Page 34 of In the Safety's Zone
“I don’t but you’re right about me not saying no shit like that to someone else. Since I was an athlete and girls were always trying to shoot their shot. Especially the white girls. They were the majority of the women around me at my schools and they wanted to have that crazy ass Patrick and Brittney Mahomes kinda love. Only I ain’t a self-hating muthafucka and I don’t date women who can’t braid my hair properly and know the struggles of our people intimately.”
I gasped mockingly, which made him crack up. “Damn, I can’t braid for shit. Guess I’m out of the running.”
“I’ll teach your pretty ass whatever you needed to know.”
I was surprised at what he was implying because his hair was always so neat. “You braid your own hair?”
He ran a hand over the braids that I’d been intimately acquainted with as grips for my hands while my legs were over his shoulders.
“I used to rely on other folks to do it, but when I got put out of school folks showed their true colors. So I hopped on YouTube and made sure that even if I still didn’t have it like I used to, I wasn’t walking around looking like I was going through shit. The only lesson my mama ever taught me that I still listen to today is to never let a nigga or a bitch think they got one up on you. The second someone thinks they’re better than you, they never let you forget it. I wasn’t about to walk around looking homeless just cause I was.”
“Damn. That’s crazy.” I was getting irritated at these people I didn’t know but I hated the idea that they were out there mistreating him.
“Nah it’s what I deserved. But I’ve known your name was out there for a minute. I’m pretty sure your daddy was beating the people off with the butt of a shotgun.”
I sighed because things were about to get real. Instead of avoiding the odd conversation I pulled back the covers and settled in to tell him the entire ugly story.
“No. It’s actually not the kind of story that you think it is.”
He sat up in the bed like he was ready to slay whatever was about to come out of my mouth that was negative. “What you mean?”
I should’ve known since he put Leo’s employee in his place that Anthony had a touch of YN in him. He was the most zen YN out there but his craziness came out when necessary.
“My first everything was somebody I found out my father had basically paid to be with me.”
His head dipped, with his eyes closed and he motioned with his fingers in a come-here motion. “Wait. Run that back.”
I could only laugh at his shock but truly nothing about any of this was funny. “You heard me.”
His eyes were staring at me through the phone like he was gauging whether I was damaged by any of the things I was telling him.
“The only person I vaguely remember you being attached to was the tennis dude. The one whose elbow got shattered or whatever.”
“One and the same.”
He ran a hand down his face and I could see that he was trying to calm himself down. Anthony worked his neck from side to side before he nodded and took a deep breath. “I get the feeling I’m about to get pissed off.”
“It isn’t a pretty story.” I hadn’t talked about this with anyone mainly because the only people around me already knew and didn’t really care.
“Damn, I wish I could smoke a blunt right now. Aight, cool. Go ahead.” He nodded again and laid back down like it would help him keep his attitude in check.
“My father wasn’t too sure if I was going to be worth investing time in—”
He sat back up quick as hell causing me to laugh at how animated he was being. “Yo, I never want to meet this nigga, AP. Like the fact that he's not protecting you in any manner of your life and now he pulling shit like this? Unacceptable.”
“Few people like him so I’m not surprised you don’t either. But that’s the truth. He didn’t know if he should endorse me as a phenom and so he hung his hat on my ex, Chris Valentine. My father thought that, with my name being what it is and his last name being what it is the marketing would write itself. Chris got PR for being around our family and my father got a phenom to hang his hat on.”
“What the fuck did you get out of the deal?”
I barked a laugh because the situation was one that no longer actively bothered me so I could speak on it without getting too pissed off.
“Lied to, cheated on, and put down. Having the only two men you are around question your talent, work ethic and your ability to play really messes with your self-esteem. I went to my dad about it, but he didn’t mind. He agreed with Chris.”
“He not walking you down the aisle, AP. On God. My brother can do it.”
I laughed again because he was talking about it as if he had a ring in hand already. “Stop being silly, Anthony.”
“You can think I’m playing if you want to. Your daddy knew that a nigga was gone want some ass from his girlfriend and he was cool with that nigga playing around with you. That shit ain’t right. How much older was he than you?”
