The Owner of My Soul Vol 1: Chapter III and Chapter IV
CHAPTER III
STAYING ON TOP
The
next morning, Will and I drove to work, arriving on time. We went up to our
office and sat down.
“Want
a beer?” Will asked me.
“Fa
sho.” I replied. He tossed me a corona and some lime juice. “Iight, what’s on
our agenda today?” I started looking through my calendar. “What’s today?”
“Shit,
I’on know.” Will replied.
“Nevamind.
It’s Monday, 15 July 2107.” I looked
through the agenda. “Mid-month restock.”
“Restock.”
Will got on the computer to access the order forms. “It’s goin to be a long
day.”
“What’s
it lookin like?”
“Let’s
just say er’one needs something.”
“That’s
a good thing, bad thing scenario.” I stated. “Well, I have to be outta hea by
2. Gotta go to pick up Tierra.”
“Me
too. Karla’s teacher wants to talk to me.”
“Same
wit Tierra’s teacher.”
“I
guess we betta get to work so we can get up outta hea.”
We
got up and went up to Dad’s office. We knocked and entered. He was playin Kenny
G and drinkin a beer. Uncle Tevin was sitting in the chair with a black and
mild and corona.
“Gentlemen,
what can we do for you?” Dad asked.
“We
have the list of companies that need restock.” Will said.
“Wanna
know a secret, Kenny?” Dad asked me.
“Sure.”
“This
was the song that led to your conceiving. That’s pretty much why your mother
and I decided your name.”
“I’m
named Kenny after Kenny G?”
“Yep.”
Dad and Uncle Tevin started laughin.
“So
what’s it lookin like?” Uncle Tevin asked.
“Let’s
just say er’body needs something.” I replied.
“Sounds
lovely.” Dad said. “Well, go ahead and go down to inventory. Monitor them and
make sure the right orders are goin to the right places. Let’s avoid what
happened last month.”
“Yes,
sir.” Will said. “By the way, me and Kenny has to be outta hea by 2. I mean
we’ll come back, but we have to go up to Karla’s and Tierra’s day care.”
“Understandable.
Were y’all bringin em up hea?” Dad asked.
“Yea.”
I replied.
“Iight,
do what ya gotta do.” Uncle Tevin said.
“We’re
on it.”
We
went downstairs to inventory and began processing the orders.
1330
approached and we still weren’t done. We stopped everyone and gave them a break
until we got back. We left the building and went to the girls’ day care. They
had different teachers, so when we got into the building, Will went to the left
and I went to the right. I found the room and saw Tierra. She saw me and ran to
me.
“Daddy!”
She said, excited to see me. I picked her up and gave her a hug.
“Hey
princess. You been good today?”
“Always.”
Her
teacher approached me. She was a 25 year old, sexy, 5’6”, thick woman. She had
a beautiful smile and hair.
“Hi,
I’m Trisha Gregory.” She introduced herself.
“How
you doin? Kenny Johnson.” I replied.
“It’s
so nice to finally meet you. Your wife always came up here to pick her up, so I
neva got a chance to meet you.”
“I’m
sorry.”
“It’s
ok. I always wanted to meet you. I’m one of your biggest fans.”
“Thank
you. I always appreciate my fans.”
“Yes,
you do. Don’t think I called this meeting just to fulfill a dream.”
“That
thought neva entered my head.”
“Please,
have a seat and we’ll discuss this.”
“Thank
you.” I looked at Tierra. “Go ahead and play. Your teacher and I have to talk.”
She nodded.
I
kissed her and put her down. I sat in Trisha’s office. She closed the door and
sat at her desk.
“I
just want to start by saying that you have a wonderful daughter.”
“Thank
you.”
“She’s
one of a kind by far. She plays well with everyone, shares, helps out, always
smiling, and just a joy to have here. That’s what makes this so hard.”
“Ok.”
I said, a bit concerned.
“I
must admit, for an only child, she is more like anyone else that has brothers
and sisters.”
“I
can explain that. She’s my only child, but she’s constantly spending time with
her cousins.” I told her.
“That’s
right. Will’s daughter, Andre’s son, and Chris’s son are with her a lot. I
forgot about that. You know, the best thing about your daughter is the fact
that she’s very well behaved. She doesn’t do anything wrong, she has a great
deal of common sense, and is very bright.” She opened a file from her drawer.
“This is all of the work we did here.” She showed me the folder. I looked at
all the papers. “Your daughter is about to be 4 next month, right?”
“Yes,
ma’am.”
“Well,
I don’t know or never heard of a 4 year old that can write full
sentences. When I say write, I mean cursive. I know no 4 year old that
can count to 1000. I know no 4 year old that can identify the visible spectrum,
knows the alphabet forward and backward, and knows multiplication. When I say
multiplication, I mean….”
“23
x 6.” I said, interrupting her.
“Yes.
She knows her multiplication table like the back of her hand. She can identify
parts of a computer. Knows how to hook up certain things to a TV, knows all
types of spices, some I haven’t heard of. She can type 15 words per minute. She
knows how to use any type of remote, how to change batteries, how to start a
car, I mean, it’s like an infinite number of things she can do.” I smiled. “Mr.
Johnson…”
“Please,
call me Kenny.” She smiled in flattery.
“Kenny,
your daughter is so advanced, I’d suggest putting her in elementary school. To
be honest, she’s smart enough to go straight to high school, but we’ll wait on
that. I can’t say I’m surprised because look who her father is.” I smiled.
“What
grade?”
“That’s
up to the test. I just need your permission to test her.”
“Iight.
That’ll work.”
“May
I make a suggestion?”
“By
all means.”
“Put
her in a private school. Public schools would be too…”
“Reprocative?”
“Yeah,
exactly. A private school would really challenge your daughter.”
“I
agree completely.”
“That’s
all I have at the current moment. I can test her as early as tomorrow and give
you the results by the end of the day or call you as soon as I get them. Do you
have any questions for me?”
“Nah,
I’m good.”
“Ok.
I’m not sure if you have my number or not, but here’s my card. I’m available at
all times, so feel free to call me if you have questions, concerns, or
anything.”
“I
will.”
“Please,
keep up the good parenting. You should write a book.”
“I
do what I can.”
“Whateva
it is, it’s definitely working.”
“Thank
you.”
“No,
thank you.” We walked out her office.
“Tierra,
you ready to go?” I called.
“Yep.”
She replied.
“Bye,
Tierra.” Trisha said to her.
“Bye,
Ms. Gregory.” Tierra waved.
“It
was nice to meet you.” I said, shaking Trisha’s hand.
“Pleasure
was all mine. Don’t be a stranger, stop by and see me.”
“Definitely.
Have yourself a good day.”
“You
too.” I left her with one of my sexy smiles and left the room.
“You
have fun today, princess?” I asked Tierra.
“Yep.
Daddy, I have bad news.”
“What?”
“Your
team lost yesterday.”
“Yea,
I heard. Looks like I owe you something.” She nodded.
We
waited at the door for Will and Karla. They came around the corner and met us
at the door. We went to the car and back to the office. I stopped at the beauty
salon on our ground floor. I looked around and saw Nina. She approached me and
gave me a hug.
“Long
time no see.” She said.
“I
just saw you Thursday.” I stated.
“Feels
like a long time. What brings you to my shop?”
“My
daughter wants her nails done and micros.”
“Done
by when?”
“I’ll
be done by at least 1800, so somewhere around there.”
“That
gives me 3 hours to do that. How small she want em?”
“Ask
her everything. Talk to her like an adult, she’ll understand.” She gave me an
astranged look. She knelt down to talk to Tierra.
“What’s
your name, cutie?”
“Tierra
Annetta Johnson.”
“How
small or big do you want your braids?”
“About
the size of yours.”
“How
long?”
“To
my shoulders.” Nina stood back up and looked at me.
“Quite
a smart child on your hands.”
“You
have no idea.”
“I
don’t know if I could do it in 3 hours. These are pretty small.”
“I
have a grand that says you can.”
“If
you have a grand that says I can, then I think I can.”
“You’re
my girl.” I picked Tierra up. “Be good. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“I
will Daddy.” I kissed her.
“Love
you.”
“Love
you too.” I put her down.
“Take
care of my baby.” I told Nina.
“Get
yo fine ass outta hea. She gon be iight.” I smiled and left. I went upstairs
back to inventory.
“Iight,
gentlemen, let’s finish dis up so we can go home.” I said as the guys were
still on their break. “What order did we leave off on?”
“I
believe 23094582.” The foreman said, looking at his sheet.
“Good
deal.” I sat down to look at some of the papers. The foreman sat down with me.
“Sir,
I have a really big favor to ask of you.”
“Speak.”
“Is
there any possible way I can get a raise?” I raised my eyebrow.
“Getting
kinda greedy, aren’t we?”
“No,
sir, let me explain. As you know, I’m married with 4 kids. They’re takin most
of my income. I’m doin just fine with that, except now I have to pay child
support for a child that I didn’t know about. The system cut me badly, now I
pretty much can’t support my family.”
“How
much is the CS?”
“25.”
“Are
you serious? How much do you make a month?”
“26.”
“Damn.
How she gank you like that?”
“I
don’t know, but it’s killin me.”
“Definitely.”
I thought about it. “You’ve been workin hea fa a good 10 years, ri?”
“Yes,
sir.”
“How
long you been inventory?”
“8.”
“So
you know how everything works?”
“Yes,
sir.”
“Please,
no more sirs. You’re older than me. I should be sayin sir to you.”
“Please
don’t.” He laughed.
“Iight,
I tell you what I’ll do. How would you like to be in charge of all inventory?”
“But
that’s your job?”
“I
have 5 jobs in this company. I think I’ll be iight losin one.”
“So
you’re promoting me?”
“It’s
a big promotion, but also a big pay raise. You’re lookin at 7 figures a month.”
His eyes widened.
“I’ll
be honored to, sir.”
“Good.
I’ll start training you next week. I’d do it this week, but we have quite a
week ahead of us.”
“I
heard.”
“Understand,
you’re now in high management. You’ll have to be at all meetings, ensure your
employees are up to par and everything is operational. Don’t make me regret
doin it.”
“You
won’t be, sir. Do you have to run it by your father though?” I looked at him
and shook my head. “Thank you sir.”
“No
problem.” He stood up and went back to work. Dad paged me, wanting me to come
up. “Iight, y’all handle thangs, I’ll be back.” I went up to Dad’s office,
knocked once and walked in. “Wanted to see me, chief?”
“Kenny,
I have a proposition for you.”
“What’s
up?”
“How
many jobs did I drop on you?”
“Several.”
“Name
em.”
“I’m
head of R&D, head of production, finance, and employee pay.”
“You’re
forgetting inventory.”
“Well,
actually, I just gave that job to someone else.”
“Who?”
“The
foreman, Jon Hill.” He laughed.
“See,
that’s why I feel so confident in offering you this. I mean Jon Hill is very
overdue for a promotion. His rep is very impressive. He’s neva been late,
usually the last to leave. Inventory would be a wreck without him. Doesn’t make
good choices in his personal life, but at work he’s phenomenal. Definitely a
good call on that one, playa.”
“Thanks.”
“Here’s
my proposition. As you know, SJ Enterprise is a very structured corporation. We
are the largest and most dominant. Changes have occurred the past couple days.
The Board is goin to be divided. I’m still the President of Johnson Enterprise
and Tevin is still the President of Smith Enterprise. Your mother and aunt are
VPs. We have a very simple job. We ensure EVERYTHING is goin right and is top
notch. We don’t do much. We do take the most trips doin shows and expos. Will
is being offered the same thing as we speak, so I’m offering it to you.”
“What
exactly are you offerin?”
“How
would you like to be CEO of Johnson Enterprise and co-CEO of SJ Enterprise?”
“Are
you serious?” I couldn’t believe what was being offered.
“Shit
is goin so good, I feel it’s time to get you way up in the chain. Some of the
Board members disagree because of your age, but agree because of your business
practice. You’re a valuable asset to us.”
“I
don’t know what to say.”
“Being
CEO puts you on the floor under us. You have your own office, secretary,
anything you want. Don’t know if you noticed, but the view is beautiful way up
here.”
“That
it is. I mean what exactly would I be doin?”
“You
handle everything while we’re gon. I give you tasks, and you pass em down the
chain. You have the authority to do whateva you want not just here in this
building, but any SJ Enterprise company. That also makes you head of all your
brothas and sistas companies. They don’t know I made you CEO, but they’ll find
out soon.”
“You
want me to leave that up to you?” I asked him.
“You
can tell em if you want. I’m sure Latoya would be happy for ya even though that
makes you in charge of her law firm.”
“I’m
honored.”
“You
earned it. Starting tomorrow you’ll be moving to your new floor.”
“How
long were y’all deciding this?”
“To
be honest, we knew we were goin to do it for 2 months now. We just waited til
your office was about done.”
“Coo.”
I looked around and thought to myself.
“Look,
I know it’s a lot to take in, so give yourself the rest of the day off.”
“Now,
now…if you were in my position, you’d still press on with today’s tasks. I tend
to do so myself. I’m iight.”
“That’s
my soldier.”
“So
is there anything I need to sign or document?”
“Nah,
er’thang has been handled.”
“Iight.
Well, I’mma go down to R&D to check up on some thangs. I’ll holla at ya
lata.”
“No
doubt. Just to let ya know, your first meeting as CEO will be next Monday. You
know what, take the rest of this week off. Get in shape or whateva.”
“Iight.”
“Matta
fact, spend time with Tierra.”
“Fa
sho.” I walked up to Dad and hugged him. “Thank you.”
“Like
I said, you earned it.” He smiled and put his hand on my shoulder. “Don’t let
the pressure get to you. Just be yourself.”
“If
it’s one thing I handle well, it’s pressure.”
“That
you do.”
“I’m
out.” I walked out the office and down to R&D. Will was already down there.
“How long you been down hea?” I asked him.
“Few
minutes. How does it feel to be CEO?”
“I’on
know. Ask me next week.”
“Rest
of the week off, I don’t know what to do wit myself.”
“Me
neitha.” I looked at the board to see what our current project is. “This may
take a lil time.”
“Just
a lil.” Will started goin through the computer files to see what info we had so
far. “Iight, the processor has a slight kink on the main circuit line.”
“Fixable.”
We
went at it and played with the project til about 1845. We decided to call it
quits. I went downstairs to pick up Tierra. She was talking to Nina, laughing
and havin a good time. I walked in the shop and watched my baby girl run up to
me.
“Hey
princess.”I said to her.
“Hey
Daddy. You like?” She showed me her nails.
“Pretty.
You definitely have good taste.” I looked at her hair. “You look so adorable.”
Nina came up to me. “Don’t worry, I got you.” I put Tierra down and pulled a
roll of money out. “1…2…3, 4, 5…7…9…1000. Here’s a lil extra for doin such a
fabulous job.”
“Thank
you. You have a fine daughter there. I’d do it for free if the football game
weren’t Sunday. You’re a wonderful father.”
“I
appreciate it.”
“She
talks about you all the time. Y’all seem to have the perfect father-daughter
relationship.”
“I
believe so. Thank you though.”
“It’s
been my complete and deserved pleasure.” I smiled as she said that.
“See
ya next week, Nina.” I picked up Tierra and walked out the shop. “You have fun,
Netta?”
“Yep.”
“Hungry?”
“Yep.”
“What
ya want to eat?”
“Chinese
food.”
“Buffet?”
“Yep.”
“Call
yo momma and tell her to meet us at the Chinese Buffet.”
“Ok.”
I handed her my phone. She dialed the number and waited for Monique to pick up.
“Hey, Mommy.”
“Hey,
sweetie. What you doin?” Monique replied.
“Heading
to the car. Daddy just got off work.”
“Ok.
What can I do for you, pumpkin?”
“We’re
going to the Chinese Buffet and want you to meet us up there.”
“I’ll
be there. Are y’all heading there now?”
“Yep.”
“Iight,
I’ll see y’all there.”
“Ok,
love you, Mommy.”
“Love
you too. Bye, sweetie.”
“Bye
Mommy.” She hung up and handed my phone back to me. “She’ll be there.”
“Good.”
We got in the car. I saw Will and Karla ahead of us. “Wait here, sweetheart.” I
got out and approached Will. “We bout to go to Chinese Buffet.”
“Hol
up.” He stuck his head in the car. “Karla, you want Chinese food?” She nodded.
He pulled his head out the car. “Chinese it is.”
“See
ya dare.”
I
gave him dap and went back to my car. I headed straight to the restaurant. Will
followed me up there. We got out the car and went inside. I got a table for 6
and waited on Monique and Beyonce.
“You
talk to Chris?” Will asked me.
“Nah,
Wassup?”
“He
was talkin bout settin up a huge party afta they win on Sunday.”
“Works
fa me. We can go shoppin sometime this week.”
“How
many folk you think comin?”
“A
grip. We gon have the entire click, our family, Chris family, Dre family, Mo
and Be family, and friends. Dare gon be a mad grip of people.”
“So
a good grand of food.”
“At
the least. We gon have to go up to Sam’s.”
“Nah,
we sell bulk at Da Zone.” He corrected me.
“Good
point.” I agreed.
We
spotted Beyonce and Monique walking into the restaurant. I motioned to them to
let em know where we were. As Monique approached, I stood up, kissed her,
pulled out her chair and pushed it in afta she sat down.
“How
you doin baby?” I asked her.
“I’m
ok.” She kissed Tierra. “How’s my girl?”
“Fine.”
Tierra replied.
“I
love your hair. You look so adorable.”
“Thank
you.”
“Y’all
ready to eat?” I asked. Tierra nodded. “Cha’mon baby girl, let’s get you a
plate.”
She
followed me to the buffet and selected what she wanted. I got my plate too. We
pretty much had the same thangs. We sat down and waited on Monique.
“So how was work?” I asked her as she sat
down.
“Hectic.
I don’t think I have a complete grasp on this yet.”
“You’ll
get it.”
“Daddy’s
talkin bout takin a business trip next week with a fellow business partner.”
“Anyone
I know?”
“Some
representative from Hondora Fabrics.”
“Oh.”
“What
happened to you today?”
“Same-o,
same-o. Work, work, and promotion.”
“I’m
sorry, I didn’t catch that last one…did you say promotion?”
“Yep.
Will and I were promoted to CEO.”
“You’re
kidding.”
“Nope.
We have the rest of the week off. On Monday we are officially CEOs of SJ
Enterprise.”
“Oh
my god, baby, that’s amazing.”
“Yea.”
“Don’t
you feel that maybe your father is pushing you a lil too fast?”
“What
do you mean?”
“There’s
a lot of people that work at that company that’s been there before you were
born, yet, you and Will are named CEO at the tender age of 22. Don’t you think
that’s a bit fast?”
“Are
you sayin that I’m this high in the ranks cuz I’m his son?”
“No,
that’s not what I’m sayin. I’m just…”
“Let
me break this down for you. Will and I worked for everything that we got. We
worked hard to get in the NBA, to formulate a music career, to proshore a movie
career, and maintain a position in our fathers’ company. Frankly, we were
working harder at the tender age of 13 than more than 95% of the men in this
nation. We helped a great deal getting SJ Enterprise at the point it is now.
We’re not CEOs because of genetics. We’re CEOs because Dad and Uncle T feel
that no one in the world can take SJ Enterprise farther than we can.”
“I’m
sorry, Kenny, I didn’t mean to make you think that you don’t deserve it.”
I
started smiling, “I know baby, I’m just jerkin yo chain. Yea, I do feel that we
are movin a lil fast, but I’m on board all da way.” She looked at me and
couldn’t help but smile and shake her head.
“What
am I goin to do with you?”
“I
can think of a couple good ideas.” I started smiling. She smiled back at me.
“Not
in front of Tierra.”
“Of
course not, I’m clearly talkin bout a bedroom with doors locked type of
situation.”
“Kenny!”
“What?”
“You
are something else.” She said, shaking her head.
“I
know.” I agreed. I got up to get more food. Tierra followed me. “Still hungry,
squirt?”
“Just
want more chicken.” She said. I grabbed a plate for both of us. I had a full
meal on mine, but had chicken on hers. “Daddy, since you’re off for the rest of
the week, do I still have to go to day care?”
“What,
you don’t want to go to day care for the rest of the week?”
“I
could have more fun with you.”
“That
is true. Iight, you can stay wit me.”
We
went to go sit back down. Will was telling Monique and Beyonce about future
business plans relating to Da Zone. We were talkin bout makin changes and
everything.
A
couple hours later, we got home after talking and eating ice cream. I had
Tierra in my arms. She was knocked out. I lied her down in her bed and tucked
her in. Monique and I got ready for bed ourselves. We cuddled and started
talkin bout havin anotha baby. I was thinking bout it, but not really
completely set on it. I wanted to wait and see if Dad was right about my
future. I had a feeling turbulence was bout to hit. At first, I wasn’t sure
when, but now I know.
CHAPTER IV
CANDI & HONEY: OUR BREAKDOWN
Sunday
afternoon finally arrived. The day of the championship game. We decided to go
in a limo since Will and I knew we were goin to get drunk. We got to the
stadium at about a quarter til kick-off. We decided to sit in the luxury box
instead of the Dawg Pound. Pretty much the whole family was in the luxury box.
The first thing Will and I did was get two beers a piece, a 5th of
Courvoisier, and some hot wings. We then went to sit down with our daughters.
We then made a toast to each other on being CEO starting tomorrow.
“So
what did you do all week?” He asked me.
“Made
a few changes in the house. Tierra helped a lot. I turned the extra storage
room into her new office.”
“Office?
What does a 4 yr old girl need with an office?”
“That’s
where her computer is so she can do homework and play games. You know the whole
thing that kids do.”
“I see.”
“Did
a lil workout too.”
“Yea,
me too. My shot is a lil off. I missed two outta 60.”
“From
where?”
“3
point.”
“That’s
not good.”
“You
telling me.”
I
looked on the field as the game was bout to start. The Browns were kicking. As
we sat there, drinking beer, eating hot wings, watching football, and laughing
about life, Tierra and Karla were having an educational battle to see whom was
the smartest. I remember those days, Will and I used to do that. On and off,
we’d watch the game on TV to listen to the commentary:
“Cleveland ’s defense is looking good so far, preventing China
“Going
back to that last play, the quarterback was only a second away from making
probably a touchdown pass to his deep receiver, but Andre Thompson came in on
the rush to get his 20th sack of the tournament.”
“Han
is back to punt this away. It’s a high, deep kick. Thomas lets it bounce and China
“If
anything, China
“That’s
not the case as they have deep coverage, expecting a pass.”
“Cleveland
“They
look to be going deep. Browns snap the ball; it’s a handoff to Lopez; he breaks
a tackle and with tremendous speed, he’s in the open field. 40…45…50…he could
go all the way… TOUCHDOWN BROWNS!!!!!”
Will
and I got up and made anotha drink. All the people in the box were talking to
someone. We decided not to be rude and went to sit back down.
There
were :45 seconds left in the half. We had the ball on our own 27-yard line.
“I
better go down there now. Interviews are in order.” Yvonne said.
“We’ll
go with you.” All the women went down to the field, including the kids.
“:45
seconds left in the half and it may end with the score Cleveland
“That
last drive by China produced
65 yards on 19 plays because of Cleveland China
“You
have to wonder what the Browns are goin to do here. Chris Lopez has 195 yards
on the ground in the 1st half
on 5 carries. The last two plays were to the fullback, getting only one first
down. Whatever Cleveland
“Browns
come out the huddle in an I-formation; drops back to pass. The pass rush comes;
Hilton scrambles; launches down field…INTERCEPTION!!! The pass is intercepted
and he’s still running…10…5…TOUCHDOWN CHINA China
“That
pass was completely under thrown.”
“China
“China
“About
8 yds deep.”
“He
runs it out and look at the block.”
“He’s
gone, no one’s catching him.” The crowd goes wild.
“The
kicker to beat…40…30…20…and Chris Lopez will score a kick return TD for 108-yds
AND shifts the momentum back to the Browns.”
“Amazing
run. It was the block that set this up from the get go.”
“At
the half, the Cleveland Browns lead the China
“Thanks,
James, Andre Thompson and Chris Lopez here with me as they and their Browns are
in the lead 31-21. Chris that was an absolute amazing run at the end. Whom decided
to have you run?”
“That
was the coach. He knew they would kick it deep, so since I’m the fastest player
on the team, he wanted me to run it back.”
“You
now have 400 total yards in the first half. Do you think China
“Maybe
for a drive here and there, but more adjustments they make, the more we make.”
“Thank
you Chris and good luck in the second half.”
“Thank
you.”
“Andre,
4 sacks, 2 fumbles-forced, 1 recovered and an interception. What made it so
easy to predict their offense?”
“I
wish I knew. A lot of time I went on instinct.”
“You
have 12 tackles, you’ve pretty much stopped their running game single
handedly.”
“I
won’t say single handedly. We came in more numbers than they had blockers.
There were moments when I did expect the run, but not a lot.”
“Do
you expect China
“I
think they’ll mix it up more and try to keep us guessing.”
“Thank
you, Andre, good luck in the 2nd half.”
“Thank
you.” He kissed her and ran back to the locker room.
Will
and I drank in the booth, watching the halftime show. I looked around to see who
was still here. That’s when I locked eyes with someone I wasn’t expectin to
see. Candi. She walked up to me and sat next to me.
“I
was hopin I’d run into you again.” She said.
“Dreams
do come true, baby girl. I hate to disappoint.” I replied.
“You’re
lookin real good as usual.” She looked me up and down.
“Thank
you, I try. I love to look good.” I sipped my drank and tried my hardest not to
look at her titties.
“Look,
Kenny, I know the situation. I know you have a family, but its been a long time
since I’ve gotten anything worth my time. I’m not goin to BS you. I honestly
want to give you some of this sweetness.” I drank a lil more. “I know your
reputation and your skills. I really wanna see for myself just how good you
are. Trust me, I’m not an easy woman to please.” She touched my hand, then my
arm, my chest; let’s just say my whole upper body. “So wassup, you feelin dat?”
“Look,
I’m not goin to lie to you. You’re sexy as hell and had I met you 5 years ago,
you’d already been tamed by me. I love my family and I can’t…” She then cut me
off by kissing me. I couldn’t pull back. I kissed her back, moments away from
bangin her out right then and there. She pulled back. “Iight, when is it good
for you?” I asked her.
“Tomorrow,
tonight…I don’t care. Just show up. My address is on the card I gave you.”
“I’ll
see you prolly tomorrow. I’ll call befo I come.”
“I’ll
be ready.” We kissed again. My senses started goin off.
“I’ll
call you. My wife is comin now.”
“Don’t
disappoint me.” She kissed me again.
“I
don’t know how.” I told her. I kissed her again as she was getting up. I
watched her walk away as I wiped the lipstick off my lips. I looked to my right
and saw Honey leaving. Will was also wiping his mouth.
“Couldn’t
resist?” I asked him.
“Don’t
know what came over me.” He replied.
“That’s
one ass I’m goin to destroy.”
“You’re
telling me.” I then heard Tierra callin me as she ran to me.
“Daddy,
I’m hungry.”
“Here’s
$20, get whateva you want.” I told her.
“Thank
you.” The second half was about to begin.
4th
quarter, 1:35 left. The score was tied 52-52.
“1:35 remaining in the game and what
a second half it has been for the China
“You
have to admit, a lot of calls have been made in their favor.”
“Especially
the main turning point: the 75-yd pass interference that was clearly an
interception by Cleveland
“Even
the challenge showed no pass interference, but it was not turned.”
“Following
that was a defensive holding on Andre Thompson that resulted in a touchdown.”
“Not
to mention the crucial blow of a fumble after Don Simms was down.”
“That
resulted in the drive that tied the game.”
“China China
“I
think they should attempt the field goal. Let the clock run down as long as
possible and attempt the field goal right before the play clock expires.”
“It
looks like that’s exactly what they’re goin to do. Dragons form up for a field
goal. Play clock running. Ball is snapped……………it’s a fake; a long pass to
Chin……TOUCHDOWN CHINA
“Beautiful
play by the Dragons. The Browns have to score a touchdown to send this thing to
overtime.”
“Listen
to this crowd as they boo.”
“At
the same time, they don’t think this game is over.”
“Millions
here in attendance, billions watching back at home, if you know the Browns,
then you know this game is not over.”
“Had
no idea this game would be this close. No wonder Tierra picked em last week.” I
said to Will. “This will definitely come down to the wire.”
“We’ll
score and go for the two.” He predicted.
“I
believe so. :57 seconds to go, I think they’ll still run the ball.”
“Fa
sho.”
“China Jackson
“Baby?”
Monique called. “What are we doin afta the game?”
“Party
at our house, remember?”
“Just
makin sure. How many people were comin?”
“I’on
know, a couple hundred I guess.”
“What
if we lose?”
“We’re
not goin to lose.” I told her.
“1st
and 10 on the 23; Lopez in the backfield; ball is snapped; handed off to Lopez;
he has some daylight; gains 20 before running out of bounds. 1st and
10 at the 43 with :36 seconds remaining.”
“It
looks as Cleveland
“2nd
play of the drive and its anotha handoff to Lopez. He has a huge gap in the
front line and a lot of open field. He’s taken down, but the refs claim he’s
not out of bounds.”
“This
will hurt the Browns. A 30-yd gain, but with that BS call, they will lose a lot
of time.”
“The
Browns line up and spike the ball with :7 seconds remaining. Ball on the 27 yd
line and the Browns are running out of options.”
“They’re
goin to throw the ball. They have no choice.”
“It
looks that way as they form up in a shotgun. Andre Thompson is in the game for
extra pass protection.”
“We’ve
seen him in passing situations like this during the playoffs last season.”
“The
ball is snapped………Lopez catches it.”
“It’s
a run.”
“Andre
Thompson in front to block.”
“Time
has expired.”
“He
may not make it. 4 Dragon defenders hits him; he’s still goin; TOUCHDOWN
LOPEZ!!! What a play! What a run!”
“This
game is goin to overtime.”
“Au
contraire, offense is staying in and ready to win this game now.”
“This
type of decision can make or break a coach’s career.”
“The
crowd is on their feet. The absolute last play of the game. The undisputed
champion will be crowned right after this play.”
“Andre
Thompson is in the game again. Lopez is in the backfield; ball snapped; handed
off to Lopez; he jumps over the pile and HE’S IN FOR THE CONVERSION!!! THE
BROWNS WIN !!!!” Will and I nodded and smiled. “60-59, the Browns
are world champions. Yvonne Thompson is once again on the field live with the
MVP of the tournament and defensive MVP of the tournament.”
“Thank
you, James, I’m standing here with Andre Thompson and Chris Lopez. Chris is
joined with his wife, Latoya, and son, Damion. Once again, you’re the hero in a
game that was exciting from start to finish. You manage to once again break all
sorts of records, how do you do it?”
“I’m
gifted. That’s all I can say. I owe that last drive to this man for all the
block. We stayed in the game and came out with the victory.”
“You’ve
almost singlely had 1500 total yards in one game. Did the momentum and
adrenaline ever leave you?”
“I
stayed pumped all game. When defense was on the field, I had Mike, Sim, D, all
up on me, keeping me pumped. I didn’t really keep track of my yards. I just
wanted to win.”
“Speaking
of defense, Andre, you came out with a career high 24 sacks.”
“I
give thanks to the frontline. They made the holes and I went through them.”
“You’re
joined by our son, Jermaine, how does it feel to give him an experience like
this.”
“It’s
one of life’s precious moments. He’s neva been out to something like this and
to come home and win the world championship in front of the home crowd in
dramatic fashion is what we live for. Me and Chris pumped the team up and it
was an all out team effort today as it is every game.”
“I
mean,” Chris jumped in, “when it comes down to it, we have to thank two
individuals in particular for making all this happen and that’s Kenny Johnson
and Will Smith. If they didn’t push us so hard when we were kids, we wouldn’t
be here today.” Will and I weren’t
expecting that. “Chris, Andre, congratulations on your win and an
outstanding performance all tournament long. We look forward to seeing you
during the season.”
“Thank
you.”
“James
back to you in the booth.” Before the cameras changed, Yvonne and Andre kissed
in front of the world. So unprofessional.
“Well, time to go get our party on.” I stood up and
finished my drink. “L’eggo, Tierra.” I called Monique since she was down on the
field. “Will and I are headed to the house. We have the girls, so we’ll see you
there.”
“That’s
fine baby, love you.”
“Love
you too.” I hung up wit her and headed to the car. No one left the stadium yet
so traffic was very light. We all rode together so Monique and Beyonce could
get home. We got to the house and immediately started BBQ. Tierra and Karla
were in their playhouse in the backyard. Dad and Uncle Tevin came back wit us.
“Let
me give y’all a hand.” Dad said.
“Tell
Tierra to make that sauce again.” Uncle Tevin said.
“Good
idea.” I agreed. “Tierra?” She ran to me. “You wanna make sauce again?” She
nodded. “Iight, cha’mon. You too, Karla, you can help.”
I
led em into the kitchen and got all the ingredients. I came back outside with a
cooler full of beer. I threw some meat on the grill just as Chris and Dre came
home. We congratulated them and gave em a beer. They sat down and we talked. As
time went by, more people showed: My family, Will’s family, Mo and Beyonce’s
family, Chris’s family, Andre’s family, the rest of the click, and other
friends. There was a good 200 people in the crib easily. The click, Will, Uncle
Tevin, Dad, Chris, Dre, and myself were all outside. The kids were playing in
the grass.
“Dad,
you still own the Browns, right?” I asked.
“Yea,
me and Tevin own the Browns, Cavs and Indians.”
“How
much extra do all the players get for winning championships?”
“50
for national, 100 for world.” Millions of course.
“That’s
what I like.” Chris said. “When are we goin to talk about a contract extension?
Mine is up at the end of this coming season.”
“We
can do that now.” Uncle Tevin stated. “How long?”
“10
years.”
“Yea,
me too.” Andre agreed.
“Umm,
a billion should do it.” Uncle Tevin said.
“You
rush for 100,000 yards, I’ll give you an extra billion. Andre if you get 1000
sacks, I’ll give you an extra billion.” Dad said.
“Where
do we sign?” Andre asked.
“Come
by the office tomorrow.” Uncle Tevin said. “Football season is just around the
corner. Y’all rest up as much as possible. The preseason will be light this
year. We already know y’all are in shape.”
“Fa
sho.” Dad agreed. He looked at me and Will. “I’m upset that KJ and Terrell are
on Cincinnati
“We
won’t.” Will said.
Night
fell. Everyone ate and was now drinking. We were still outside.
“I’m
sayin, doh, if we wanted to, we could start our own business.” Andre said to
Chris.
“Yea,
we could, but of what?” Chris asked.
“Just
don’t do anything to compete against us. We really value our friendship.” Will
suggested.
“Matta
fact, we dare you to go against us.” I said.
“Nah,
I don’t think we’ll go down that route just yet.” Chris said.
“Don’t
blame you. It’s suicide.” Will said.
I
looked into the house and saw Monique. She was laughing, looking so sexy. I
smiled until I saw someone else behind her. They were real close. He had his
hand on her side and looked to be kissing her neck. She wasn’t movin away or
anything, just seemed to be enjoying it.
“What
the hell?” I said, softly.
Will
looked at me and then into the house. We both witnessed my wife doing
inappropriate things.
“What
the hell?” Will repeated. I blinked a few times.
“Am
I really seeing this shit?” I asked Will. Will noticed the look on my face as I
got up and walked into the house.
“Shit,
somethins bout to go down.”
He
jumped up afta me, so did everyone else. I walked up to the guy and stuck him
in the jaw immediately. He fell to the ground. Everyone pulled me back. I tried
to get more hits in, but was being held back by Dad, Uncle Tevin, Will, Chris
and Dre.
“I’m
iight.” I said, calmly. I looked at the guy. He got up holding his jaw,
bleeding from the mouth.
“What
the hell is yo problem?” He yelled. I smiled.
“My
bad, I completely overreacted.” I wiped my face and sighed. “Please.”
I
offered my hand and walked towards him. When I got close enough, I hit him
again, again, again, and again before being pulled off.
“What’s
wrong with you Kenny?” Monique asked.
“What’s
wrong with me? I advise you to get him outta hea now!” Trey and Troy
“No.
I’m not goin anywhere.” I raised my eyebrows.
“Maybe
you ain’t quite heard me. You and I are bout to go in the CR and talk.”
“Maybe
you ain’t quite hear me. I said no. You’ve obviously lost your mind.”
Everyone
looked at us as we argued with each other. Chris leaned towards Latoya.
“I
don’t really think that was a good idea for her to reject him at this time.”
Chris told Toya.
“It’s
not too often I see Kenny this upset.” Toya replied.
“I
only see him that upset when he’s bout to whoop some ass.”
“Monique,
I’m goin to ask you nicely one last time before I really get pissed.” I took
deep breaths and put a smile on my face. “Baby, could you accompany me to the Conference
Room?”
“No.
I don’t want to talk to you.” She started walking away.
“Ok.”
I said with a smile still on my face.
I
walked away from her. With eyes still on me, I picked up the closest recliner I
came to and threw it out the window.
“You,
me in the CR, NOW!!!!” I yelled.
Scared
out her wits, she walked into the conference room. I slammed the door.
“Explain that!” I demanded.
“Explain
what?”
“Shawty,
don’t be playin stupid wit me all of a sudden. You have his smell all ova you.”
“What?”
“I
saw you DON’T FUCKIN LIE TO ME!!!! YOU WERE LETTING HIM KISS ALL OVA YOU!!!!”
“He
wasn’t kissing me.”
“I
can peep game, I’m the one that invented the shit. You don’t think I noticed
that shit. He had his hand on your hip ready to dip when you dip. He had his
crotch all up on yo ass and was kissing your mothafuckin neck.”
“Baby,
you know me. You know I’d neva do that. I’m married to you. I wouldn’t do that
to you. Please believe me.” She walked up to me and wrapped her arms around me.
“I’m sorry, I should have had him keep his distance, but I’d neva let him kiss
me. I didn’t even notice he was that close. I didn’t feel him touching me.
Honestly.”
“You’re
right.”
“Come
on, baby, I love you and only you. You’re everything to me. I wouldn’t do
something like that.”
“Maybe
I overreacted a lil. My bad. You’re right.” I looked into her eyes. “Except
that hickie on your neck kinda gives you away.” I said softly.
I
turned around, walked out the room, and left the house. Will chased me down and
got in the car wit me.
“You
iight?” I didn’t say anything. “Me neitha. Me and Beyonce just had a lil
scuffle.”
“About
what?”
“Why
she didn’t keep him off her.”
“Good
question. What was her response?”
“She
wasn’t around.”
“Well,
where was she?” I asked.
“Don’t
know, but her hair was wild and she was seating. Need I say more?”
“Not
another word.”
“So
what we goin to do now?”
“I
just need someone to talk to.”
“Me
too.” I called Candi. “Whoa, you know the last thing they want to do is talk.”
“They’ll
listen. Trust me.” Candi picked up. “Listen, Candi, I know I talked about doin
something wit you, but now’s not the time. I really need someone to talk to and
I’m kinda hopin you’d be that person.”
“I
understand.” She replied. “If you need someone to talk to, I’d be honored if
you come to me.”
“Is
Honey there?”
“Yea,
is Will with you?”
“Yea.
We’re on our way now.”
“I’ll
be waiting.”
“Iight
den, it’s on.” I hung up wit her and started the car. “Just to talk.” I
repeated.
“Just
to talk.” Will said.
Will
and I both knew we weren’t just going to talk. Countless times we been in this
very situation when we needed someone to talk to. It always ended the same way.
I think this is the first time we really did want to just talk but made the bad
choice of choosing these two particular listeners. After all, they made it
quite clear what they wanted.
I
drove over to her house off Lakeshore. We got out the car, went up the stairs
and knocked on the door. Candi answered the door in a bathrobe.
“You
got here faster than I thought. Have a seat on the couch while I get dressed.”
We walked in and sat down. “Will, you’re free to go in Honey’s room. She’s
waiting for you in there.”
“Thanks.”
He knocked on her door and walked in, closing it after.
“I’ll
be just a minute.”
“Iight,
take your time.”
I
looked at the magazine on the coffee table. I was on the cover. I turned to the
page that she had bookmarked and started reading:
Straight
out of middle school, Kenneth Johnson was goin to be heading to the NBA. He
made his mark in high school, filling stadiums nationwide. Teams were ready to
draft him right then and there. His high school numbers were amazing, averaging
37 pts per game and a quadruple-double: Points, steals, assists, and rebounds.
Kenny’s skills extended into the NBA, continuing his domination in the pros as
he did in high school. Kenny and Will both have a lifelong winning streak,
never losing a game since they began the sport. Kenny’s talents doesn’t stop at
basketball. He’s also dominated the box office, Billboard charts, and business.
Will Smith and Kenny Johnson have been the duo of the box office, topping the
charts with 8 movies. The movie that probably made their career was the world
renowned Cross Fire that grossed $9 billion in its first weekend. Total, it
made $680 trillion and sold 10 trillion DMDs worldwide. Next…
Candi
came out her room in a t-shirt and shorts. She sat next to me.
“Are
you ok?” She asked me.
“Not
really. Me and my wife just had a big fight.” She looked at my hand.
“Oh
my god.”
“Yea.”
“When
you said fight, I didn’t think you meant that literally.”
“Nah,
I didn’t hit her. We were fighting over the guy I fought.”
“What
happened?”
“Iight,
there was a party afta the game at my house. While we were outside, she was in
the house wit some guy. Dis nigga was behind her, hand on her hip and kissing
her neck. I saw it, went in da house and clocked his ass.”
“What
did she do?”
“Played
stupid like I didn’t see it. Then she tried to get all sappy and shit saying
how she’d neva do something like that.”
“Did
she make it believable?”
“Yea,
it all made sense why she wouldn’t do it.”
“But
you couldn’t believe her?”
“No
way in hell. She had a damn hickie on her neck that prevented that from
happening.”
“Awww,
I’m sorry. Isn’t there a chance maybe you could of did that?”
“I
thought about that, then I realized I neva gave a hickie in my life. I don’t
suck necks like a damn vampire. That’s not sexy to me.” She started laughing.
“What the hell is so funny?”
“I’m
sorry, Kenny.” She kept laughing. “You said you don’t suck necks like a vampire
and I just found that funny.”
“Why?”
“You
and Will played vampires in Blood Hunt.” I thought about that and laughed
myself.
“Man,
I forgot about that movie.”
“You’d
be the only one.”
“That
laugh is what I needed though.”
“So
what are you goin to do? Are you goin to go back home?”
“I’m
not sure. I know one thing, I’m not goin to talk about this no mo. So tell me
about yourself.”
“Uh
oh, not me.” She said in a shy tone.
“Yes,
you. Where are you originally from?”
“I
was born right here in Cleveland
“Any
siblings?”
“Nah.
My mother died while pregnant with my brother.”
“Sorry
to hear that. How did she die?”
“My
father killed her.”
“Ouch.
Must have been rough.”
“Kinda.
I had foster parents after my father was arrested.”
“What
were they like?”
“I
love them. They were this middle class family that didn’t let anything bother
them. Then they wanted to move to the east.”
“East Cleveland
“No,
New York City
“Can’t
say I’ve been through what you’ve been through.”
“Not
many can. At the same time, I can’t say I’ve been through the work you’ve been
through.”
“I
work hard, but neva struggled.”
“Where
are my manners? Do you want something to drink?”
“Sure.”
“You
like red wine, right?”
“Yea.”
“I
got some.” She got up and poured two glasses of wine. She came back and gave me
a glass.
“So
you don’t have a man?”
“I’ve
had one for a couple years, and then we broke up.”
“His
fault?”
“Nah,
I broke up wit him. I felt he deserved better. He was too perfect, ya know. I
loved him and he loved me, he proposed to me and I couldn’t do it.”
“Hmmm.
Now you’re back on the prowl.”
“Single
life is the good life. Less drama, less responsibility, less everything.”
I
didn’t think nothing of it, but the entire time she talked about her previous
relationship, she had an unsettling posture. Like she was lying to me or hiding
something. Like I said, thought nothing of it.
“I
know what you mean.” I took a sip of the wine. I then drank the entire glass.
“That’s what’s good.”
“I
knew you’d like it.” I started to feel different. I blinked about a thousand
times in 3 seconds. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes. “You ok?”
“Fine.”
“You
know, I’m glad you called me.”
“Me
too.” I saw her starting to take off her clothes. “No, I can’t.”
“You
know you want to.”
She
got on top of me and started kissing me. I wanted to fight back, but couldn’t.
It was like my body had a mind of its own. I ended up grabbing her, kissing
her, ready to give her what she wanted. We took my clothes off and went at it.
The
next morning, I woke up and looked down at Candi lying on my chest. I shook my
head, upset with myself. I got up from under her and got dressed. I was bout to
knock on Honey’s door, but Will came out. We snuck out the house and went to
the car.
“What
did we just do?” Will asked me.
“Adultery.
Next question.”
“How
did we let that happen?”
“I
don’t know.” I drove home and we snuck into the house.
“We’ll
talk later.” Will whispered to me. I looked around and noticed that 6 guest
rooms were occupied. “Looks like some people were too drunk to make it home.”
“I
guess so.”
I
went up to my floor. I got in my room and saw Monique sleep. It looked like she
cried herself to sleep. I went into Tierra’s room. She was also sleep. I kissed
Tierra and tucked her in. I took a shower and got dressed for work. Will met me
downstairs. At that time, Uncle Tevin and Dad also came downstairs.
“Too
drunk to make it home.” Dad said.
“Understandable.”
I said.
Will
and I got in the car and drove downtown. Dad and Uncle Tevin showed us to our
new office. I noticed only my name on the door. It was gorgeous. I had a big
screen TV with surround speakers, a bowling alley, and lil basketball goal.
“Just
be able to determine play and work.” Uncle Tevin said.
“No
problem there.” I then looked around. “There’s only one desk though.”
“Well,
there are times when you and Will are separated.” Dad said.
“This
is one of those times. You are the CEO of Johnson Corporation. Will is the CEO
of Smith Corporation. His office is perpendicular to yours.” Uncle Tevin
pointed out the window. “We had a bridge built to his office.” He opened the
door to the bridge that led to Will’s office. “Good thing about this bridge is
that it’s temperature controlled. If it’s hot outside, it’s cool in here. If
it’s cold out, it’s warm in here.”
“That’s
tight.” I said.
“Enjoy.
Will, let’s go to your office.” Dad said.
They
walked on the bridge and to his office. I stayed in mine and just looked
around. I sat at my desk that had a flat screen 22” computer monitor on it, a laptop
on the corner, a digital calendar, a phone, remotes to the TV and presentation
screen, and writing utensils. My cell phone started to ring.
“What?”
I said, being Monique on the other end.
“Baby,
I need to see you.”
“Come
to the office.”
“I’ll
be there in 5.” I hung up the phone.
I
took the time to think of what I was goin to tell her. I then thought about it
some more. It takes a lot longer than 5 minutes to get here. Unless she was
already on her way. When I left, she was sleep though. Hmmmm! 5 minutes passed
and sho nuff, she was downstairs. The lobby secretary called me.
“Sir,
your wife is here.” She said.
“Send
her up.” I then called my secretary. “Baby girl, my wife is on her way up. When
she gets here, send her right in.”
“Will
do, Mr. Johnson.”
“Thank
you.” I went to the window and looked at my beautiful city. I heard Monique
come in. I didn’t look at her.
“I
know you really don’t want to see me.” She began. “I understand why you didn’t
come home last night.”
“So
how long have y’all been working together?”
“How’d
you know that?”
“Just
answer the question.”
“9
months.”
“Is
he your partner in these new projects?”
“Yes.”
“Meaning
every time you go out of town, he will be right with you.”
“Yes.”
“You
allowed him to do what he did in our own house, how do you expect me to react
to the fact that you will be on business trips out of town and alone?”
“Not
too good. Baby, I’m sorry that it happened, but there were no way things would
get too far out of hand. I swear to you I’d neva cheat on you. We were messing
around, just a lil drunk, and things got out of hand. He was playin the entire
time. He didn’t realize he gave me a hickie. He wasn’t tryin to.” She started
crying. “Please don’t be mad at me anymore. It won’t happen again.” Considering
what I did last night, my right to be mad at her has been renigged. I turned
around, walked to her and hugged her.
“I
forgive you.”
“I
neva got a chance to tell you last night, but Daddy is having us go to Houston
“Is
that why you were 5 minutes away?”
“Yes.”
“Ok.”
“I’ll
be gone for only 3 days. I already took Tierra to daycare, you have to pick her
up though.”
“Iight.”
“I
still have 20 mins before I have to be at the airport.” I read her mind. We
started kissing, lied down on the couch and I gave her the best goodbye gift in
the world.
“Daddy
is goin to be on this business trip with us.” Monique said as she dressed
herself.
“I
ain’t worried bout it. Do you know your string of business trips?”
“Houston Seattle next Monday, Atlanta
next Wednesday, Miami Cleveland
“Sounds
like fun.”
“Since
you’re CEO, when’s your next business trip?”
“Don’t
have any at the current month.” I told her.
“Well,
you and Tierra can have plenty of time together.”
“No
one said I was complaining. I can care less. This is for future reference.”
“I
have to go, baby. I’ll call you when I get to Houston
She
kissed me and left. I buttoned my shirt and went to my desk. I looked at the
calendar and marked all her days of business trips down. From what she told me,
she’s goin to be in D.C. for Tierra’s birthday. That’s not good. I put a memo
in my calendar so I’d talk to her about it when she came back from Houston
When
I got off work, Will and I went to the daycare to pick up Tierra and Karla.
While in there, Tierra’s sexy teacher wanted to talk to me.
“Good
afternoon, Mr. Johnson.” Ms. Gregory said to me.
“Good
afternoon.” I replied.
“The
reason I wanted to talk to you is since you had Tierra at home all last week, I
tested her today to see what grade to put her in.”
“Iight.
What’s the damage?”
“Like
I said, she’s smart enough to be in high school. College if she applied
herself. I had to do this based on her personality and physical features. I’d
put her in the 4th considering how tall she is. Maybe even the
fifth. If you start there and go down to the Cleveland Private Institution,
they will determine everything else.”
“CPI?
Don’t they decide what private school to actually put her in?”
“Yes.
They are just down the street from us.”
“I
definitely will do that.”
“I
must say, it will be sad to no longer have Tierra in my class, but I must do
what I think is best for all my students.”
“I
understand. I’ll bring her here every once in a while.”
“I’d
appreciate that. If you need me for anything, I’m here. I’ll even baby-sit if
needed.”
“I’ll
definitely keep that in mind.” I stood up. “It’s been real nice seeing you
again.”
“Et
tu, monsieur Johnson.”
“Merci
beaucoup. Au revoir.”
“Au
revoir.” I picked up Tierra and we left.
I
put her in her car seat and waited on Will. Few minutes later, him and Karla
came out. He put her in her car seat and got in.
“My
bad, her teacher wanted to talk.” Will said.
“I’ve
only been waitin for like 2 minutes. Ms. Gregory wanted to talk to me.”
“Private
schools?”
“Yea.”
I started the car and drove home.
I
carried my sleeping daughter to her room. I undressed her and tucked her in,
kissing her before I left. My phone rang.
“What
up?” I replied.
“Kenny,
it’s Candi, I need to talk to you.”
“Candi,
I really don’t wanna see you now. I don’t know what happened last night, but it
won’t ever happen again.”
“Please,
Kenny, I need to see you.” I thought about it for a few seconds.
“Iight,
I’m on my way.” I hung up and left my room. I stopped at Latoya’s floor. I
knocked on the door. She answered.
“Kenny,
what’s up?”
“Tierra
is sleeping upstairs. Can you keep an eye on her while I do somethin real
quick?”
“Sure,
but I can’t really go up there right now. I’m cooking.”
“Turn
your monitor to channel 4.7. That’s her room. If she wakes and needs somethin,
call her room and tell her to come to you. She knows how.”
“Ok.”
“Thanks
sis.” I kissed her. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Take
your time.” I smiled and left. I jumped in the car and went to see what Candi
wanted. When I got there, I knocked on her door, thinking why I’m here. She
answered it and let me in.
“Kenny,
I want to apologize for last night. I didn’t mean for things to go to that
level.” I couldn’t help but smell the beautiful aroma she had.
“What
is that?”
“My
new air freshener. Do you like?”
“Love
it.”
“Please,
sit down.” I sat down in the middle of the couch. I started to feel like I did
last night. “No, somethins not right.” I tried getting up, but couldn’t. She
once again got on top of me.
“I
really enjoyed last night.”
“So
did I.” I said, being honest.
“I
want to do it again.”
“So
do I.” Once again being honest.
“Let’s
do it again.”
“Lets.”
I wanted to say hell no, but couldn’t. We ended up doin it again, again, and
again. It was 3 when I left. I looked at my phone and noticed Monique called. I
called her back.
“Baby,
I’m in Houston Cleveland Phoenix
“Well
the part that I care about is the fact that you’ll be gone for Tierra’s
birthday next Saturday.”
“I
know. I tried to change this, but Daddy couldn’t set a deal with the cities or
find someone to replace me. I’ll have to make it up to Tierra when I get back.”
“Good
luck with that.”
“Will
you be able to handle everything while I’m gone.”
“Of
course. I got this. I just won’t be able to handle the broken heart of our
daughter for the second year.”
“I
know, Tierra will kill me, but like I said, I’m goin to make it up to her.”
“You
can try.” I told her.
“Why
are you so worried about it?”
“Come
on, Mo, it’s our daughter’s birthday. You missed last year and now you’re goin
to miss this year. Who wouldn’t be worried about it? Our daughter is goin to be
pissed and asking me where you are and why you’re not here to celebrate her
birthday for the second consecutive year. Like I said, you’ll have to live with
it and you’ll have to pay the consequences. So, if you think you’ll make Tierra
forgive you, good luck. But it’s not goin to be easy.”
“Ok.
Well, I have to get up early in the morning. I’ll call you later, ok?”
“Iight.”
“I
love you.”
“Love
you too.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
I
hung up and got in the car. I drove home and went straight to Tierra’s room.
She was still sleep. I got in the bed with her and wrapped my arm around her. I
fell asleep minutes later.
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