Page 17 of Watercolors
Aaliyah blinked at the information. At first, she was annoyed, and then she realized how much she liked it. “Yes.”
~~~~~
Ximena was everything Ocean thought she would be – passionate about justice and equality, said all of the right things, and was well versed in every topic as if she was a personal encyclopedia. She appeared to be the perfect woman on his arm.
Ocean was terribly bored with her.
Her answers were spectacularly rehearsed. She had the perfect counter to any argument. She giggled at his lame-ass jokes full of corn and she made sure to show plenty of teeth. She would’ve been the perfect Miss America contestant.
He didn’t want to spend his night talking about whatever policy was in place. He couldn’t have given two flying fucks to the wind about what the opposition party was doing. He didn’t want to give more thought about DACA, illegal immigrants, gay rights, women’s rights, Black Lives Matter, and whatever else was going on in the world when he just wanted to enjoy a symphony.
And yet, that’s all Ximena wanted to talk about. She put on a smile in front of the cameras and waved to all of the right people. When they were seated, she was quiet and tried to snuggle against him and Ocean allowed it for the sake of not making a scene.
He also knew it was the last time he would ever interact with her.
She was okay looking and Ocean couldn’t take that away from her. But she was incredibly drab and Ocean knew it was about to be one long-ass night if he didn’t try to makeherentertaining.
They took the standard photos in front of the opera house and made sure all of the important people saw them. They then took their seats in the front row and Ocean conversed with other guests while Ximena checked her makeup.
“Ocean,” a smiling Senator Jay Edwards approached him with his wife, Jessica. They were branded as America’s favorite couple with endless comparisons to the Kennedys and Camelot. “Pleasure to see you here.”
“Jay,” Ocean shook the older man’s hand and kissed his wife’s cheek. “Pleasure to see you and Jessica here tonight.”
Jay glanced down at Ximena, who stood up next to Ocean. “And you brought a guest.” He smiled. “This is…?”
“Ximena Montez, daughter of Ricardo Montez.” She introduced herself before Ocean had a chance to. “And you are Senator Jay Edwards, Republican out of Orange County, California.”
“I see the lady has done her research.” Jay nodded down to her. “Lovely. I hope you are enjoying your evening thus far. I need to borrow Ocean for a moment.” He grabbed Ocean by his elbow and led him to a private corner. “So, you’re going to explain to me why Lupe and not Lupita is here tonight?” Jay asked.
Ocean didn’t want to acknowledge Jay’s racist remark. “I think we both know why Ximena is here instead of Aaliyah.”
“Your father likes to insert himself into shit that doesn’t concern him. He will be a problem in the future. If you want another term, she won’t work.” Jay glanced behind him to see his wife engaged in a conversation with Ximena. His wife was a natural charmer. “Your approval rating shot through the roof on the pics of you and Aaliyah. Black men will vote for you again in the next election because of your daddy and they love Soul. Black women will vote for you because you just proved you’re about Black Lives Matter in the sheets as well. You need to keep that momentum.”
“I’m not trying to date my ex for approval ratings,” Ocean said in a low, angry voice. “I don’t give a damn about what the public thinks.”
“But you care about what a certain member of your family thinks, yes? If you want another term, you need to get rid of Conchita.” Jay’s eyes cut to Ocean. “They don’t care if you have a Latina wife if you’re not Latino yourself.”
“I thought I needed the Latino vote?” Ocean asked. “What’s the truth here?”
“Latinos are naturally conservative and will vote Republican, even if it’s against their best interests. They don’t care how Republicans fuck over other races as long as theirs is not being affected.”
Jay was a senior senator and considered a quiet expert in voting patterns. He’d successfully predicted the last several elections and advised his party to campaign in certain areas to ensure victory. His record of accomplishment was unmatched.
He was also a hardline Republican who never waivered on his stances, no matter who he offended. It was both infuriating and charming. “DACA?” Ocean replied.
“And they’ll still vote Republican.” Jay answered. “Not all Latinos are for illegal immigration. In fact, those who came over the legal way do not care for those who are hop, skipping, and jumping over the damn border. Unless you plan on marrying Selena Gomez over there, the voters are going to have a short-term memory in four years and I need eight to get into the White House.”
“You never told me why you’re so interested in the White House,” Ocean met Jay’s threat. “Why should I care about your plans?”
“Remember that school you wanted that’s currently being built or did you forget about that? I can always halt construction and you get to tell the wonderful residents of Watts, Willowbrook, Compton, and the rest of South L.A.’s poorest who campaigned on your behalf why you just fucked them over.” Jay smiled like he won the lottery. “You gave a cute speech to the reporters about the illegal immigrants being held in detention centers here. I, for one, don’t give a fuck if they’re kicked like soccer balls back over the goddamn border.” Jay stepped closer to Ocean and whispered in his ear. “Get rid of her tonight.”
~~~~~~
“What a lovely and fun night!” Ximena exclaimed as they entered the limo. “I had a lot of fun. Did you, Ocean?”
Ocean had the most fun when it was quiet and he could enjoy the symphony. Between Ximena’s campaigning to be his wife and Jay’s threat that he better not, Ocean’s heart was in Atlanta while his mind was somewhere in Bel-Air.
He wondered what Aaliyah was doing, and if she had a good, productive day at the shop. He wished she went with him and knew she would’ve had a great time. She was versatile like that – she could be at ease at a Kendrick Lamar concert with the same fluidity she would enjoy the ballet.
