Page 60 of In the Safety's Zone
With a quick glance at Aphrodite who hadn’t tried to fight me off or denounce my proclamation, the young woman nodded and beckoned for me to follow her. I could already see the hell that was waiting for me at the tunnel entrance. Her mother and father had the nerve to be standing there looking angry instead of concerned with her health. When the cameras got closer, they switched their dispositions to ones that were blank but still uncaring. Aphrodite looked like a mix of both of them but took on more of her mother’s features. But the coldness she exuded had skipped Phro, and I was thankful for it.
Her coach was trying to get people to back up and give us space to walk but of course they weren’t trying to pay her any attention. I was pissed because her father stood under the awning of the tunnel and watched as these people surrounded his daughter and offered her no protection. I was still trying to understand how I made it to her before he did. The lights were crazy especially combined with the sunlight and all the noise from the crowd. I could only imagine the type of footage that was going to come out from this but I was more worried about my baby.
Once we were under the awning and in the tunnel the press wasn’t allowed to go any further. But knowing how they were, I kept my mouth shut and continued to follow her coach into the locker room. The air was just as cool in here as it was outside, but I’m sure Aphrodite appreciated it after playing three sets of tennis. Even though she’d won in straight sets, she Illegal Constants had put up a good fight int he first one.
“Set her down here.”
Her coach seemed to care, but I still ain’t give a fuck about her based on how she’d acted when I met her the first time.
I nodded at her coach, and a man who looked like medical staff was already gloving up. One athlete to another I understood it was necessary but as I man I hated someone being so free touching her. I just wanted to make everybody leave so she could catch her breath but I knew this was part of the game.
“Aphrodite, where’s the pain?” I laid her gently on the table and she looked up for the first time.
I took a step back but she grabbed my hand and shook her head. “Don’t leave.”
I intertwined our fingers and gave her a nod. Whether she needed me as a buffer or if she needed me to calm her down, I was going to do whatever I could to have her feeling better.
“Tell the man where it hurts, AP. We still have to go out and collect your trophy even if I gotta wheel you out there myself.”
“You needed to play harder in that first match. I’m shocked she let you beat her so easily.”
I turned my head slowly to her father who hadn’t been bothered enough to see if his child was okay. His first words to her were to put her down. A man was sitting her checking on her injury and this bitch nigga was complaining.
Oh, he lucky I left my stick back in the States. That shit would’ve been ‘cross his fo’head by now.
I licked my lips my jaw tight as fuck when I addressed him. “You don’t have to be in here if you’re not going to be helpful.”
That was as diplomatic as I was gone be in this bitch so he needed to take my kindness for what it was. She squeezed my hand as if she appreciated my restraint and it was the only thing keeping me off his ass.
His nostrils flared and I knew he was gonna say something dumb as fuck. “I’m her father—”
“And right now you stressin’ her out. Me havin’ to address you like this is stressin’ her out but I’ll never let somebody disrespect her. I don’t care who it is. She just won her ninth major and you’re over here trying to critique her game? While she’s being treated for an injury? That shit can wait until she’s better and long after she’s enjoyed her moment.”
He stepped toward me and I angled my body to his cause I was waiting for the ho to swing. “Who do you think you are—”
“Ashe, you need to stop. We’ve got to see the press any second and the last thing we can do is do all of this discourse in the public. Calm down.” His wife was giving him good counsel but I knew he wasn’t going to take it. He might chill for now but it wasn’t going to last.
He nodded his head and then reached for her hand and it was strange the way her face lit up. Like she’d forgotten that he’d just been acting up with her child.
I watched as they walked out but couldn’t help but keep my eyes on them until they’d gone.
Another tug on my hand brought me back to my girl while the medic was looking over her thigh.
“I didn’t know you were coming.” She grimaced as I battled pushing this nigga off of her.
“That’s kind of the point of a surprise, AP.”
She rolled her eyes but she was happy despite the pain. “I could’ve gotten you—”
“You would’ve felt some kind of way playing with me around. I didn’t want that so I slipped in to watch you. You sounded down on the phone and I ain’t like that. Besides, I wanted to catch you plying while I could and see you wear this in person.” My hands went to the necklace at the hollow of her throat and she smiled for the first time.
“So you hopped a transatlantic flight to come see about me.” She was teasing but I needed her to understand that a flight was the least of the shit I would do for her.
“Yeah. I’m here ain’t I? How I look missing out on this?”
She rolled her eyes but I knew she loved what I was saying. “There are majors like every three months.”
“Yeah well still. It was important to you, you didn’t sound right, I came to watch you play.”
