Page 30 of Personal Foul
I almost hear a mocking tone underlining his voice when he says her name, but he recovers quickly. I don’t think he’d want to be disrespectful in front of me.
“I gotta go,” Isaac huffs, clearly not happy he has to leave.
“Hey, don’t worry, bud. I’ll be back again soon, and we can play.”
“You really mean it?” His eyes dart up to mine, raising his brow.
“Of course!” I nod, holding my fist out to him.
He briefly hesitates, as though he’s not quite sure he believes me. I get the feeling he’s been let down in the past, so while he wants to believe me, he doesn’t want to put too much faith in it.
“How often do you come here to play?”
“Tuesday through Thursday, usually when I get out of school.”
“All right then. If I don’t have practice or a game, it won’t be a problem. I’ll be sure to make it down here at least once a week, how about that?”
“Cool.” He grins, reaching for his bag. I follow beside him over to the basketball rack, putting ours away before joining Terri and Cheryl near the door.
“Hi, I’m Colson,” I greet Cheryl, holding my hand out toward her.
She eyes it for a second, not moving to shake it. I hate knowing this is the woman Isaac is leaving with.
Letting out an audible sigh, she reaches her hand out and gives me a handshake even more stiff than her suit. She forces a smile before dropping my hand, turning to look at Isaac.
“Do you have all your stuff? We have to go.”
Terri, standing next to her, visibly winces. I’m glad I’m not the only one concerned by how cold she seems.
“Yeah,” Isaac sighs dejectedly. Cheryl doesn’t bother to say anything else, turning to leave. Terri steps out of her way to hold the door open for her.
“I’ll see you next week, Isaac.”
He turns back, giving me a warm smile. “Thanks for shooting hoops with me, Colson. I’ll see you next week!”
“You got it, buddy!”
“Good luck against Cleveland, too!” He walks backward, giving me a thumbs-up before turning to catch up with Cheryl, who’s now five steps ahead of him.
Terri must read my mood, sensing what’s on my mind when she says, “He’s a good kid. He doesn’t deserve half of what he’s been handed in life. I can’t thank you enough for coming down here and spending time with the kids today. You have to know how much this means to them.”
“It’s no problem. I enjoy it, honestly. If you have time next week, I was thinking I could stop down, and we can go over other ways I can help out and get more involved.”
Terri’s eyes light up. “I would love that, and I know the kids certainly would love to see you here more, too.”
She reaches out, patting my arm, a satisfied smile beaming on her face. It reminds me of my mom the day I told her I was drafted into the NBA. Something about it makes me feel like this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
