. She knew he worked late hours and politicking often went into the dead of night when most normal people would be asleep. Ocean was never one who had a set bedtime and rise, so Aaliyah wasn’t too surprised she received a phone call from him at midnight.
She was surprised why her heart was pounding out of her chest. “Hello?”
“Did I wake you?” His voice dripped with honey and sex.
Aaliyah cleared her throat and crossed her legs. The pounding in her heart went down to the vee of her sex upon hearing Ocean’s deep voice. “Actually, no. I just finished a piece I’m doing for a client. I’ll be going to be soon, though.”
“Are you sleepy?” He asked.
