A family reunion brought our family to Houston, Texas in July of 1996 from my hometown of Fresno. Born in El Paso, Texas and having lived a great deal of childhood in the heart of the state, July was a common month for heat and I knew it. A summer’s heat as bearable as a root canal.
We’d arrived and noticed the music was thick; mountains of R&B and Hip-Hop station flooded the airwaves. There were no words to articulate the feeling of love my soul felt (that‘s what soul music does to me). Once we were in pursuit of the family reunion, driving from our hotel, ‘If You Girl Only Knew’ came on the radio. “I can’t believe this song,” I said to myself. The beat was hypnotic, the harmonies were impeccable, the singer’s voice? An alto[ed] perfection. When the song completed and the announcer said it was Aaliyah! “You have to be kidding me” thinking, “Not the ‘Back and Forth’ girl.” From then on she had a faithful fan.
Fast forward to August 25, 2001, just weeks prior to the attack on September 11, I was in a three month relationship for the wrong reasons. We were talking at the time, the TV was muted, flashes of Aaliyah came across the screen and my eyes continued to pivot to the news’s special report while we were in conversation. After giving the TV its volume we’d found Aaliyah died in a plane crash after shooting the music video to ‘Rock the Boat.’ It was a defining moment, I ended the relationship immediately. Before this relationship I’d never been one who used another and didn’t intend to keep company based on the assets. Because I was being taken care of, I’d given the relationship attention. A needy attention not a commitment focus. No cheating was involved but it seriously would have been in upgrade. Sometimes the reason to maintain a union because of what’s given, is as sinister as any act of infidelity.
My ex and I are still friend, in fact, we’re going to meet for the first time since 2001, hopefully sometime next month. Her legacy educated me. A vehicle of preserving truth and honor. By the devastation of her death I became more important than the person I was becoming; a self-serving, egotistic bastard with no regard for my fellow man. Therefore, I remember Aaliyah on this day and provide appreciation to Christ, even eight years later, honoring Aaliyah by remaining true to my own legacy and hers alike.
We’d arrived and noticed the music was thick; mountains of R&B and Hip-Hop station flooded the airwaves. There were no words to articulate the feeling of love my soul felt (that‘s what soul music does to me). Once we were in pursuit of the family reunion, driving from our hotel, ‘If You Girl Only Knew’ came on the radio. “I can’t believe this song,” I said to myself. The beat was hypnotic, the harmonies were impeccable, the singer’s voice? An alto[ed] perfection. When the song completed and the announcer said it was Aaliyah! “You have to be kidding me” thinking, “Not the ‘Back and Forth’ girl.” From then on she had a faithful fan.
Fast forward to August 25, 2001, just weeks prior to the attack on September 11, I was in a three month relationship for the wrong reasons. We were talking at the time, the TV was muted, flashes of Aaliyah came across the screen and my eyes continued to pivot to the news’s special report while we were in conversation. After giving the TV its volume we’d found Aaliyah died in a plane crash after shooting the music video to ‘Rock the Boat.’ It was a defining moment, I ended the relationship immediately. Before this relationship I’d never been one who used another and didn’t intend to keep company based on the assets. Because I was being taken care of, I’d given the relationship attention. A needy attention not a commitment focus. No cheating was involved but it seriously would have been in upgrade. Sometimes the reason to maintain a union because of what’s given, is as sinister as any act of infidelity.My ex and I are still friend, in fact, we’re going to meet for the first time since 2001, hopefully sometime next month. Her legacy educated me. A vehicle of preserving truth and honor. By the devastation of her death I became more important than the person I was becoming; a self-serving, egotistic bastard with no regard for my fellow man. Therefore, I remember Aaliyah on this day and provide appreciation to Christ, even eight years later, honoring Aaliyah by remaining true to my own legacy and hers alike.
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