1993
"Are you gonna do it forreal? Don't pussy out."Amaru looked over his shoulder at Damita in the backseat.
"I'm not scared."Damita replied in a breathy tone.
"I think you are. You just don't wanna admit it."Tee narrowed her eyes at Damita.
"Nobody asked you what you thought, Taniyah."Damita rolled her eyes.
"You don't have to do it if you don't want to baby. I'm perfectly fine with just getting your name."Amaru looked at her through the rear view mirror.
"I'm.not.scared."Damita spoke with annoyance.
"What's the problem then?"Mike asked. "You already got your nipple pierced. The tattoo ain't gone be different."
"It's just so...permanent. What if he messes up? What if it's ugly?"Damita sighed.
"He could always fix it. Cover ups exist."Mike explained to her.
"Ok. I guess that makes me feel better."Damita loosened up.
Finally, Amaru stopped the car as they arrived at the tattoo shop. "Y'all go head. Give us a moment."he turned the car off.
Their friends climbed out of the car and walked around to the side of the backseat where Damita was.
She turned so that her legs were outside of the car and she could see him.
"Calm down, baby."Amaru kissed her on the forehead. "You think too much."Amaru kissed her lips.
"You've been to him before?" Damita wrapped her arms around him.
"Yeah. He did all the ones you like, that's why I brought you here."Amaru smiled at her.
"Oh, I like them all Daddy."Damita bit her lip.
"Girl. Come on."Amaru shook his head.
They joined hands and walked into the shop.
"Baby, can you go first?"Damita gripped his arm, nervously.
"I thought we'd do it together. I'll hold your hand."Amaru replied.
"I think I've changed my location. I want it to be a surprise."Damita smiled widely.
"Ok. That's cool with me."Amaru shrugged.
The two of them sat down and waited for the next available tattoo artist. Taniyah was laying on the tattooing table with her shirt up.
She was getting a sankofa symbol on her lower back.
"Tee, does it hurt?"Damita asked with widened eyes.
"Kinda. It feels like a sting."Taniyah clenched her jaws.
"You next?"The other artist asked Damita.
Damita nervously looked back at Amaru. "Yes."
"Aight. Follow me."
She followed him to his section, at the back of the shop. "What you getting?"He asked as he replaced the needle on his tattoo gun.
"Uh. I'm getting two. I want the sankofa symbol on my wrist. You can do that one while I decide where I want to put the second one."Damita pulled up the sleeve on her shirt.
"What's the second one?"The artist grabbed her wrist and started to draw on it.
"My boyfriend's name."Damita started to smile.
