Page 26 of Until the Ink Dries

A small smile played on his face as he chuckled. “You play too much, man. What do you wanna eat?”

“That chili dog you had from Scottie’s looked pretty good. And I could go for another slushie from the bar.”

“A’ight.”

He made a left turn and took us to the lot where the food truck was located. It was almost time for her to close and we got there just in time. Of course, Scotlynn fussed at Benjamin for abusing his privilege as one of her favorite customers, but did so with a smile. While she fixed our food, I ordered my slushie and sipped it while we waited.

Benjamin stepped off to the side to make a phone call. From the gentleness of his voice, I could tell that he was talking to his daughter. He smiled a little, and I heard him sayI love you too, princess.There was something so sexy about a man being a good father. My daddy was my hero, so if he was anything like Willard Dawson, I know his daughter was loved.

He came back over just as Scotlynn called for our order.

“Don’t try that shit again, Benjamin,” she said, handing him the bag.

“Remember that the next time you and Danica want drunk tattoos when I’m closing up shop.”

She laughed. “Let’s not be hasty. Y’all have a good night. I put a little something extra in there for you.”

“‘Preciate it.”

We said our goodbyes before hopping in the car to head to his place. I was confused when he pulled around the back of the tattoo parlor.

“I have an apartment upstairs,” he said, noticing my furrowed brows.

“Well, that’s convenient.”

“It is. Come on.”

We climbed out of the car and I followed him through the back door and up a set of stairs. When he opened the door, my eyes widened at just how beautiful the place was. It had this industrial feel with lots of brick walls and exposed piping and big open windows that let in tons of natural lighting.

The living room was warm and inviting, with shades of brown and black. Separating the living and dining spaces was a floor to ceiling metal structure that was decorated with framed drawings I assumed from his daughter. Off to the side was a nice sized kitchen outfitted with a large island with seating, natural wood counters and beautiful open shelving.

Evidence of a child being present was all throughout the space. Everything from toys, to shoes, to aRaya and the Last Dragonplacemat at the island. I wanted to look around his space for pictures of his little girl, but I thought better of it. I smiled as I took a seat at the bar.

“You know, even at my big age, I still love a good Disney movie,” I said, tapping the placemat.

“I love it until I’m hearing it in my sleep. She loves that damn movie.”

“How old is your daughter?”

“Five,” he answered, sliding on a stool next to me.

“What’s her name?”

“Charlie, short for Charlotte.”

“I love that. I didn’t want to just roam around your space, but can I see a picture of her?”

He pulled out his phone and pressed the side button before turning it to me. I smiled at the most adorable picture of a beautiful little girl grinning big, with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her cheek plastered to his.

“She is precious! Look at all that hair!”

He beamed with pride as he dispersed our food. “That’s my baby. My heart in human form.”

“I just know you have her spoiled.”

“I might overdo it just a little bit.”

I waved him off. “If you are anything like my father, you overdo ita lot. That man loves me down. Makes me wonder how the hell—” I stopped. “Nope. I’m not gonna get on my soapbox right now. This isn’t about me.”

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