The Owner of My Soul Vol 2: Chapter 10 and Chapter 11
CHAPTER 10
THE BASKETBALL LEGACY: CONTINUES OR
ENDS?
It’s
been 10 months since that night we killed Kyle and Ray. Candace and Sydney both
gave birth to twins 4 months ago, dating April 21st. If that wasn’t
odd enough, they were fraternal twins, one boy and one girl. Looked a lot alike
I must say. Will and Candace named their son Will Jr and their daughter,
Jasmine. Sydney and I named our son, Kenny Jr, and our daughter Sinclair. We’re
now at the ending of the basketball season. The NBA Finals, Game 7, live in Cleveland , Ohio
“Tonight’s the night where the best team in the world
will be crowned. Hello basketball fans and welcome to NBA Primetime. I’m Roger
Hicks.”
“And I’m Franklin Morris and before we get into
tonight’s game, let’s take you through the first 6.”
“The tone was set early in this one. It’s been a very
strange series, but Game 1 was the game that really brought us to this point.”
“Exactly. For those of you that don’t remember, in the
3rd quarter of game 1, Kenny Johnson was ejected after starting a
fight with his own brother KJ and his brother-in-law, Lorenzo. All the players were ejected, but the league
suspended Kenny for the next 5 games, Lorenzo for 3, and KJ for 4.”
“Will had to take over for the Cavaliers and with
great help from his supporting cast, they were able to sneak away with the win
in Game 1, 125-123.”
“Game 2 was a pure Will Smith show as he hit a record
25 3-pointers to gain a 2-0 lead in the series. The Cavs won that game
134-112.”
“But here is when it gets ugly. In Game 3, Will and Terrell
get into it. Will ends up being the one with the Technical, he argues with the
ref, and gets thrown out the game.”
“Terrell and Alonzo also led their team to a 129-100
victory. After the game, Will really gets himself in trouble with this
statement.”
“It’s
an intense game and I really deserve that tech. The thing I don’t understand is
why am I the only one that got one. That’s what I was tryin to ask the ref and
the lil motha----- threw me out the game. The refs f----- up this game and was
callin a lot of bullsh--. I wanted to knock his a—out fa that.”
“That comment got Will fined $500,000 and suspended
for two games. In Game 4, Lorenzo came back and the trio pounced over the Will
and Kenny less Cavaliers, with the most lopsided victory in history. 137-82.”
“Game 5 welcomed back KJ to destroy the Cavaliers a
lot more. Breaking the previous record for a lopsided victory and also causing
the Cavs to suffer their worse lost in franchise history. The Bear Claws
crushed the Cavs 145-58.”
“Game 6 was the absolute best game in NBA history.
Kenny and Will came back in the lineup and put on a show. Kenny hit 19
3-pointers in regulation and Will hit 20. This game went to quadruple overtime.
This game set the record for most points scored and the longest game ever.
Clocked in at 5 hours and 20 mins and you have to believe that no one wanted this
game to end.”
“That’s right. The Bear Claws with a chance to end the
series and go home with a title, leading 3-2. But Kenny and Will were just too
much. They win this one an astonishing 309-300.”
“Now in that type of game, you’d think both teams lack
defense. The thing is, this game pits the #1 versus the #2 defensive teams in
the league. That’s how good they are. They’re able to score against a good
defense which made this game so great. Look at the number of steals, blocks and
turnovers. It was just a very fast paced game.”
“Which tied the series 3-3 and brings us to Game 7
that will determine the championship. Who do you like in this game?”
“I have to go with the Bear Claws. They have more
weapons then the Cavaliers and will find a way to shut the best duo in the
world down. Will and Kenny will get there’s, but the goal is to make them not
get so much. I think KJ and Terrell will find a way to do that.”
“I have to disagree and go with the Cavaliers. Kenny
and Will are going to still be hot from last game and will remain that way
tonight. They’re goin to show the world not to count them as underdogs.”
“It will be a very close game and will come down to
the final seconds.”
“Definitely, I’m predicting at least a triple
overtime.”
1445:
5 hours till game time.
Will
and I were in the conference room discussing our game plan. Tierra, Kendal,
Karla, and Wesley were playing together.
“The
odds are really against us.” Will stated. “I’m sorry to say, but I don’t like
our chances.”
“I
have to agree with you.” I sat back in my chair. “We just need an edge. With
the four of them in the game, it’s goin to be hard to win. I mean, we can take
KJ and Terrell, but that leaves Zo and Zo.”
“And
a zone defense wouldn’t work because all that does is force them to take outside
shots which they can hit.”
“Maybe
that’s our only way. The only way we’d be able to win this is to shut down
their internal game and minimize their perimeter shooting.”
“You
may be right, but we can’t cover everyone.”
“You’re
right about that, but the team can hold down some of the best scorers. I think
they’ll be able to make quite an impact.” At that moment, there was a knock on
the door. “Come in.” I yelled. Sydney
“Candace
and I are about to go to the store to get some food, baby wipes, and diapers.
Did you want anything?” She asked.
“Nah,
I’m good, thanks.”
“Iight.
The twins are sleep so listen for them.”
“I
will.” I turned my baby monitor on.
“May
I go with you?” Tierra asked.
“Me
too.” Kendal followed. Suddenly, all four of them wanted to go. Sydney
“If
y’all hurry up.” She told them. They all ran out the room and got ready to go. Sydney
“I’ll
try not to.” I told her. “My perfect career is on the line tonight.”
“You’ll
do wonderful, baby. You always do and so do Will. You just have to keep in mind
that you two are the absolute best basketball players of ALL time. KJ, Terrell, Lorenzo, and Alonzo are also
great basketball players. The numbers are just too much in their favor. As
great as y’all are, you can’t shut down 4 players by yourself. If you win
tonight, you’re proving to the world that y’all are unbeatable. IF you lose,
you’re proving that it takes 4 outstanding players to end the greatest legacy
in the world. Either way, nothing will affect the outcome of your future.”
“Which
is what?”
“No
matter what, you WILL be in the hall of fame and among the 100 greatest
players. The same category as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Larry
Bird, Magic Johnson….all the players you’ve looked up to since you were born.”
I
smiled. “You’re right, baby.”
“I
know I am. Just play your game the way you always do. That way you’ll know that
there was nothing you could do to change destiny.” She kissed me. “I’ll be back
in a minute.” I nodded and kissed her. She got up and left. I looked at Will.
“What
do you think?” I asked him.
“Don’t
know.” He paused for a second. “Maybe it’s our time to lose.” I nodded in
agreement.
“What
better way to do that then against our own family.” I stated.
We
stood up and headed up to the gym to shoot around. After shooting around for a
while, we sat in the entertainment room to watch game film and study our
competitors. The goal was to know them to the step. This was a game where there
was no room for error. It was going to be the highest scoring game in NBA
history.
1800:
Two hours till game time.
“We’re here in downtown Cleveland
“That’s right. With the Bear Claw’s stadium only 5
miles away, it’s easy for all fans to get here.”
“We have a Bear Claw fan right here. What’s your name,
ma’am?”
“Terry.”
“Are you from Cleveland
or Cincinnati
“I’m originally from here, raised on Lakeshore Blvd.
“When did you become a Bear Claw fan and not a Cavs
fan?”
“I used to love the Cavs, but I’ve been following KJ’s
career since his middle school years because we went to the same school. When
he got drafted to the Bear Claws, I became a die hard fan.”
“So you think that KJ is way better then Kenny?”
“Way better. Don’t get me wrong, Kenny gets all the
props he earned, but KJ will surpass him sooner or later. I LOVE YOU KJ!!!” She
starts screaming.
“As you can purely see, this crowd is pumped for this
game. Let’s go to our NBA analyst, Jack Stone. How’s it going, Jack?”
“Hey, Cindy.”
“What are your thoughts on this upcoming Game 7?”
“This will be the defining point. It will determine if
there’s a chance that a team can defeat the Cavaliers. Ever since Kenny and
Will came into the league, they’ve been dominating. It’s easy to say that they
don’t know how to lose. Every time they been down, they came right back and won
the game. The only time the Cavaliers lost was when Kenny AND Will weren’t playing. Even if one is playing,
they still pull off a win.”
“Is this game all about the undefeated legacy that
Will and Kenny hold?”
“It has a little to do with that, but this game is
about pride, bragging rights, and who’s the best. Both teams went undefeated in
their conference, not playing each other at all during the season, and now are
in a Game 7 match-up in the NBA Finals, tied 3-3. It’s a series that wasn’t
expected to go 7. Not expected in the way it did get to game 7.”
“What do the Cavs have to do to come out with a win?”
“The most obvious answer to that question is the
supporting cast. The rest of the players have to help Kenny and Will. Everyone
knows that Kenny and Will are going to get there points no matter what. The
thing that will determine if they’re goin to win is how many points will the
supporting cast get. The Bear Claws have 4 players that can match the caliber
of Kenny and Will.”
“Which leads to my next question, what do the Bear
Claws need to do to win this game?”
“They need to keep the Cavs’ supporting cast out of
the game and prevent Kenny and Will from getting TOO
hot. In Game 6, the Bear Claws lost their chance to end the series when they
let Kenny get hot. We all know that once one gets hot, the other will soon
follow because it draws a double team. When Kenny drew the double team, it left
Will open a lot. Kenny gave Will the ball for 5 straight possessions and he got
hot. When they get hot, they will not miss. The Bear Claws found that out the
hard way.”
“One last question before you go. Who do you like in
this game and how long will it be before a champion is crowned?”
“As many weapons as the Bear Claws have, I’mma stay
with the defending champs. I think their supporting cast will come through in
the most important game of their careers. Honestly, I’m seeing Kenny and Will
scoring over a hundred points a piece. I see this game going longer then Game
6. I say at least 6 overtimes. It will pulverize the previous scoring record
from Game 6.”
“Jack, it’s always a pleasure talking to you. We’ll
talk again after the game.”
“My pleasure.”
“We already know that the Cavaliers are the underdogs.
Bear Claws favored to win 25-1…”
I
turned the channel to something else. I then heard a crying baby. One of the
twins was awake. I got up and looked in the crib. It was Sinclair. It was like
she had a nightmare or something. I picked her up and cradled her in my arms.
She stopped crying and looked up at me.
“What
you cryin about, huh?” I asked her. “It’s ok, Daddy’s here.” I held her in my
arms. I’ve once again succeeded in creating a beautiful baby. That’s one thing
I’ll always do right, I guess. “I forget how much y’all mean to me. Your twin
brother, your older sister and brother….all of you mean the world to me.” I
kissed her. “I’mma win this game for all of you. This is the first game y’all
will attend. I’m goin to win it for you and your brother.”
She
started to smile like she understood what I was saying. I smiled back at her. I
had a feeling she was goin to be as smart as Tierra. At this point, I knew she
was awake and not going back to sleep. I then heard the door open. Sydney and
the kids were finally back. The first person that came up to me was Tierra.
“Hey,
Daddy.” She said.
“Hey,
Princess.” I replied, kissing her. “Bring me something?”
“Tropical
skittles and Gatorade.” She replied.
“Thank
you. You know those are my good luck charms?”
“Since
when?”
“Every
time you get those for me, I do really, really, really good.”
“You’ll
need it tonight.” I kissed her again.
“You’re
right about that.” I stood up and went into the kitchen. Sydney
“She
just wake up?” She asked me.
“Yea,
no more then 5 minutes ago.” I placed her in her bouncy chair and helped Sydney
“Ummm,
about $200 worth.”
“Good
deal.”
“Mostly
a lot of junk food.”
“Of
course.”
“You
wanna eat before the game?” I looked at my watch.
“Nah,
it’s too late.”
“When
are you leaving?”
“I’m
bout to get dressed and leave now. What time were y’all leaving?” I asked.
“Probably
not too much longer after you. The twins are already dressed, so that’s a task
I don’t have to do. I’ll change their diapers and prolly be out.”
“That
works.”
I
kissed her and went into the room. I took a shower and got dressed in a nice
suit that I had bought just for this night. Sydney Sydney
“I’ll
see y’all down there.” I told Sydney
“Ok.”
“Love
you.”
“Love
you too.” I kissed her again.
“Tierra?”
I called. She ran up to me. “You comin wit me?”
“Yes.”
She jumped in joy. She ran and grabbed her shoes, my skittles and my Gatorade.
“Ready.”
“Iight.”
We walked out and saw Will and Karla as we approached the car. “I think our
wives are riding together.”
“So
we mine as well take my truck.” We got in and buckled up. “Hmm, what should we
nod to?”
“We
need to get crunk. Play our latest album.” He played it and drove to the
Coliseum.
1930:
Half-hour till tip-off.
“A sellout crowd here at the C-Town Coliseum but
that’s to be expected here, a place that has sold out every game for the past 8
seasons. 500 million people in attendance for the most anticipated, hyped, and
talked about game in history. Let’s go courtside to Frank Quiz.”
“I spoke to Coach Klump about the Bear Claws’
strategy. He says they will attempt to limit the effectiveness of both Will and
Kenny. Their offensive strategy is ball movement and smart shots. When asked if
he was planning on playing his 4 stars throughout the game, he smiled and said
without a doubt. Tim?”
“Thanks, Frank. Let’s go to Grace Martin with the
Cavalier info.”
“The Cavaliers are extremely pumped up after a little
words of wisdom from their captains. Their strategy will definitely be defense
as the world’s top players stressed shut down. Johnson and Smith will
definitely show why they’re the best and why the Cavaliers should never be
underdogs. Tim?”
“Thanks for that update, Grace.”
We
were on the court warming up and I saw my brother and brother-in-law. Will and
I went to the center of the court to meet our 4 opponents. We knew attention
was definitely brought our way. We didn’t say anything, just looked. Will and I
started smiling. They didn’t know why, but that didn’t matter. The fact that we
were made everyone wonder. We walked back to our area and continued shooting
around. Game Time.
“:35 seconds remaining in the first half and it’s been
all Cavs. They have shut down the Fantastic Four as they’ve only scored a
combined 14 points. Johnson and Smith have caught fire for the Cavs, scoring a
combined 42 points.”
“Defense has been turned on and the Fantastic Four has
not been able to get good looks at the basket.”
“KJ with the ball now, passes to Lorenzo. Lorenzo
dishes to Alonzo. Alonzo posts and passes to Terrell; shot clock at 5; Terrell
shoots and he’s blocked by Will. Cavaliers will take the final shot of the
half. :10 seconds remaining. Kenny one-on-one with KJ. Dribbles… drives… stops
and shoots……GOOD AT THE BUZZARD!!! Listen to this crowd.”
“Beautiful shot by Kenny, showing why he’s the
absolute best.”
“At the half, the Cavs are pounding the Bear Claws,
65-34.”
During
halftime, I spent time with Sydney and my kids.
“20
points, 5 steals, 3 blocks, 13 assists in the first half alone.” She stated.
“You’re doing great.”
“Yea,
I guess I am.” I said. I looked at the twins. Both were awake and watching. “I
made a promise to Sinclair that we’d win this game so I’m tryin.”
“I
just can’t believe y’all shut down the Fantastic Four.”
“Just
for the first half. I have a feeling that they’ll make some noise in the second
and turn this into a ball game.”
“You
think so?”
“I
know my brothers.” I then saw Dad, Ma, Lisa, KJ’s wife, Chris, Dre, let’s just
say the whole family. Chris came up to me and shook my hand.
“Good
first half.”
“Thanks.
It’s not over yet.”
“It’s
just beginning.”
“Who
you got yo money on?”
“You
betta win this game.” I smiled.
“I’m
tryin.” I stated. Latoya approached me and hugged me.
“I’ve
never seen you play so good.”
“Hopefully
I can keep it up.” I looked at the time. “I’ll see y’all after the game.” I
kissed Sydney and my kids. I headed back to the court to start the second half.
“Here we go in the second half and it still looks like
the first one. The Dynamic Duo is still hot and the Fantastic Four is still
not. Cavs on a 25-3 run in this quarter alone. KJ with the ball and……Kenny with
the steal. He pushes it down the court………slams it home but takes a hard
foul………Kenny Johnson is down!”
“He definitely landed wrong after that hard foul.”
“He seems to be favoring his knee.”
“He’s in a lot of pain. You see on the replay, he
definitely landed wrong.”
“Wait a minute, it looks like he landed right on
Alonzo’s foot.”
“For the Cavs sake, hopefully he didn’t injure his ACL .”
“All I know is, I’ve never heard this arena so quiet
in 25 years of broadcasting.”
“Neither have I.”
“They help him up and force him to shoot the free throws
or he won’t be able to return. On one leg, Kenny shoots his free throws.”
“He hits both putting the Cavs up 90-37;Timeout is
called to sub Kenny as they take him straight to the locker room……… Bear Claws
brings the ball down.”
“Look at the ball movement. KJ spots up for 3……it’s
good for his first 3 pointer of the game after going 0-7.”
“Look at the pressure on Will. Terrell and Alonzo
making sure to deny him the ball.”
“And they’re doing a good job as they force a turnover
as that pass sails out of bounds. Terrell brings the ball down court; finds
Lorenzo open in the corner for 3………its good for his first 3 pointer of the
game.”
“Here it goes. The Bear Claws are catching fire. Let’s
go to Grace on the Cavs bench for an update on Kenny. Grace?”
“It’s definitely not good for the Cavs. Kenny
definitely tore his ACL and will
not be back this game. The championship will now be in the hands of Will Smith.
Kenny will be heading to CMH for
further test but it’s been confirmed that it’s his ACL .”
“Bad news for the Cavs and I definitely don’t like
they’re chances.”
“2 minutes remaining in the game and the Bear Claws
hold a 12 point lead in this one. Will has been nothing short of fabulous as he
definitely made a huge performance. From the way it looks, it won’t be enough.
Listen to this crowd as they make noise for their Cavs.”
“A lot of noise.”
“Wait, Kenny is back on the court!!!”
“He’s still limping.”
“He’s not about to play is he?”
“It looks that way. He’s checking in.”
“I can’t believe he’s back. But is it too little, too
late? We’ll find out as the Cavs bring the ball down the court.”
“Look at his movement. He’s definitely moving
normally.”
“Can’t disagree with you there as he’s open for
3………it’s good!”
“He’s still got the fire. He hasn’t cooled down one
bit.”
“Cavs down by 9……Terrell with the bad pass, turns it
over. Will pushing the ball down; stops at the 3 point line………WILL HITS THE 3!!!”
“Here we go!!!”
“It’s now a 6 point game. Lorenzo in the lane; goes
for a dunk and is blocked by Hill; Hill passes to Johnson………Kenny hits anotha
3!!!”
“This crowd has exploded.”
“:28 seconds remaining and the Cavs are down by 3.
Bear Claws brings the ball down.”
“They don’t have to fou, but need a stop or to get a
turnover.”
“They’re not fouling. Almost a turnover there. Clock
is still running. Shot clock at :12 with a 3 second difference from the game
clock.”
“KJ with a chance to put it away………misses the
shot……Lorenzo misses the put back……Kenny with the rebound and calls timeout
with .9 seconds remaining.”
“Amazing. Lorenzo and KJ will kick themselves if they
lose this game.”
“We sift through our NBA history and find one player
that was the absolute best at making buzzard shots with this little time left.
You know who that is?”
“Good ol’ Reggie Miller, in my opinion, the greatest
prayer shooter in history.”
“That’s what we have here. The Cavs come out the
timeout at half court. Only have enough time for a catch and shoot. Ball in;
Kenny sets Will a pick; Will catches the inbound; puts up the shot………IT’S
GOOD!!! We’re going to OVERTIME!!!”
“Why not? Listen to this crowd.”
“134-134 as we enter one of possibly many overtimes.”
“:3 seconds remaining in the first overtime and the
Cavs lead by 2. The Bear Claws come out their timeout. Lorenzo takes the ball
out at the half court line. Passes it into Alonzo, who’s open down low; and he
slams it home and one.”
“Terrible defense by Russell. That play may cause them
the game.”
“Game tied; Alonzo on the line; less then 2 seconds
remaining on the clock. Alonzo shoots the free throw………HE MISSES………BEAR CLAWS MISSES THE PUT BACK AND WE’RE GOIN TO DOUBLE OVERTIME!!!”
“Unbelievable.”
“Alonzo is normally a 93% free throw shooter.”
“With 4 seconds left on the shot clock and the Cavs
down by 3, they have to do something. Kenny drives, dishes it to Will in the
corner………he hits the 3 to tie the game with :24 seconds remaining. Bear Claws
will hold for a final shot. They pass the ball around, draining the clock. KJ
has it; dribbles, challenging Kenny.”
“Payback from the first half.”
“He stops and fades for a 3 pointer………it’s good with
less than a second remaining.”
“It’s over. The Cavs have no more timeouts. They’re
not goin to be able to clear the court that quickly.”
“Kenny catches the ball and shoots from the opposite
free throw line………HE HITS IT!!!
WE’RE GOING TO TRIPLE OVERTIME!!!!”
“I think he’s surprised that went in.”
“The Bear Claws are stunned.”
“These two overtimes have been nothing but fast paced
scoring. In 10 extra minutes of basketball, these teams have scored a combined
150 points.”
“Bringing us to the score 209-209.”
This
went on for a while. Let’s get to the end of it. That didn’t happen until the
13th overtime.
“:8 seconds remaining with the Cavs down by 2. KJ
hitting that 3-pointer really silenced the crowd, but all hope isn’t gone for
their defending champions. Who do you give the ball to?”
“Either Kenny or Will, it doesn’t even matter.”
“Hill passes in the ball to Kenny. Kenny challenging
KJ; he shoots a 3 with a hand in his face………IT’S GOOD WITH 2 SECONDS
REMAINING!!! The Bear Claws use their final timeout to advance the ball.”
“There was nothing KJ could do in that situation.”
“2 seconds remaining. Lorenzo passes in the ball to
KJ; KJ tries the pump fake on Kenny; shoots with a hand in his face.”
“Kenny got a piece of it.”
“It hits the front of the rim and the buzzard sounds.
IT’S OVER, IT’S OVER!!! CAVALIERS WIN !!!
619-618!!!”
“The legacy continues.”
“Let’s go to Grace live with Kenny Johnson and Will
Smith.”
“Kenny, everyone thought this game was over after the
first half and then you go down. How much pain were you in?”
“I was in a lot of pain ever since I came back. Took
some pain killers and toughed it out.”
“In double overtime, y’all were down by 3 with less
then a second remaining and no timeouts to advance the ball. When you threw up
that cross court shot, did you think it was goin to go in?”
“Not one bit. I mean I practice that shot a lot, but I
neva thought I’d make it when it counted. I just tried to get as close as
possible and got lucky.”
“You hit the 3 pointer at the end and then came with
the great defensive stop on KJ. How did you time that so well?”
“I know KJ pretty good and honestly I got lucky. If I
didn’t touch that ball, he would have hit that shot. I didn’t time it that good
because it still hit the rim. I didn’t get my hand on the ball because he
released kinda quick so it was kinda lucky.”
“Kenny Johnson, congratulations on another win and
good luck next season.”
“Thank you.”
“Will, after seeing Kenny go down in the 3rd
quarter, what went through your mind?”
“I knew right from the get that it was serious. I knew
I had to compensate for his contributions and try to keep my team in it.”
“As the lead slowly decreased, was it starting to hit
you that you may lose this game?”
“Honestly, the only thing I was thinking bout was how
was I going to get the ball again. They really turned their defense up on me
and I wore myself out.”
“In both the 6th and 10th
overtimes, you hit the tying 3 pointer with a hand in your face. What makes
those type of shots so natural to you?”
“Kenny and I practice those shots all the time because
of the fact that we’ll face it in games like this. Practice definitely makes
perfect.”
“Will Smith, congratulations and good luck next
season.”
“Thank you.”
“Back to you Tim.”
“The Cavaliers defeat the Bear Claws in a record
breaking evening by far. 619-618 in a 13 overtime game that went on for 8
hours. Amazingly no foul outs, but plenty of stats.”
“What a way to put an exclamation point on an
absolutely fantastic series and season.”
“These two teams will play each other twice next
season. The first one being live at the JS Center on Christmas night and then a
month later here at the C-Town Coliseum.”
“Who knows, maybe again for the finals.”
We
got home at 7 am the next
morning. The game ended at 4:25 AM. I put all the kids to bed and lied down.
I’ve never felt so exhausted. My knee was in all kinds of pain. I grabbed an
ice pack and threw it on there. I turned on the TV to see what they were saying
about the game. Sportscenter was on ESPN and it just started:
“We kick Sportscenter off with NBA Finals coverage.
Tonight, history was made in so many ways.”
“This was basically an all around showdown between the
best teams. Nobody wanted the game to end and nobody knew the outcome. It could
have went both ways.”
“Before we indulge into our comments, let’s just get
into the cold hard facts. First off, the first four quarters.”
“Each half was owned by a team. The first half the
Cavaliers destroyed the Bear Claws in every aspect. They absolutely shut down
the Fantastic Four.”
“You have to take into account that that probably
would have continued if Kenny Johnson didn’t get injured in the 3rd
quarter.”
“From the way things were looking, I can’t say that
the Bear Claws would have been able to claw back into the game with Kenny in
the entire 2nd half.”
“But sho nuff, Johnson did get injured 2 minutes into
the 3rd quarter.”
“Everyone thought he would not be able to return after
that.”
“We can’t say that the Bear Claws shut down Will Smith
though.”
“Absolutely not. Will Smith carried the team as much
as he could, keeping the game close, but there was too much power from the
Fantastic Four.”
“The Fantastic Four did finally catch fire and they
brought the Bear Claws back into the game.”
“They finally got the lead bringing the 3rd
quarter to a close.”
“2 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter and
it really looked like the Cavs were done.”
“Then out of nowhere, Kenny Johnson comes back into
the game but made it noticeable that he was still in pain.”
“Not that noticeable as he was still moving pretty
good.”
“Not to mention his shot didn’t deplete an inch. He
went on to help the Cavaliers tie the game, bringing it to overtime.”
“All the overtimes were back and forth, both teams
with chances to win.”
“1st overtime, Bear Claws up by 3 and Kenny
sets a beautiful pick on the inbound.”
“Leaving Will open for the game tying 3-pointer
sending the game into double overtime.”
“Game tied, KJ challenging his brother with 3 seconds
left. Puts up a 3-pointer and hits it with less then a second left.”
“Any normal fan would see that this game is over at
that point.”
“Kenny catches the inbound and throws up a prayer that
banks in.”
“At that point, I think the Dynamic Duo proved they
wanted the game more.”
“11 overtimes later and it comes down to Kenny and
KJ.”
“Kenny, showing a lil payback, challenges his brother
and hits the clutch shot to take the lead.”
“Then on the other end, KJ challenges him, but Kenny
makes the outstanding defensive effort to deflect the shot.”
“In 13 overtimes, 8 hours and 23 minutes, the
Cavaliers pulled another championship.”
“At the press conference, let’s listen to KJ’s
comments.”
“After Kenny hit that cross-court shot to send the
game into triple overtime, I had a feeling we weren’t goin to win. When someone
hits a shot like that with everything on the line, you kinda figure things
won’t go your way in the end. You can sit here and tell me that we went back
and forth for 8 hours, but it didn’t feel like that to me. We went back and
forth for 13 overtimes. They crushed us in the first half and we battled back
in the 2nd.”
“You can definitely tell that he is heartbroken after
that loss.”
“Who wouldn’t be. They played hard all season long and
had many chances to win this series but couldn’t.”
“Let’s look at the stats. Starting off with the
Fantastic Four.”
“Combined, they scored 511 out of the 618 points, each
scoring over a hundred points.”
“As for the Dynamic Duo, they scored 500 out of the
619.”
“They definitely carried the team.”
Sydney
came up to me after singing the twins back to sleep.
“How’s
your knee?” She asked me.
“Hurts
like hell.” I replied. I looked at the swelling of it.
“What
did she give you?”
“Who?”
“Your
mother, I know she gave you something. You wouldn’t trust anyone else.”
“I
didn’t see Ma.” She gave me a look, not buying what I said.
“What
happened, Kenny?”
“Iight,
she looked at my knee and did a quick diagnostic.”
“Being
what?”
“I
definitely tore my ACL .”
“Oh
my god.”
“She
told me I could be sidelined for about 2 months and some change. I told her
that I needed to get back in the game. She gave me another option.”
“You’re
not saying she actually gave you a shot?”
“It
was the absolute scariest thing. You know how I am with needles. She gave me a
shot right in the knee to numb the pain for up to 18 hours. It took a good half
hour to take affect. She told me to go see her as soon as the numbness wears
off.”
“Aren’t
you in pain now?”
“Exhaustion
and soreness type pain, but not that pain. Trust me, I can tell the
difference.”
“So
what risks have you just accepted?”
“The
possibility of making it worse or getting another injury. To be honest, after a
game like tonight, I wouldn’t doubt anotha injury.” I closed my eyes. Sydney
“Yea,
believe it or not. The twins were really into the game.” She started smiling,
“it was so cute, every time you scored, they’d smile and clap. They really
enjoyed it and couldn’t be any more proud of you.”
“Thanks
baby.” I kissed her forehead. “I played my heart out to win. Will did the same
thang. This victory was for them.”
“It’s
a good story to tell them when they’re older.” She looked up at me. I smiled
and kissed her. We then cuddled and went to sleep.
CHAPTER 11
DECEPTION: BEST WAY OF REVENGE
I
took Tierra’s hand as we began walking around the mall. We stopped at a toy
store first.
“This
is it, Daddy.” She pointed to the toy she’s been telling me about for months.
“May I have it?”
“Only
if you find something for your siblings.” I told her. We looked around to see
what we could find.
“I
know Kendal was talking about a new game.”
“That’s
easy. What about the twins?”
“Kenny
wants a…….ummm…..actually, I don’t kno what he wants or what Sinclair wants.”
“Let’s
see what we can find them.” I found the game that Kendal wanted, but the twins
were a lil difficult.
“Daddy,
I found something.” She took my hand and pulled me to the baby section. She handed me two baby toys. I looked at them
and smiled.
“That’ll
work. Good job.” We took all four toys to the cashier and paid for them.
Hand-in-hand, we continued to walk around the mall. I ended up seeing Latoya,
Chris and Damien at the fountain. We walked towards them and sat next to em.
“Doing a lil shopping?” I asked Latoya. She looked at me and smiled.
“Didn’t
kno you were here.” She stated. “Damien wanted some new clothes so Chris wanted
to take him clothes shopping. What are you doin here?”
“Toy
shopping.” I looked at Tierra as she and Damien were playing games in the
arcade across from the fountain. “So how are things between you and Chris?”
“Pretty
good. We talked and got everything out. Since we both cheated on each other, we
agreed to forgive and forget.” She explained. I looked at Chris as he was
tending to Damien and Tierra. “I tell ya though, it still haunts me every time
I think about it. I should have never did him wrong.”
“That
goes for both of you.” Outta nowhere, Dre, Yvonne, and JET
ended up comin up on us.
“Didn’t
know y’all was comin up hea.” Dre said to me as I gave him dap.
“Could
say the same bout you.” I looked at Yvonne. “How you doin?” I asked as I hugged
her.
“Not
too bad. This is definitely a lot easier then the first one.” She replied. I
forgot to mention she’s 8 months pregnant. JET
ran over to Tierra and Damion.
“So
is everything going ok?” I asked the couple. They looked at each other and
smiled.
“Better
then ever.” Dre replied. “We talked, got an understanding, and just moved on.”
Seems to be the common response. I then saw Will and Karla in the corner of my
eye. This seemed all too coincidental. I thought to myself and started to shake
my head…….BOOM!!!!!!!!!
I
woke up in a cold sweat.
“Baby,
you ok?” A voice asked me.
“Yea,
I’m fine.” I replied. I turned and looked at the woman the voice projected
from…….it was MONIQUE!!!!!!!!!!!
This
time I woke up for real in an even colder sweat. Sydney
“Kenny,
you iight?” She asked.
“I’on
know.” I replied, lost and confused.
“It
happened again,” referring to my dream in a dream experience.
“Yea.
I can’t explain what it means.” I grabbed a towel from the floor and wiped the
sweat off me. “It’s been happenin at least once a week for the past 6 months.”
I lied back down.
“I’m
here, baby. If you’re feeling stressed out about somethin, talk to me.” My
phone started ringing. I had no idea what time it was, but I felt restless as
hell. I picked up my phone.
“Yea.”
I answered.
“Kenny,
this is your mother. I need you to come to the hospital right now.” She sounded
beyond shook.
“Why,
what’s wrong?”
“I’ll
explain when you get here. This can’t wait though, so get dressed and get
here.”
“I’m
on my way.” I hung up wit her and immediately got dressed.
“What’s
goin on?” Sydney
“I
don’t know, but it’s urgent. That was Ma needing me to come to the hospital.
That can mean only bad news.” I was finished getting dressed and kissed Sydney
“Love
you too.” I kissed her one last time and left.
When
I got to the hospital, I waited on Ma to come out. In the mean time, I started
watching some movie on the TV. It was 3:21
am , so I definitely didn’t understand the urgency. Ma finally came
out 5 mins after I arrived.
“Good,
you made it swiftly.” She stated.
“It
sounded urgent.”
“Very.”
We started walking. “Did Monique have any more children?”
“Not
that I know of.” I thought about it some more. “She had a few abortions, that’s
about it.”
“Think
again.” We entered a room. The room was occupied by a male patient. The patient
looked about 6 or 7 years old. “Kenny, meet your son.” I looked at Ma in
disbelief.
“No
way.” The child was sleep, so he had no idea that I was there. “There’s no way
he’s mine.”
“Considering
the fact he doesn’t look like you, I tested his blood. I ran a paternity test
and he’s yours.”
“What
is he doin here and how did he get here?” I asked.
“He
got here by ambulance around 1 am .
He has a few marks on his arms, so either he’s been doin drugs, or he’s been
having a lot of medical problems.” I started walking towards the child.
“Was
he tagged any?” I asked.
“He
had a few ID cards. Monique used her maiden name, yet she never changed her own
name back to her maiden.”
“Ain’t
that the truth.” I couldn’t stop looking at the child. “What’s his name?”
“Andrew
Williams.” She came up to me. “He should be waking soon, but I just want you to
know that he may not live long.” I immediately turned to her.
“Why
not?”
“As
you know, we did a full body exam on him. It’s been concluded that his lungs
are failing. If you haven’t noticed the life support equipment, then you prolly
don’t realize the extremity of the situation.” I turned and looked at the
breathing apparatus surrounding him.
“Isn’t
there somethin you can do?” I asked.
“I
felt there was no point in doing anything if he was goin to be released out
onto the streets. When I found out he was yours, I called you to see if you
were willing to take care of him.” I looked at her. “As much as I understand
the chaos of your home right now with your daughter, son and twins, I
completely understand if you can’t.” She pulled out some forms. “But I can’t
put his name on the list for lungs without your consent since you’re the only
living parent.” I started to take a step towards her until I heard a voice.
“Mommy?”
I turned and looked. He was shaking his head like he was having a nightmare. I
slowly approached him and knelt down. I touched his hand and he stopped shaking
his head. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He then looked at me.
“Do
you know who I am?” I asked him.
“You’re
my father.” I wasn’t expecting him to actually tell me. “Mom used to show me
pictures of you and tell me stories of you.”
“What
did she tell you happened to me?”
“You
left her and never wanted to see me.”
“That’s
not true. I didn’t know about you. I had no idea you existed.”
“Why
should I believe you?”
“Why
do you think I’m here now? If I didn’t care about you, I wouldn’t bother coming
here to see you. I never knew about you but I’m here now. I’m goin to take care
of you.” I looked at his arms. “First, I need you to tell me what happened.
Where have you been staying and how did you end up this way?” He sniffed,
swallowed and turned towards the wall.
“After
Mom died, I ran away from Grandpa’s. I couldn’t be there anymore because it
didn’t feel like home. I started my search to find you. I overheard Grandpa
saying you were close by. All I had were pictures to go by. Along the way,
someone picked me up and threw me in the back of a van. I had no idea who they
were, but they started pricking me with many needles. I don’t remember anything
after that.” For a youngsta, he’s well developed. I guess he is mine.
“What
made you look for me?” I asked him.
“I
knew you were out there somewhere. I started to feel Mom was keeping somethin
from me. I felt that maybe you’d want me if you met me. I had to find out for
myself.” Tears came down his face.
“Don’t
worry. I’m here now and I’m goin to take care of you. I’m not leaving your
side.” I stood up and signed the forms. “Please do all you can.” I told Ma.
“You
have nothin to worry about.” She said. She left the room and immediately went
to work. I walked back to Andrew and pulled up a chair. “Do you have any
brothers or sisters?” I asked him.
“No.
Just me.”
“I
see your mother didn’t tell you everything.” I pulled out my wallet. “This is
your full blood sister, Tierra. She’s like a couple years older then you.” I
pulled out another picture. “This is your half brother, Kendal. I think you two
may be the same age.” I pulled out another picture. “This is also your half
brother, Kenny Jr. and your half sister, Sinclair.” He looked at them all and
smiled.
“I’ve
always begged Mom for a brother or sister.” He stated.
“Now
you have two of each.”
“Will
they like me?”
“Of
course.” I smiled. “So are you into sports?”
“Basketball.
Mom never lets me watch the games, but I sneak and watch them anyway.”
“What’s
your favorite team?”
“The
Bear Claws.” I was surprised.
“Why
is that?”
“I
like KJ. There the only team I’ve seen play. Mom never let me watch the
Cavaliers.” I didn’t understand that.
“Why
not?”
“She
never told me why. She just always blocked their games.”
“So
you didn’t see any of the finals?”
“None.”
“Do
you know who is on the Cavaliers?”
“No,
but someone good because they always win the finals.” I smiled. I thought about
telling him, but didn’t think it was necessary at the time.
“So
why do you like KJ so much?”
“He’s
the best all around player I’ve seen.”
“How
would you like to meet him?” He had a huge smile.
“You
know KJ?”
“Andrew,
not only do I know him, but he’s my younger brother. That makes him your
uncle.”
“KJ
is my uncle???” He had a big smile on his face. “I can’t believe it.”
“I
can have you meet him tomorrow. Would you like to?”
“More
then anything in the world. I want to be like him. At least as good as him.”
“We
can work on that.” I assured him. “Do you watch football any?”
“Only
the Browns. I thought about playing because I really like to be a running back
like Chris Lopez.” I smiled and shook my head.
“How
would you like to meet him too?”
“You
know him too?”
“That’s
my best friend. We live together. You can meet him tomorrow.” I then thought
about it. “What did your mother tell you I do?”
“She
said you were in the military and did something far away.” I made a funny face.
“Do
you wanna know what I really do?” He nodded. “I’m an actor, rapper, and star
guard on the Cavaliers. I guess your mother didn’t want you to see me play.” I
looked down and then back at him. “I don’t know everything your mother told you
about me, but I’m goin to make sure you’re not lied to any more. I’m not dead,
missing, or in any way, shape or form leaving your side. I plan on making up
for all the time we didn’t have together. I’m goin to make every dream come
true for you, starting with you meeting your uncle and favorite player, KJ.
What else do you dream about?” He thought about it.
“I
always wanted to go to Six Flags.”
“No
problem. What else?”
“Go
to a basketball game.”
“You’ll
go to a lot of those. Keep em comin.”
“Go
to a football game, be in a movie, have my own room, my own toys, and eat ice
cream.” I smiled.
“Done,
done, done, done, and done. I’m goin to make sure you live as well as your
brothers and sisters, whom you will also meet tomorrow. That reminds me. As you
know, your mother and I did break up, but I have a new woman in my life. She’s
goin to be a part of your life as well. Think you’ll be able to handle that?” I
asked him.
“Is
she nice?”
“The
nicest person you’ll ever meet. You’ll love her.” He paused, smiled, and
nodded. Ma knocked on the door and peeked in.
“Kenny,
may I talk to you fa a minute?” She asked.
“Absolutely.”
I replied. “Be back.” I said to Andrew. I stood up and walked out. “What’s up?”
“Good
news. I have a donor that’s a perfect match for Andrew. The only thing is, we
won’t be able to actually operate til Tuesday.”
“That’s
three days away…why so long?” I asked.
“The
kid is in Hawaii
“Why
would it take a day?”
“Well,
I have an entire procedure so I take a day to make sure that my new found
grandson will have the best chance of survival.”
“Understandable.
I just don’t want to risk the chances of losing him before the surgery.”
“Well,
the good news is he made it this far so he has a 95% chance of remaining
stable.”
“Why
only 95%?”
“There’s
always a chance of change. Nothing is guaranteed when it comes to medical
problems. After I was shot in the back after having you, I was told there was a
100% chance of never walking again. Obviously they were wrong.”
“Obviously.”
“Look,
I’m goin to do all I can to make sure this happens as swiftly as possible. You
just make sure you keep him from having a negative emotion that’s too strong. I
mean anything dramatizing could kill him.”
“Understood.”
I kissed her and went back into the room.
“Dad,
may I ask you a question?” He said as he saw me.
“Anything.”
I sat back down.
“Am
I going to die?”
“Not
a chance. That lady that was just here is my mother, your grandmother. She’s
the best doctor in the world and has assured me you will be fine.”
“What’s
wrong with me? Why do I have this machine next to me?”
“Your
lungs are bad. You can’t breathe on your own so this machine is here to do it
for you. On Tuesday, you’re goin to get a new pair of lungs, be able to breathe
on your own, and be out of here in no time.”
“Are
you goin to be here the whole time?”
“Like
I said, I’m not leaving your side. I’m here now and will be here always.” I
took his hand into mine. Did your mother ever bring men around you?”
“No,
she never brought anyone around me.”
“How
did Grandpa treat you?”
“He
was mean to me a lot and didn’t spend a lot of fun time with me. Grandma would
do a lot of things with me.”
“That’s
good. Your grandmother is a good woman. She’s not like your other grandmother,
my mother, but she’s a good person.”
“What’s
she like?”
“You’ll
see for yourself soon. Next weekend you, your brothers and sisters are goin to
their house and you will see what they are like.”
“Are
we rich?” He asked.
“Beyond
your wildest dreams. You ever heard of SJ Enterprises?”
“Yes.
They make the toys I like.”
“Your
grandfather started it and owns it. Well, half of it. Those toys, they are your
sister’s work. She came up with the ideas and I did everything else.”
“I
always wanted to do that.”
“You
can do it with her. She always wanted someone to help her.” He smiled and had a
look of disbelief.
“So
is my life going to be like theirs?”
“Without
a doubt. You are my son and won’t be treated any different then they are.
You’re equal to them and they will know that and treat you like it. You have
nothing to worry about.”
“I
just……” He yawned in the middle of his sentence, “Don’t want them to hate me.”
He finished.
“You
have nothing to worry about. They would love you.” I saw him yawn again and I
just smiled. “Looks like your tired.”
“NO!!!
I’m awake!” He said excitedly. His eyes slowly began to close.
“Go
to sleep, lil man, and I will see you when you wake up.” I stood up and tucked
him in. “I’ll be here when you wake up, so you have nothin to worry about.”
Before
I finished, he was sound asleep. I smiled and kissed him on his forehead. I
turned the light off and stepped out the room. I had to call Sydney
“Hello?”
She said as she answered the phone.
“Baby,
you up?” I asked her.
“Yea,
where are you? I started to get worried.”
“I’m
at the hospital.”
“Is
everything ok?”
“Yea,
but you won’t believe what I’m goin to tell you. I thought about having you
come here and see for yourself, but I have to talk to someone.”
“What’s
wrong, baby?”
“Monique
had a son.”
“What?
When?”
“A
couple years after Tierra was born. I guess she really didn’t get the abortion.
Here’s the thing though. This child is mine.”
“How’s
that possible? That child wasn’t yours.”
“That’s
what I’m sayin. That’s not the cold part. She not only kept him from me, but
has been lying to him about me and only showed him pictures. She blocked all my
games, most likely my music and movies. She made sure I didn’t exist except for
what she told him.”
“I
figured she would have used him to her advantage.” She stated.
“You’d
think.” I agreed.
“So
why is he in the hospital?”
“He
got kidnapped, most likely drugged and abused. He has a collapsed lung and just
unusable lungs all together. Ma is goin to give him a transplant on Tuesday.
He’ll be fine.”
“That’s
good. What’s he like?” She asked.
“A
lot like Tierra. Very advanced with huge dreams. He’s very advanced for his
age.”
“Like
all your children.”
“Yep.
I think I’m turning into my father. 5 children already.” She started laughing.
“By the way, guess who his favorite player is?”
“You
sayin it’s not you?”
“He
never seen me play. To his knowledge before I told him the real deal, I’m in
the military.” She started laughing again.
“I’m
sorry, I just don’t see you in the military.”
“That
makes us both.”
“So
who’s his favorite?”
“KJ.”
“Wow,
are you serious?”
“Yep.
He didn’t see them play in the finals because I was in it.”
“That’s
terrible.”
“I
promised him he’d meet him today, so I’mma call him shortly.”
“Definitely.
So when may I meet the little guy?”
“I told
him today. You and his siblings.”
“Ok.
I’ll be there later this evening.”
“By
the way, thanks for taking this so well.”
“Why
wouldn’t I?”
“I
don’t know. I just kinda think about the chances of you not liking certain
things that happens.” I explained.
“Don’t
worry, baby. I’m fine and can’t wait to meet him.”
“Thanks.”
“Get
you some rest. I know you been up all night. I’ll be there this evening.”
“Ok.
I don’t feel like callin KJ, so could you call him for me?”
“Absolutely.”
“Thanks,
gorgeous. I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”
“Love
you too. Sleep tight.”
“I
will.” I hung up wit her. I smiled and came back into the room. I lied down in
the empty bed across from his. I looked at him and couldn’t help but think
about Monique and Sydney. The comparison between them was completely different.
I ended up falling asleep 5 mins later.
FLASHABCK: 3 MONTHS AFTER MY DIVORCE TO MONIQUE:
Sydney
and I were at Rome
“What
would you like to drink, sir?” The waitress asked me.
“I’d
have a Pepsi, and could you bring a bottle of your most expensive champagne.” I
requested.
“Absolutely,
and you, ma’am?” She asked Sydney
“I’ll
also have a Pepsi.” She said.
“Great.
I’ll be back shortly to take your orders.”
“Thank
you.” I said. I continued looking through the menu.
“Everything
looks so good.” Sydney
“Anything
with chicken.” I said.
“That’s
a lot of options.”
“They’re
all good.” I sat my menu down on the table.
“I
think I’ll try this.” As she said that, the waitress came back with our drinks.
“Ok,
are we ready to order?” She asked.
“Yes,
I’ll have this Pasta Platter with extra sauce, corn, and five-cheese garlic
bread.”
“Ok,
do you want your chicken grilled or fried?”
“May
I have half and half?”
“Absolutely.
Would that be all for you?”
“Actually,
could we also have the appetizer sampler?”
“No
problem, sir.”
“That’ll
be all for me.”
“I’ll
have this Alfredo Tender.” Sydney
“Absolutely.
I’ll be back with your appetizers.”
“Thank
you.” I said as she took our menus. When she left, I took a sip of my Pepsi and
looked into Sydney
“I
don’t deserve all the credit. It was mostly Will’s idea.”
“That
may be, but you didn’t have to stay wit me that night.”
“I
didn’t want you to be alone. I wasn’t exactly sure what your state of mind
was.” She took a sip of her Pepsi. “How are you doin anyway?”
“As
far as what?”
“How
do you feel with the divorce over with?”
“Like
a lot of weight has been lifted off my heart. My heart beat feels stronger, my
breathing feels normal. I feel like I’m invulnerable again.”
“What
are you goin to do as far as visitation? Are you goin to allow her to see
Tierra?”
“Of
course. I wouldn’t let Tierra suffer because of our status. Then again I doubt
Tierra would care if she ever see Monique again.”
“Why
you say that?”
“Monique
hasn’t necessarily been a model mother.”
“Yea,
I noticed.” She took another sip of Pepsi. “I can’t necessarily tell you how I
view thangs because it’s not my place.”
“Don’t
know if you remember, but I got a divorce 3 months ago. Say what you want. In
fact, I wanna know exactly what you were thinking.”
“Well,
if you asked me, I think she cheated on you more then you know. Her entire
demeanor, her ora, just the energy I felt from her……it was like she didn’t
respect you anymore.”
“What
are you saying?”
“I
think she was with you for the fame. The exposure of being Mrs. Kenny Johnson
appealed to her. Having your child would make her tied to you forever. I think
she wanted that, received that, and no longer needed you. Not to mention I think
you turned her out. After a while, I think she felt she needed someone she
could take control of. Someone that she could teach. You have way more
experience then her and after a while, you get tired of being taken control of.
Does that sound far fetched?”
“Not
at all. It actually makes a lot of sense. My whole question is, if you think
she cheated on me more then what she did, why I only had a connection with that
one occurrence?”
“I
believe it’s because of whom it was wit. Previous times were just sex. Robert
was her ex. There was feeling there. That’s worse then a complete stranger.”
“Interesting.”
The waitress came with our appetizers. “Thank you.” I told her. “So why didn’t
you say anything before?” We began eating the appetizers.
“There
was no point….you were already goin to divorce her. I felt no point in tellin
her anything.” I smiled.
“That
would be pointless. I looked beyond all of what I thought was real and kinda
tried to trust her. A part of me didn’t want to let her go, but I’ve neva been
so happy.” I looked around the restaurant. “I look at all these couples and
used to think no one was happier then me and Monique. I came to the conclusion
that no one was more unhappy then me with Monique.” Before I looked back at Sydney
“Do
you think she’s following you?” I thought that, but they’re not real random
places. I don’t see her like at Sports Authority or Gamespot. She be at common
places just at the same time as me. It’s almost like I can’t get rid of her.”
As I finished, a couple came up to me.
“We’re
sorry to disturb you, but you’re Kenny Johnson, right?” The lady asked.
“Yes,
I am, and you are?” I replied.
“My
name is Bobbi and this is my boyfriend Lenny. We’re big fans of yours and were
hoping to get an autograph.” She said.
“Of
course. I pulled out my autograph pen. They gave me posters. “These look brand
new.”
“We
just bought em today. They were the last ones at Da Zone off Lakeshore and we
grabbed them. We felt it was our lucky day and then we see you here. That’s why
we had to approach you.” Lenny explained.
“I’m
glad ya caught me. I always appreciate my fans. So what are y’all mostly my
fans of?”
“Mostly
basketball, but pretty much everything. You’ve been an idle to us in everything
except one thing and we feel it wasn’t your fault.” Bobbi said.
“What
thing is that?” I asked.
“Your
marriage.” Lenny said. “See, we’re looking to get married soon, and we kinda
looked at your marriage as a guide. When you got divorced, we felt it was
hopeless. Then we found out what kind of woman she was and felt sorry for you.
All guys want to be you, all women want to be with you, yet she had the nerve
to do what she did.” I smiled.
“I
appreciate that. Really, I do. How did y’all find out about her?”
“It’s
plastered all over the internet.” Bobbi said. “One of the guys that did it with
her started a website in your honor. It has him apologizing for it and he
explained how she came on to him.”
“I
can’t necessarily blame him then considering how beautiful she was.”
“It
has a list of people she slept wit while married to you. I don’t know how
accurate it is, but we contacted a few of them and all the ones we contacted
confirmed it.”
“How
did you know they were tellin the truth?” I asked.
“They
told us somethin that no one would know about. They all said she has a tattoo
on her left ass cheek of snoopy.” I shook my head.
“What’s
the website?” Lenny gave me a card.
“I’m
starting a website of supporters to have Monique’s reputation destroyed.” I
smiled.
“Why
would you do that?” I asked.
“We’re
behind you 100% and want to show that hurting you the way she did won’t go
unnoticed.” Bobbi explained. I nodded.
“You
know what, I really appreciate what y’all have done and I’m glad ya approached
me. Let me know when you have that website up and I’ll make a personal
comment.”
“It’s
up right now. It’s on the card I gave you.” Lenny said. I turned the card over.
“Gotcha.
Ya know what, I want to show my appreciation in a different way. I pulled out
two tickets. “These are tickets to the premier of my new movie comin out next
month. I’m offering these to you two.” Their mouths dropped and took the
tickets. “My suggestion, you may want to be ready for autographs, pictures, and
a star studded night.”
“I
knew this was our lucky day.” Lenny said. “Thanks a lot.” He shook my hand.
“No
problem.” I said. Bobbi gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“Don’t
ever forget you’re the sexiest, most talented man to ever walk the planet. You
run the universe……not your haters.”
“Thank
you. I’ll keep that in mind.” I watched them leave and looked at Sydney
“I’m
not happy that I am. I can tell it’s hurting you.” The waitress came, gave us
our food, filled our glasses, placed some more rolls on the table, and left.
“I
refuse to sit here and let a woman like that run my thoughts. I’d rather think
about somethin worth my time.”
“Like
what?”
“You.
You’re back in town, you’ve been my shoulder, and I can’t thank you enough. Now
I’m ready to move on and have you as the friend you use to be.”
“Which
was?”
“My
chill buddy. My patna
“What
if I don’t want that? What if I want to be more then that?”
“Like
what?”
“I
don’t know.” She started eating. “Oh my god, this is the best thing I ever
had.”
“This
is my favorite restaurant for a reason.” We both continued eating mostly in
silence.
We
left the restaurant and started walking along Lake Erie .
“You
know, I can’t stop thinking about our very first night of experience together.”
She started. “I know I kinda put a lot of pressure on you about the whole love
thing, but I really don’t want to mess up anything between us. I already lost
you once.”
“You
never lost me.” I took her hand into mine. “You just separated yourself from
me. I was always here. In a way, you can say you took a break.” We stopped
walking and sat down on the sand, gazing at the moon over the lake. I started
grinning. “The last time we looked at the moon together was the same night we
had that fight about 14 years ago.” She thought about it and started laughing.
“Oh
my god, I can’t believe you still remember that. That was the absolute dumbest
fight we ever got into. I hated you for no reason at all.” She stated. She lied
on my shoulder. I guess that’s what is so amazing. No matter how many times we
got into it, we remained close.”
“Now
even closer.” She looked up at me and gazed into my eyes. “You’re a dream come
true in many ways, Sid.”
“I
can easily say the same about you, but I think you’ve had a fair share of that
statement.” It was like a scene from a movie: Inches away from each other’s
lips and getting closer. I could feel the passion radiating from her mouth.
Like I said, it was like a scene from a movie. Right when we were bout to lock
lips, an interruption.
“Kenny?”
A voice stormed through my ears, recognizable in more ways then 6. I looked,
saw the woman, and just shook my head; sighing. “I thought that was you.” It
was Monique walking wit some guy. I was more wondering why the hell is she
standing in front of me and talking to me more then who the hell he is.
“What
are you doing here, Monique?” I asked her with an attitude.
“Well,
it’s a beach and a beautiful full moon. Anyone with a brain knows it’s a
perfect night for a walk. You’re not the only one with romance in your blood.”
She looked at the guy she was with. “Damn, where are my manners. Victor, this
is Kenny and Kenny this is Victor.”
“Yes,
I know who you are.” He said. “Nice to meet you in person. You’re a great
player.” He offered his hand.
“Thanks.”
I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you too.” Normal people might ask how long
they’ve known each other or how they meet, but I didn’t give a damn. But, I do
have manners. “This is Sydney
“Nice
to meet you.” She said.
“Pleasure
is all mine.” He replied. From the look he had, he was interested in her. I
smiled and started shaking my head.
“Anyway,
I guess we’ll let you be. Looks like you’re trying to have a evening cap off.”
Monique stated.
“Same
could be said about you.” I said. She smiled.
“Come
on, Victor.” They started walking away, but Victor kept looking at Sydney
“That
was interesting.” Sydney
“You
know.” I lied back again. “So where were we?” I said, softly.
“I
think we were here.” She also said softly. We started inching again and once
again another interruption. It was Monique again. She wasn’t saying anything to
us, but her laughter was loud and annoying. They were maybe 20 yards away.
“If
I didn’t know better, I’d say she was doin that on purpose.” I stated.
“Hey,
don’t worry about them.” She said, placing her hand on my cheek. “Think about
what’s right in front of you.” She was once again about to kiss me, moving at a
quicker pace then the previous times, but as our lips touched, Monique again.
“Don’t
do it Kenny!!!” She yelled. I was really getting mad now.
“I’mma
run to the bathroom real quick.” I stated which is code for if I don’t cool
off, I’mma kick her in her forehead. “Just don’t forget where we were.”
“How
will I be able to?” She said. I smiled and stood up.
I
walked to the bathroom, which wasn’t far at all. I went in and looked in the
mirror.
“Why
are you letting her get to you?” I said to my reflection. I turned on the water
and splashed some on my face. When I looked back at my reflection, Monique was
behind me. Saw it comin, but didn’t think she was really goin to do it. “What
do you want, Monique?” I asked her, wiping my face.
“What
do you see in her? She’s like every other woman, yet you’re different with
her.” She stated.
“She’s
not like you, and that’s fa damn sho.”
“What’s
that supposed to mean?”
“Let’s
just say your extra curricular activities went on more then what you were
caught for.”
“What
are you talkin bout?”
“It
doesn’t matter any more. Just know that the fact we’re divorced right now is an
overdue status.” I turned around and looked at her. “You’re worse then any
woman I ever been with. You played your hands pretty good, but you no longer have
me to play against. Enjoy the victories you had, but in the finals, I always
win.” I threw away my paper towels and started heading out.
“Kenny,
wait.” I stopped and turned around.
“You
can’t sit there and say that I wasn’t the best thing that happened to you. You
can’t stand there and say that sex with me was the best you ever had.” I smiled
and started walking towards.
“That
would make yo day, wouldn’t it? Knowing that THE Kenny Johnson had his best sex
and best times of his life with you; that’ll just make your day, wouldn’t it?”
I stood inches away from her. “Is that what you want me to say?”
“I
want you to admit it, yes.” She said.
“Ok.”
I stopped smiling. “You fuckin wish. You’re no longer thought of. The only
thing that reminds me that we had sex before is Tierra. Other then that, I
don’t think about you, dream about you, fantasize about you, desire you, and
for the most part don’t want anything to do wit you. You can die tonight and I
wouldn’t give two shits. If anything, I’d prolly smile. You’re what I call and
beautiful mistake. That’s a mistake that worked out beautifully. I’m referring
to Tierra in that sense.” I smiled at her. “FYI, Sydney is a billion times
better then you in every thing. I’m just having a tough time understanding how
you fuck so many guys and still lack in skills. Step yo game up baby girl cuz
you were never on my level. I had to stoop to yours.” I turned around and
walked out.
Upon
returning to Sydney
“You’re
tellin me that wasn’t a sexual look you gave me when we met?” He asked her.
“Not
even close. There would be no chance in hell I’d give you that type of look.”
She clarified.
“Why
cuz of Mr. Superstar? I see him all the time after his games talkin to hoes and
goin to rooms with them. He’s not the man for you.”
“And
you are?”
“I’d
treat you better. A whole lot better.”
“Oh
really? How would you do that?”
“However
way you want. I’m the type that’ll please you.”
“You
wanna please me?”
“More
then anything.”
“Do
you want me to give myself to you? Let you taste my body?”
“More
then anything.”
“Then
buy me a Mercedes.” She requested.
“You
can have one of mine. I have 6.”
“Do
you have the new 2110 FX-45 series J?”
“It’s
not out yet.”
“Kenny
has one.”
“Impossible.
It’s not out yet.”
“Like
I said, you can’t give me what he can.”
“Give
me another chance.” He requested.
“You
only get one, sweetheart.”
“Come
on, now, you can’t be serious. You gon tease me like that then just turn away?”
“It’s
not my fault you got yo hopes up thinking you were actually on my level.”
“Really?”
He licked his lips. “Ya kno what, fuck you. You only a gold digging hoe
anyway.” He started walkin away.
“What
you call me?” She stood up.
“You
heard me.”
“Nah,
I don’t think I did. What the fuck you say to me?” She demanded.
“I
said,” he stopped walking and turned around, “you ain’t nuttin but a money
grubbin, dick suckin HOE!!!” She swung at him and knocked him on the ground.
“Nah,
pimpin, you don’t eva in yo life say some shit like that to me.” She said.
Her
gangsta side was showin. The way she was talkin and her actions. I took my time
getting to her just to see what he was goin to do. He stood up and charged her.
She moved to the side and tripped him. He stood up and walked to her.
“Looks
like I underestimated you.” He said.
She
knew he was bout to swing at her, so she beat him to the punch….literally. She
busted his nose and kicked him in the stomach. He fell to his knees. She took
his head and drove it into her knee. He lied on his back, bloody and in serious
pain. She walked away from him and was goin back to her spot. He ended up
pullin a gun out and pointing it at her. That’s when I had to make my move. I
grabbed his wrist. He quickly looked at me. I smiled and punched his arm,
popping his bone out. He screamed in pain. Monique came running.
“What
the hell you do to him?” She asked. I didn’t say anything. “Are you that
jealous that you have to beat up every guy that I mess with?”
“Get
over yourself. You should be trying to get him to a hospital more then
questioning me. How bout askin him why he was tryin to holla at Sydney Sydney
“Fine.”
She was a little shaky, but mostly adrenaline was dissipating. “I hate havin to
resort to violence.”
“You
did what you had to do. You don’t let anyone talk about you without payin for
it. That’s what I love about you. I mean you really whooped his ass.” She
smiled. “I’m almost afraid of you.”
“Now
you’re teasing.” She proclaimed. “Thank you, though.”
“That’s
what I do.” I turned her towards me. “I’m here for you now and forever.” I
leaned in and kissed her. She then got on top of me, kissing me, stripping her
clothes off and ready for a night cap.
PRESENT
I
woke up to the sound of Andrew’s voice. Ma was talkin to him, getting to know
her new found grandson. I sat up and looked at him. He noticed me.
“Hey,
Dad.” He said. Ma turned and smiled.
“Good
afternoon, sleepy head.” She said.
“Hello
all. How long you been up?” I asked Andrew.
“Not
long.”
“Yea,
I just came in to check his arms.” Ma said. “Will is on his way.”
“Good.
Keeps me from having to call him.” I stated. I got up and went into the
bathroom. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, checked my hair and smiled at my
reflection. “You are somethin sexy.” I said to myself. I walked out the
bathroom and saw Will sitting in a chair talkin to Andrew.
“So
when you get up outta here, that’s when the fun begins.” He said.
“I
can’t wait. There’s so much I want to do.” Andrew said excitedly.
“And
we’re goin to do it all.” I said, walking up to them. “What’s happenin?” I said
to Will as I gave him dap.
“Same
shit, different day.” He looked at Andrew then back at me. “At least for me.” I
smiled.
“Ya
know.” Ma came back in with two other doctors. “What’s goin on?” I asked Ma.
“I’ll
explain in a minute. Andrew, you’re goin to come with us, ok?” She said.
“Ok.”
He replied. “Can Dad come too?”
“I’m
sorry, but he can’t. He has to wait out here. Don’t worry, you’ll see him as
soon as we’re done.” They started getting all the equipment and pushed him out
of the room. Two more doctors were outside the room to help. Ma approached me.
“What’s
wrong?”
“I
noticed somethin as I was talkin to him. You were in the bathroom, but I didn’t
have time to tell you. Andrew won’t make it through the night with the lungs he
have and on top of that, we’re not goin to be able to keep him conscious.”
“What
are you saying?”
“The
new lungs he’ll be receiving will be in tonight. I can do the transplant
tomorrow evening, but if he stays the way he is, he’ll die before midnight . We’re goin to put artificial
lungs in him to take the bad ones out.”
“Artificial
lungs?” Will repeated. “I didn’t know such things exist.”
“They’re
a prototype. They’re in testing stage, which is why we’re not goin to keep him
awake. These things are designed to function as real lungs, but until we know
they’ll work, he’s goin to be in close observation and in a coma. We need to
minimize the amount of oxygen he uses.”
“So
you’re goin to use my son as an experiment?” I asked.
“I
don’t have a choice. Either risk this or risk him not making it. I may be wrong
about him not being able to make it through the night, but do you really wanna
chance it. If I’m wrong about this, the worse thing that can happen is him
dying for a few seconds as we get him going again. The only risk we’re taking
is continuous function of these lungs. Other then that, they should work as
advertised.” I looked at Will then back at Ma.
“You’re
the doctor.” I said.
“Don’t
worry, he’ll be fine. I promise.” She assured me. I nodded and watched her
leave.
“Don’t
sweat it, kid. He’s gon be straight.” Will stated. “Come on, let’s get somethin
to eat.” I nodded. We walked to his car and headed to a Chinese buffet. We got
a table, ordered our drinks, got a couple plates, and sat down. “If I was to
tell you that I may have known about Andrew, would you be mad at me?”
“Depends.”
“Well,
I didn’t pay attention to it at the time, but Beyonce let that slip. She
mentioned him accidentally in a conversation we were having. She quickly
changed the subject and neva came back to it, so I kinda left it alone.”
“Hmmm.”
“What
are you thinking?”
“I’m
a lil lost on why she kept him a secret. I’ve never wanted to talk to her so
bad.”
“Makes
ya kinda upset that Sydney
“A
lil, but I can’t be mad at Sydney
“I
see what you mean.”
“Did
Beyonce have any surprises like this for you?” I asked him.
“Nope.
She was pregnant with my child, was ready to collect on it, but miscarried.”
“I
had a dream last night about what happened on the beach with Sydney
“How
so?”
“Well,
you showed me the video of her affair and divorced her. I just wanna know what
made you suspect her in the first place.”
“Just
like you. Williams had it planned out good. He had Robert for Monique, right?
Beyonce’s ex was Terrance. I never mentioned this, but Beyonce wasn’t a
virgin.”
“Kinda
had a feeling. You almost got it that day we stopped y’all.” I recalled.
“No
doubt. Monique neva knew though. Terrance was her first. The reason they didn’t
stay together was because he moved overseas. He would have remained overseas if
Williams didn’t offer him a job that he couldn’t refuse. When Terrance came
back, him and Beyonce started immediately be attracted to one another. That was
her first love and she wanted to be with him. I soon became suspicious because her
demeanor changed. She wasn’t all up on me like she used to be. After a week of
no sex, I knew she was cheating on me. I caught her soon after. On our kids
birthday; that same day you suspected Monique, I actually knew Terrance and
Beyonce were doin it. Her dumb ass answered the phone thinking she could really
make it seem like she was innocent. I could not only here him in the
background, but her breathing was deep. I played it coo so she would think she
got away with it.” It was obvious how much the situation hurt him. “When she
came back, I ignored her and planned on a way to catch her in the act. I said I
was goin to go out of town for a while. I ended up staying with my parents.
After a day, I snuck into the house and caught them on our bed. I videotaped
the whole thing. After that, I talked to Karla about it. She said that she
promised Beyonce she wouldn’t tell me. You know how Karla hates breaking
promises.”
“All
too well.” I agreed. “So how’d you get her to talk?”
“Well,
Karla is a smart girl. She said she promised Beyonce she wouldn’t tell me. So
she said she wrote it in her diary and I can stumble across it.”
“Damn.”
“Ya
kno. Anyway, I read her diary entry and just couldn’t believe it. I was played
like niggaz I criticized for years. I decided to come back a day early. I
caught them again, but this time I decided to make my presence felt. I busted
in and immediately attacked Terrance. I beat the living hell out of him until
there was nothing left. I kicked her out and fell into a deep trans. Just like
you did.”
“All
this happened while I was away.”
“Candace
came and took me out. I did what you did, but had no one stop me. I had a
bigger list of hoes…in fact, I think I did every female in the club.”
“What
club?”
“Ignition.”
“Ain’t
no ugly girls in there. The ugliest one is a damn 9.”
“Ya
know. I had to ice my balls all the next day.”
“I
can imagine.” I stacked up my plates. “Be back.” I headed back for more food.
Will soon joined me. We sat back down wit two plates a piece.
“We
got basketball again here pretty soon. In fact in a couple months. We play the
Bear Claws our 6th game at their stadium. Don’t know bout you, but
that game scares me.”
“I’m
terrified.” I commented. “They’re goin to have a chip on their shoulder. But
you know what, I’mma show my son why I should be his favorite player and not
KJ.”
“Your
jealousy is ugly.” He stated.
“Yea,
well, you’ll get over it.” I started thinking. “Is Beyonce still alive?”
“Yea.
After you killed Kyle and I destroyed Ray, Beyonce got Monique to a hospital,
thinking she could be saved. Before she left, I told her and her family to be
out of the state by the end of the week. Haven’t seen or heard about them
since. I googled Williams and his company headquarters is now in St. Louis
“I
googled Monique the other night. A whole bunch of sex tapes came up. I mean as
much as a porn star except she didn’t get paid for it. On top of that, there’s
not a single site that states she’s dead.”
“Think
she’s alive?” He asked.
“No,
but I’m starting to think about her a lot. Not in a reminiscent way, but all
the confrontations.” I looked at my watch. “I need to call Sydney
“Ya
know one thing I’m glad about? The fact we is still us with them.”
“What
do you mean?”
“We
softened up when we were with Mo and B. With Sid and Candy, we’re ourselves.”
Will explained.
“You’re
right about that.” I agreed. I finished my plate and started my second one. “I
thought about proposing.”
“Me
too.” Will said. “What’s stopping us?”
“Need
to make sure it’s right. I don’t want to make another mistake. Not to mention,
we have to make this one a lil bit more fantastic then our last.”
“Don’t
know how, we wrote an entire song for that.”
“That’s
where it’s easy. Sydney and Candace aren’t goin to be impressed by a song. We
need somethin fantastic. I have a few ideas, but first things first. Gotta make
sure she’s the one.”
“Are
you in doubt?”
“Not
really.” I finished that plate. “Damn, why am I so hungry?” I looked and
noticed him finish too. “Comin?”
“Yep.”
We got up and got a couple more plates. This is our absolute favorite place, so
it’s not like we were new to this. We sat back down.
“While
I’m thinking about it, we have a conference tomorrow.”
“Oh
yea, our first owners conference. Are you expecting all the owners to be
there?”
“Nope,
but a good amount. I think we should bring some donuts. I know Latoya, Yvonne,
Dionna, our parents, Damien, and I think Jason were goin to be there. My
question is what’s the main point of us doin this?”
“Now
that JS has moved here, I think Dad wants to make sure no one defers. We
already had two.”
“Good
point. Not to mention KJ and Terrell are already ova there.” My phone started
ringing. I took it off my belt clip and saw who it was. “Hello?”
“Hey,
K, where you at?” Sydney
“I’m
at my favorite place in the world with Will. What’s up?”
“Your
father just picked up the kids, so Candace and I were out and about.”
“Are
you hungry?” I asked her.
“Just
ate. What were y’all doin after you leave there?”
“No
plans. What’s up?”
“We
were goin to the mall and wanted to see if y’all would meet us there.”
“Which
one?”
“Memorial.”
“You
wanna go to Memorial?” I asked Will.
“Yea,
why not.” He replied.
“Iight,
we’ll meet you there.” I told Sydney
“Ok.
We’ll be there in about a half hour.”
“Fa
sho.”
“See
you then.” She said.
“It’s
on.” I hung up wit her and continued eating. “They’ll be there in a half hour.
Memorial is about 10 mins away, so we can take our time.”
“Do
you see me rushin?” Will asked.
“A
lil.” I said, sarcastically.
“Trust
me, I’m bout to enjoy this.” He continued eating. I shook my head and continued
eating.
We
finished eating ten minutes later. We started heading out to Memorial Mountain
Classics Mall. How that name came about you ask? I have no idea. Moving on, we
got in his car and I started looking around.
“You
got a pencil in here?” I asked Will.
“Should
be one in the glove box.” He said.
I
opened the glove box and a picture dropped out. I picked it up and looked at
it. It was a picture of Will, Beyonce, Monique and me dancing. The picture was
taken at a party we went to. What a night that was…..my first threesome with
Monique. That was a good night. I put the picture back and grabbed the pencil.
I started writing a few ideas I had. A few minutes later, we arrived at the
mall. I finished writing and put the notebook and pencil in the chair upon
getting out. We started walking towards the mall.
“I’m
getting a feeling about somethin.” I stated.
“Whatcha
mean?” He asked me.
“I’on
kno. I’m just feelin like our past isn’t done. Like somethin is goin to pop up.”
“Who?”
“Can’t
say. I’ve been reminiscin about too many past events. Something aint right.” We
walked into the mall.
“I
think you’re paranoid. For the first time in a long time I feel like we have
nothin to worry about.” He looked at my face. “Then again, you did just find
out about your son. I guess if you think about it, the timing for it is a lil
strange.”
“How
so?” I asked him.
“Well,
Monique’s birthday would be next week. I
just feel that this may be a lil coincidental.”
“Yea,
but Monique is dead. What can she do?” We saw Sydney and Candace sitting by the
fountain. We started walking to them still talking. “You know what, you’re
right, I’m prolly paranoid.”
“Well,
I just want you focused for tomorrow. I’mma need your brain working tomorrow.
We’re goin to be grilled and grilled hard.”
“You’re
definitely right about that. At the same time, I’m tryin not to dwell on Drew
too much either.” I stated.
“Dwelling
on Drew isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Worrying about him is perfectly normal.
The thing you should remember is that there’s a thin line between concern and
fear. Don’t be afraid that somethin is goin to happen to him.”
“You’re
right about that.” The girls saw us and waved at us. “It won’t be hard to take
my mind off Drew with this gorgeous woman right here.” We got close to the
girls. I hugged Sydney
“Hey
yourself. How are you feeling?” She asked.
“I’m
good. Thanks to a lil advice from that guy.” I said, referring to Will. I
stopped hugging her and just looked at her.
“You,
okay?”
“Yea.”
I smiled at her and kissed her lips. “I’m just glad you’re with me.”
“I
wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” She said, smiling. “I’m here for you now
and forever.” She kissed my lips again and hugged me. “So what do you want to
do now?”
“You
wanted to come here. What do you want to do?” She started thinking. She looked
at Candace.
“What
did we come here for?” She asked her.
“Ummm……wow.
I can’t even remember.” She replied. I looked at Will and shook my head. “Let’s
walk around; I’m sure it’ll come back to us.” We all began walking around the
mall. I looked up and saw an ex of mine and her sister, whom is Will’s ex,
obviously. My eyes widened.
“You
know what, let’s go this way.” I suggested. I looked at Will and I can tell he
saw them too. Why are we goin through so much trouble, you ask? Look at it like
this. We’re with Candace and Sydney. These two individuals that we messed wit
fa a lil bit are the most jealous and craziest girls we’ve ever met. They keyed
up one of our cars cuz they thought we were messin around. I know they’re goin
to start somethin, so it’s best if we avoid having them cross paths or they may
get hurt. I’m sure you’ll know what I mean. I kept a lookout for the two girls.
We ended up passing a Victoria
“Hey,
I know for a fact I wanted to go in here.” Candace stated.
“Me
too.” Sydney
“Iight.”
I replied. We watched them walk into VS and we started heading towards the
Urban Shop. But before we got there, it happened.
“Kenny.”
Helen said as she came up on us.
“Will.”
Lilly said as she came up on him. We looked at each other and then back at
them.
“What’s
up?” We replied.
“Why
y’all stop callin?” Helen asked.
“Shawty,
we been finished fa like 4 years.” I replied. “Why can’t you just move on?”
“We
weren’t really together to be honest. We had two encounters and that’s it.”
Will clarified.
“You
did more than that,” Lilly began, “y’all took our virginity. Y’all belong to
us. We belong together.”
“Shawty,
what the hell is wrong wit you?” Will said.
“Straight
up, if y’all don’t bounce before our real girls come out, y’all gon be in a
world of pain playin dat game.” I stated.
“Let
the bitches come.” Helen stated. All of a sudden four other females approached.
“We’ll stomp they ass.”
“You
can’t be serious.” I said. “Helen, you need help. Actually both of you need
help. I’ll even pay for it myself.”
“I’m
washing my hands of the situation.” We turned around and started walking away.
We then saw two big guys heading our way. We recognized them as the linebackers
on the Cincinnati Bengals.
“You
can’t be serious.” I said again. I turned around. “You’re even bold enough to
get your brothers on us?” I said to Helen and Lilly.
We
started shaking our heads. We then saw the rest of Cincinnati Cleveland
“What’s
the point of this anyway?” Will asked.
“Look,
we really have nothin against y’all. We’re real big fans.” Her brother said.
“But we can’t just allow y’all to disrespect our sisters.”
“Look,
I understand all that, but they knew we weren’t goin for a relationship. IT was
only a fuck and that’s it.” I explained.
“He’s
lying, Quentin. They cheated on us every day while we were together.” Lilly
stated.
“You
lyin bitch.” Will said. Damn. Their brothers grabbed our arms and held us as we
got wailed on by the other guys.
“Hold
up.” Quentin said. “Lilly, Helen, get a lil bit.” They approached us, tryin to
walk sexy and seductive. Will and I looked at each other, both in serious pain.
“I
hope you enjoyed us, guys.” Helen said, touching my cheek.
“You’ll
never have us again.” Lilly finished. They both slapped us and kicked us in the
balls. Their brothers let us go as we curled on the floor in serious pain. They
all started to walk away. Sydney and Candace ran to us the second they saw us.
“Oh
my god, are y’all alright?” Sydney
“Sydney
She
looked at Candace and then straight ahead at the group that was walking away.
They looked back at each other and stood up. They walked towards the group.
They stopped by an elevator and were looking over the rail to the ground floor.
Sydney and Candace walked between the guys and stood in front of the six girls.
“Which
one of you are responsible for Will and Kenny?” Sydney
“We
are.” Helen confessed. Sydney and Candace immediately decked both Lilly and
Helen. They then kicked two of their friends in the stomach and decked the
other two. All the guys watched as they knew they couldn’t touch them. Helen
got up and rushed Sydney Sydney
“Come
get her, Helen.” He said.
That’s
when I came up. It’s on now. I came up behind him and kicked him in the back of
the head. He let Sydney Sydney
“Try
to get us out of here.” I told Sydney
“Are
you ok?” Sydney
“Don’t
worry about me. How are you? I couldn’t tell if you were hurt any.”
“Not
a scratch on me.” She glanced over at me. “You want me to pull over and do that
for you.”
“Nah,
I got it.” I pulled down the visor and looked in the mirror. I dabbed some
peroxide on the napkin and placed it on the cut above my eye. Burned like hell.
Suddenly, she pulled into a parking garage. She stopped the car, turned it off,
and unbuckled her seat belt. “I said I got it.” I said, softly, allowing her to
clean me up.
“I
can tell.” She said, smiling. “So who were they?”
“The
one you hit first is Helen. I took her virginity about 5 years ago and she
became a class 5 clinger. Her sister, Lilly, was the one Candace took out. I
don’t know their friends, but all the guys were the defensive team of the
Cincinnati Bengals.”
“Are
you serious?”
“Oh
yea.”
“Damn.
This is goin to be all over the news. If my memory serves me correctly, this is
your first ounce of bad publicity. What kind of affect do you think it’ll have
on the public?”
“I
don’t know, but this doesn’t look good. Ouch.” I said as she put more peroxide
on me. “Thank you.”
“For
what?”
“Buying
me time to get them back.”
“I’m
sorry, but you think I did that for you?”
“Of
course not. I’m just saying.”
“I
know.” She smiled. “You’re all cleaned up.” She put the peroxide up. “By the
way, how badly they hurt you to get you curled up on the floor?”
“She
kicked me in the balls.” I proclaimed.
“Oh
my god!!! I’m so sorry.” She looked down and started reaching. She wanted to
touch it, but was scared. “Does it still hurt?”
“A
lil.” I replied.
“May
I?” She asked me.
“Be
gentle.” I watched her as she slowly unbuttoned and unzipped my pants. I lifted
up so she can pull them down. She lightly touched my dick and lifted it up to
see the balls.
“Well,
they don’t look swollen.” She gently touched my balls. “Any pain?”
“A
little.”
“I
remember the first time you were hit in the balls.”
“You
should, cuz you’re the one that did it.”
“I’m
sorry. You know what the difference is between now and then?”
“What?”
“I
can make it better.”
“Cuz
you’re a doctor.” I said, smiling.
“No.
Because I’m your lover.”
She
bent down and started sucking my dick. That definitely took my mind off the
pain. I put my hand on her head and just laid back. After a few minutes, she
stopped. I looked at her.
“I
want you.” She stated.
She
got out the car and got in on my side. She pulled her thong off and pulled her
skirt up. I moved the chair as far back as possible. She got on top of me and
rode the fuck out of me. Her moaning was the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard. She
bounced her ass up and down. She got louder and louder. I knew she was getting
close.
She
grabbed onto my chest and screamed, “I’m cumin!!!” There’s one. I looked
outside. The parking garage was completely deserted.
“Get
up.” I told her. I opened the door and let her get up and stand outside. She
stood outside and looked around.
“What’s
wrong?” She asked.
“Absolutely
nuttin.”
I
got out the car and approached her. I started kissing her and exposing her
beautiful breasts. I turned her around, bent her over the car and started
hittin it from the back. Her moans echoed a lil bit. I pulled her hair.
“Oh
Kenny.” She screamed, marking number two.
Her
pussy was beyond wet. Her ass was so beautiful. The jiggle of it was just the
most absolute gorgeous thing about this position. Her moans changed again. This
time I knew she had two or three back to back. I stopped, turned her around and
laid her on top of the hood. I put her legs on my shoulders and gave her
numbers 5, 6, 7, and 8. I continued giving her more and more. We went back to
doggy style. I sped up, going deeper and deeper. She got louder and louder. I
pulled her hair and smacked her ass. The jiggle in her ass alone was goin to
make me bust all over the place. I kept giving her more orgasms, two or three
at a time. Then it was my turn. I grabbed her ass and gave her a good couple
more thrusts, reaching my own climax. I leaned forward and kissed her
shoulders. She leaned back and rubbed my hair. I kissed her, massaging her
tongue with my own. I pulled out and popped the trunk. I took two towels out. I
gave her one and cleaned myself with the other.
“Are
you ok?” I asked her.
“Never
been better.” She said, smiling. “Were you angry a lil bit?”
“A
lil. Why?”
“You’re
usually not that intense unless you are. I’mma have to start getting you mad
before sex.” I chuckled. “I’m serious.” She got her thong out the car and put
it on.
“Were
you coming to the hospital with me?” I asked her.
“Absolutely.
Are you sure you can handle the load of tomorrow while worrying about Andrew?”
“Yea.
I won’t be worrying about him too much considering he’s in Ma’s care.” I let Sydney
“What’s
goin through your mind as far as discovering your son?” She asked.
“I’m
tryin to figure out why Monique kept him from me.” I started driving out of the
parking garage. She took my hand into hers.
“I’m
sorry I killed her. I’m sure you wish she was alive now more then anything.”
She kissed my hand.
“You
did what you had to do. If anything I’m glad you did. It was either her or me
or both. You chose her before she had a chance at me.” I pulled out my cell
phone upon feeling it vibrate. “What it is?” I answered.
“Hey,
Kenny, it’s your mother. Just calling to let you know Andrew’s surgery will
take place at 10 tomorrow morning. Right now he’s in intensive care, but stable
position. You have nothin to worry about. I suggest you go home and get some
rest. You have a big day tomorrow.”
“Yea,
you’re right. Iight, thanks Ma.”
“You’re
welcome, sweetie. Tell Sydney
“I
will. I’ll see you in the morning.” I hung up wit her and looked at the time.
“Well, I’m not goin back to the hospital, so what would you like to do?”
“Well,
the kids are at your parents and I can’t remember the last time we had a night
alone together.”
“I
couldn’t agree more.”
“Let’s
see what Will and Candace are doing. We could just spend it all together.” She
pulled her phone out her purse and called Candace. I looked at my rear view
mirrors and noticed someone following us. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but
I’m not taking any chances. I made a right and picked up speed. Yea, we’re
being followed. She continued talking on the phone, not noticing what was goin
on. I tried to lose the car, and then I changed my mind and wanted to confront
them.
“Baby,
can you get my case out from under your seat?” I asked her.
She
bent over and pulled the case out and handed it to me. She still wasn’t curious
about what was goin on. I guess that’s a good thing. I pulled into another
parking garage and waited. This garage was pretty full, so it wasn’t goin to be
real noticeable that I was waiting for the car. I drove slowly to see if the
car would follow. I wasn’t disappointed. I circled around a bit and parked. I
opened the case and loaded up. That’s when she noticed.
“Hold
on, Candace.” She looked at me, “what’s goin on?”
“We’re
being followed. Stay here. If needed, a pistol is in the glove box.” I kissed
her and got out the car.
I closed the door and listened to it lock. I
crouched down and spotted the car still circling around. It passed by and for a
brief second it was like everything slowed down as I saw the driver and passengers.
There were 4 in the car. I didn’t recognize them, but I can tell they weren’t
connected with the altercation I just had at the mall. I watched it park,
confirming that they saw my car. I smiled and took my guns off safety. Staying
low, I maneuvered through the cars and saw them already heading towards my car.
I then noticed a lot of people start to head towards their cars. I couldn’t
kill my pursuers unless I want this all over the news. I put my guns away and
thought about it. I crept up behind the four gentlemen and did what I was
taught:
I
was close enough to see tats on all their necks, most likely their names. Tops,
Gats, Juke, and Easy were the names from the front left to back right. I came
up on Easy first, put him in a headlock and stuck a knife through his heart. I
pushed him into Gats. Juke pulled out a gun and pointed it at me. He pulled the
trigger, but I grabbed his arm and caused him to miss. I twisted his wrist,
breaking it, forcing him to drop the gun. I elbowed his forearm and popped his
bone out. I then kicked his right leg and popped his knee cap out. I used his
shoulders to flip and grab Tops in a leg lock. I used Tops to swing my body
into Gats. Using my legs to strangle Tops and having Gats in a leg lock, I took
them both to the ground. Let the interrogation begin.
“Who
sent you?” I asked.
They
said nothing but grasped for air. I looked around and saw no one paying
attention to us. I used my tongue to move a blade to the front of my mouth. As
hard as I could, I cut Gats in the head. He yelled in pain. I then spit on it
to make it burn.
“I’ll
ask again, who sent you? You might wanna hurry cuz your boy is runnin out of
air down there.” I said.
“It’ll
go to the grave with us.” Tops stated. I clicked my heels, popping out a blade from
the heel of my shoe. I slowly forced it into Tops’ back. “We don’t know. We
never met him.” He confessed.
“Are
you after me?” I asked, making sure it wasn’t for Sydney
“Yes.”
He replied.
“How
do you contact this individual?” I then heard a phone ring. I looked around. It
was Tops. “I take it you’re the leader. Give me the phone.” He pulled the phone
out and handed it to me. I answered it, but didn’t say anything.
“Tops?”
The voice sounded familiar. I put on my best impression of Tops.
“Yea.”
It was a so-so effort.
“Is
the job done? Is she dead?” The voice sounded really familiar. Wait a minute,
she? Looks like someone was lying.
“No,
she got away. Kenny spotted us.” I said.
“Dammit.
I had a feeling that was goin to happen. Look, this is what’s goin down.
Tomorrow is Andrew’s surgery. We’re goin to put in phase II, so keep a lock on
them.”
“What
would killing her have to do with anything?” I asked.
“I
already explained this to you. She’s the fuel to his engine. If she’s gone, he
will lose the better half of himself and it’ll make killing him a whole lot
easier. Look, just stay on them. In two days, phase II will commence and I
wanna make sure it goes smoothly as possible.” He hung up. I wanted to say it
was Williams, but it didn’t sound like him. It sounded like someone else.
“What’s
phase II?” I asked Tops.
“I
don’t know.” He said. I believed him.
“You
know, at first I was goin to let ya go, but you said y’all were aiming for me.
Comes to find out you were aiming for someone else.” I looked and saw Juke moving
and Easy reaching for the gun. “Looks like this chat is over.”
I
snapped both Tops and Gats necks and dropped them. I pulled out a few more
knives and started throwing them. 3 ended up in both of their heads. All four
men were dead. Just when I thought things were getting peaceful in my life,
this shit pops up. I walked back to the car and unlocked the door. I opened it
and got in.
“What
was that all about?” Sydney
“Just
a gang lookin for recognition. They failed miserably.” I started the car and
drove out of the garage. “What’s the word on tonite?”
“Oh,
they’re not doing anything, so they wanted to challenge us in Taboo.” I smiled.
“You remember we beat them the last time.”
“Cuz
we know each other oh so well.” I stated.
We
got to the house and went up to our room. I went into the bathroom and cleaned
up real fast. I came out the bathroom and saw Sydney
“We
need to talk.” I stated.
“Fa
sho.” He stepped aside and let me walk by him.
“Where’s
Candace?”
“In
the room sleep.”
“Good.”
We sat down on the couch. “I was followed on my way here. I picked up on it
before getting close out here. There were four of them.”
“What
the hell? What were they, gang members?” He asked.
“Possibly,
but they were working for someone. It wasn’t a random attack. More importantly,
I wasn’t even the target.”
“Nah,
don’t tell me.”
“Yea.
I killed them all, but not before talking to the puppeteer.”
“Who
was it?”
“I’m
not sure. The voice sounded oh so familiar, but I can’t think of who it may be.
All I know is he knows Andrew will be in surgery tomorrow and phase II will begin
in two days.”
“This
makes no sense.” He stated.
“I
think Candace might be next.”
“Most
likely. You think they know where we live?”
“Who
doesn’t know where we live? The question is are they bold enough to attack
here. Our security system is state of the art and entrance is impossible.”
“Yea.”
He stood up and started pacing. “I’m not feeling too good about this. We can’t
just up and tell them.”
“Nah,
I rather not.”
“At
the same time, we can’t keep them under our watch at all times.”
“That’s
too true.” I stood up. “But we can keep them under our watch for the next
couple days. Y’all can be at the hospital wit me to monitor Andrew’s progress.”
“That’s
true.” He agreed. “I swear wheneva I think things are lookin up, some more shit
gotta come up.”
“You
and me both.” I agreed. “But just like er’thing else, we gon make it through
this too.” I gave him dap. “When do you wanna go through our game plan fa
tomorrow?”
“Give
me two hours.”
“Fa
sho.” I left his room and went back upstairs.
I
opened my door and went straight to Tierra’s room. I looked at the pictures of
her. I then came out her room and went into Kendal’s. I felt somethin in here.
Somethin bad. I saw a picture of Kendal with his father. I picked it up and
that’s when it hit me.
“Son
of a bitch. That’s the voice.” I said aloud.
What
beef does he have wit me? Why is he tryin to kill Sydney, the mother of his
child? Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions. Maybe I’m just imagining things and
that’s not his voice. The feeling I get in this room is telling me otherwise. I
walked out and went into the twins’ room. The room felt so innocent and loving.
We have four children, two actually ours together, but it feels like all of
them are. I came out the room and went into our bedroom. I lied down next to Sydney
I
woke up to Sydney
“Sydney
“Hey,
y’all.” She said to Will and Candace.
“Hey.”
They said together.
“We
have a lot of work to do, so let’s get started.” I said to Will.
“In
that case, Candace and I will start dinner.” Sydney
“Coo.”
I gave her a kiss and Will kissed Candace. “Call us if you need us and when
dinner is ready.”
“Of
course.” Sydney
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