Page 98 of In the Safety's Zone
“You been doing a lot of shit that makes me proud. What, I’m supposed to just chill and hate?” He looked at me incredulously making me smile.
“Never that.”
“Damn right. So, what we finna buy?” Antwan rubbed his hands together in anticipation of having a reason to spend money.
“Buy?”
“Yeah, millionaire ass nigga what we ‘bout to buy? You got a contract with the team to make you a seven figga nigga and you want to sit at the house? I swear your ass hung around Silas for too fucking long. You out here being old as shit. Probably listening to jazz and wanting to smoke a pipe and shit.” This fool’s face was balled up like he couldn’t believe I was trying to be responsible.
“Everybody can’t be young and turnt like you. Besides, I’m focused on getting my shit together. There’s plenty of time later for fun. And my ass got enough of that at LSU.”
Choo lifted his brows contemplating my words before he nodded his understanding. “You told your girl?”
“I’ll tell her when I see her. She already thinks I have some type of complex about money with her. My having more of it and getting this contract might make shit weird. Besides, she’s at practice right now so I’ll run her a bath to help her relax before I share the good news.”
“Do you?”
I looked at him feeling like I’d missed part of the conversation. “Do I what?”
“Have a complex remedial ass nigga keep up!”
How this nigga had me laughing while he was insulting me was a talent only Choo possessed.
“Nah. I mean I know she got more money than me and it don’t affect how I feel about her. I like AP for who she is, not what she’s got. You know Jill would probably say she was just with me to play around but I try to keep all of that negativity out of my brain.”
“It’s hard sometimes, though.”
He spoke from experience and I knew those issues with Jill still fucked with him like they did me.
“It is. But thankfully I got people around me who remind me that I’m worthy so I choose to keep their words closer to my heart than the ones that would tear me down.”
“That’s real shit. Talking to that megachurch nigga has been good for you, but we still gone figure out a way for you to blow some cash.”
“I’ll cash out on this house and my girl. That’s all I need.”
He lifted his glass as he nodded his approval. “I’ll drink to that.”
I looked down at the phone trying to understand why this number was on my screen. I let it go to voicemail hoping that whatever they wanted would be left with the digital gatekeeper but luck wasn’t on my side. There was too much going on today for me to be putting up with bullshit, but I knew that the calls would only get more and more incessant if I didn’t pick up. That was the issue with the guilt I still carried and hadn’t been able to absolve myself of: always doing what they wanted because I felt obligated. That feeling had waned over the years but never fully dissipated.
I knew this call was going to ruin the good mood that talking to my brother had given me. I told him the news about my potential contract and he wanted to go out and celebrate.
I reminded myself of all I had and I prayed that this call wouldn’t fuck up the happiness I’d finally found. Resigned, I picked up the phone and put it on speaker.
“Yeah?”
I went about my business, continuing to pack my bag mentally going through my checklist so that I didn’t forget anything I needed. We had an away pre-season game this week and my mind had been focused on that. My last day with Aphrodite before her tournament would be the night I got back and I hated that we didn’t have more time together.
“Damn, is that how you greet your mother right now? I haven’t heard from you in a good minute but you acting real put out to be talking to me. You ain’t called to check on me or nothing.”
“Had a lot going on.”
My mother was annoyed about how I spoke to her but she couldn’t even tell me hello. I touched the gold initials on my bag and thought about Phro before I went back to packing.
“Yeah, I see your face and shit all over the place. With that lil scraggly girl. You doing like your brother and trying to getthese uppity-ass women like you too good for the girls back here or sum.” Her talking shit about Aphrodite and Rye was expected but it still pissed me off.
“Back there? What you think I’m gone go searching for something when everything I ever wanted walks in the door? I’d be a fool to miss out on something good to satisfy some strange idea I never had.”
“Oh, so I guess them girls you were messing with all this time were just pass arounds?”
