Fourteen
“Eli!” Aaliyah greeted him with a hug. “It’s been a long time, no see.”
“You know, I had to stop by and see my favorite tattoo artist!” He smiled back. He looked around at the shop and pretended he didn’t see the cameras. Filming his own reality show, Eli was used to the cameras following him everywhere.
As a close friend and executive producer of Aaliyah’s reality show, the visit was also part business. He had to make sure everything was running correctly and there were no issues. It was Eli’s first time producing a show not directly connected with his, so he wanted to make sure everything was perfect.
“So, let me take a look at this tattoo here,” Eli peeled off his shirt, revealing a white tank top underneath. He stuck out his arm and showcased the Faith tattoo. It had begun to fade just a little.
Eli went back and forth on whether he would cover it up when things were very acrimonious with his ex-wife, the name of said tattoo. Things were better between them and he decided it needed to be refreshed.
“So what did you want to do with it?” Aaliyah traced the tattoo with her fingertips. “Did you want the same? Shadowing? Some leafs? Hearts?”
“Hearts?” Eli replied with a low chuckle. “I think that might be a bit too feminine for me.”
“What did you have in mind?” Aaliyah motioned to the chair and Eli promptly sat down in it. “We can do a whole lot with it.”
“I want it to be meaningful. I mean, yeah, it’s my ex’s name, but she’s more than my ex, you know? She was my true love, the mother of my children, and I want to honor her in that way.” Eli took out a piece of paper and had his children handprints on it. “Something like this with these around it?”
“Ah, I like that.” Aaliyah retrieved the sketch of the handprints. “Let me work on these real quick and I’ll get back to you real quick.” She waited for the cameramen to yell cut. She pulled out the sketch already produced prior to Eli’s arrival and he’d already approved of the sketch and loved it. It was a discussion they had prior to him getting touched up but the viewers at home wouldn’t know that.
The magic of TV, Aaliyah shook her head. All she had to do was convince someone she drew a sketch that took a few hours in just a few minutes. No wonder everyone felt they could do anything a well-known personality could do. TV and the Internet really jacked up many people’s perceptions of what was real.
“Are you ready, Liyah?” A camera man asked.
“Yep, I’m ready.” She answered.
“And five…four…three….two…one…go!” He pointed towards her.
“So, I just finished this sketch of Eli’s children’s handprints and I’m going to see if he likes it.” She spoke to no one in particular. She walked over to Eli. “What do you think?”
“That is so dope!” Eli acted for the cameras. “Alrighty!” He clapped his hands. “I’m ready! Let’s get to it.”
“Let’s go!”
The sketch took over four hours but in T.V. time, it only took a few minutes. While Aaliyah tattooed Eli, they caught up on everything from current hip-hop music to TV shows to the current White House administration.
Naturally, the topic turned to her and Ocean. “So, what’s going on with you and that senator?” He asked. “A thing? A fling? Nothing?”
“Ah, I like that.” She giggled as she pressed the ink against his forearm. “We’re close and that’s about it. I don’t want to reveal too much but I don’t want to jinx anything that could be. So, we’re just close.”
After the fundraiser, Aaliyah flew back to Atlanta and continued filming and working in her shop. News of her appearance with Ocean made a few waves but most people were talking about how Ocean delivered Lyric.
Aaliyah didn’t want to take the attention away from the family so she didn’t wear her ring and kept it hidden in a floor safe at her home. She felt weird wearing a ring when they hadn’t even publicly announced they were dating, if people still did such a thing.
She also wanted to get advice from her father before she started any type of wedding planning again. She didn’t want to go through that disaster a second time. The last time was comparable to a Category Five storm and that was more than plenty for Aaliyah to bear.
“Fair enough.” He replied as he looked at her. Her face seemed lighter and not as stressful. She seemed a lot more carefree. “You seem a lot happier, though. Probably the happiest I’ve seen you in a long while.”
“Yeah, that’s what everyone keeps telling me.” She replied. Her voice was soothing like warm tea. “Like I’m so happy.”
“But you’re not?” Eli asked. “I work with a lot of women and I can tell when a woman is in love. You guys got that aura about you that can’t be mistaken for anything else.”
“All it takes is the right man, I suppose,” she cooed, “all it takes is the right one.”
“And is he?” Eli asked. “C’mon, you can keep it real with me. We’ve known each other for several years now.”
“He’s the right one for me,” Aaliyah concentrated on the tattoo. “The question is if I’m the right one for him?”
