Unfinished

Connected

I think my tattoos created a lot of who I am. They gave me confidence, they're apart of me being belle. Most of them held a symbolic meaning, creating this canvas of art showing how I felt in life..this chapter isn't about just the tattoos themselves.. it's more about the tattoo artist. Y'all ready?

2012

I had already had one tattoo on my shoulder, some Marilyn Monroe quote. It was so badly done it faded within the next month and then the guy disappeared completely.. so I needed a new tattoo artist. Everyone kept telling me about this man in Harlem.. I had never been uptown in Harlem unless it was for the bank so I was fucking skeptical. I don't even know how I found out how to contact him.. I think my sister in law ( at that time ) gave me his number or something and he told me come through. Mind you I didn't know this man from a hole in the wall and I was alone. I was extra nervous walking up the stairs to the apartment where the shop was in.. I knocked and realized the peep hole had a fucking camera in it, I'm like .. what the fuck? What is this. My 15 year old mind couldn't handle all this shit. I knocked on the door & a random black guy opened the door.. I'm like this doesn't look like the picture I seen.. who the Fuck is this and what's going on? As I continue to walk this silly ass gonna pop out from a corner with some fucking animal In his hand. I was over it early. I screamed and ran back to the door.. he laughed and Introduced his self. We're just gonna call him D, I'm fucking screaming. Okay back to what I was saying .. he looked so much better in person, he was tall with long flowing hair that would've made great fucking bundles! He was clearly some type of West Indian, he had different posters of bob Marley and everything else going on. Being there by myself had me nervous. I waited for what had to be hours..

When it was finally my turn I walked in there and I guess his girlfriend ( idk who she was ) was just sitting there ready to watch me get a tattoo and to be honest I really didn't mind cause I didn't know this man anyway... he did my tattoo which was my mothers name widely stretched on my chest and I went about my day.. I didn't think everything that happened later would ever happen.

When I went to get my second tattoo, ( a gun made out of flowers) I was 16, I hadn't seen D in a year, we didn't have much communication with each other either. That day was a long one. His shop was always packed with people waiting for tattoos or smoking or doing something else and it was annoying because I always liked to be in and out of places. When it finally came to me and my turn the shop had kind of cleared out. Honestly let me just skip right to it, I don't know how we ended up having sex. I think he was high. Most likely he was, I was with it though. I wanted to see what grown dick was hitting for, and boyyyyy was it hitting ! The shit was hitting so good that I got my tattoo, paid and went back and waited in the waiting room until everyone was done so I could get more dick. You couldn't tell me I wasn't grown at this point. Later that night he tattooed a bird and diamond on my inner hip. Till this day I don't know why. Ima go with me being a bird and my pussy being the diamond. * Kanye shrug *

Me & D talked about a lot though. Beyond our jokes he told me a lot about his self. Originally he was a twin but his twin died, he dedicated half of his body to him, which is why he only has tattoos on one side. He told me what made him go into the tattoo business and how he hated working for people, he felt like I was mature for my age and I was. I liked being around him, besides the sex the conversation is what kept our friendship so cool. I could tell him anything and he'd reply honestly and give me some weird ass advice which usually involved sarcasm and a pun. As I got older he did too, as I changed he did too. It's really cool growing with someone, seeing them after not seeing them in a long time and still clicking. I'd spend hours at his shop just chilling, sitting in on other people's tattoos & laughing. It was cool vibes.

Eventually his shop changed locations, ill never forget I traveled to him to get Cleo's name tattooed, and ended up staying there longer than usual because I had spent the night. When I woke up my great grandma was in the hospital and I was a two hour train ride away.. I couldn't even make it. She eventually died while I was still there. Till this day it's my biggest regret. I felt so stupid, I was so hurt and had to deal with that pain on the inside because I didn't wanna be emotional in front every one else who was there but I was beating my self up on the inside. I blamed myself for being there and not in the hospital.

Death eventually hit D in the form of his sister.. when I seen him after he wasn't the same. Emotionally he was checked out, he was playful but not as playful. He had the realist conversation with me for the first time with no joke, he poured out how he felt. He was grieving and you could see it, you could see he was hurt, and I think that's the worst pain, seeing someone who's always happy finally be broken.. the person you thought was invincible, that shit is wack. I wanted to like hug him and never let him go. 2016 had hit us both early.

Till this day I have like a bucket full of love for him. One of my dearest friends. Thank you for being there for me through my worst and best years. Tattoos tell a story and they tell ours. You've been there from Kayden, to my nana , to giving Cleo her first tattoo. This ink and love bonds us forever man.