Chapter 5
“What’s her problem? Is she a fucking drill sergeant?” Reid asked as he caught his breath.
“I’ve never run this much in my life. Does she know the difference between lacrosse and track?” Leo complained.
“It’s called conditioning, and with the way y’all are panting, it’s clearly needed,” I told them.
It was Friday afternoon, and we were in the locker room. We’d made it through our first week of practice, and most of my teammates had been complaining all week. The amount of running we did wasn’t what I expected. However, it became very apparent how out of shape we all were.
“Don’t try to act like you ain’t been struggling all week right along with us,” Leo said.
“Yeah, but you don’t hear me complaining about it because I know this shit ain’t supposed to be easy.”
“Nobody said it’s supposed to be easy, but what is all this running gonna do for us?” Reid asked.
“I guess we’ll find out,” I responded, closing my locker and heading toward the door.
All week, my teammates had been complaining about Coach Sampson. Although I was surprised by how much Coach Crawford had allowed her to take charge this week, I figured he wanted to see how she handled us.
Reid and Leo were guilty of not taking practice seriously in the past. Our coaches nicknamed them Lazier and Laziest because of their lack of effort. They were finding out very quickly that Coach Sampson meant business.
“Hold up!” Leo called out.
I stopped and turned around. “Wassup?”
“You still coming out tonight?”
I chuckled. “You sure you’re feeling up to it? I thought you might be too tired after all the running we did this week.”
“Nah, I need to get my dick wet, and I ain’t gon’ do that by staying inside.”
“You have a point. My parents agreed to watch Deuce for me, but I’m about to head over there to hang out with him before going home and getting dressed.”
“Let’s meet at ten at Lovers and Friends.”
“Cool.”
I continued out of the building and to my car. Once my phone was connected, I called my mother.
“Hey, Ma.”
“Hey, Son. How was practice?”
“The same as it’s been all week. This woman is worse than a drill sergeant.”
“She’s whipping y’all into shape.”
“I guess. Did you cook?”
“No. I didn’t feel like it today.”
“Okay. I’ll pick up a few pizzas. Same kind as always?”
“Yes. Our usual is fine.”
I picked up pizza from our favorite pizza spot at least once a month and treated my parents to dinner a few times a month. They didn’t charge me to watch Deuce, so it was the least I could do to show them my appreciation.
“I’ll be there soon.”
About an hour later, I entered my parents’ home and received a warm welcome from my son. He was always excited to see me, and the feeling was mutual. I was holding the pizza boxes when he rushed to me and wrapped his arms around my legs.
“Daddy, I missed you.”
“I missed you too, son. Let me put this down.”
He released me and followed me to the kitchen. When I put the boxes on the counter, I turned around, picked him up, and tossed him in the air. He immediately broke into a fit of giggles as I caught him and repeated the action.
“I’ve told you about tossing my grandson around like a rag doll,” my mother fussed.
She hated it when my father and I were anything but gentle with Deuce. Thank goodness my son and I had moved out, and I could roughhouse with him in the privacy of our apartment.
“He’s fine, Ma. Do you see how he’s laughing?”
“He’s barely five years old, Niko. He doesn’t know what’s good for him. Cut it out.”
I kissed my son’s cheek and put him down.
“I’m hungry, Daddy.”
“Okay. We can have some pizza after we wash our hands. Let’s go.”
He followed me to the bathroom, and after we had washed our hands, we returned to the kitchen. By then, my dad had come home and was washing his hands at the kitchen sink.
“Wassup, Pops?”
“Nothing but my stomach growling.”
“Well, let’s eat. I’m starving too.”
Once everyone was seated, we filled our plates with pizza and silently enjoyed a few bites.
Suddenly, my mother got up and left the kitchen before returning with Deuce’s iPad and headphones.
Typically, we didn’t let him have his electronics at the table, so I knew my mother wanted to discuss something serious.
“Niko asked an interesting question today,” Ma said once she’d found his favorite show on the iPad and put his headphones on.
“Oh really? What was it?”
“Where’s his mother?”
I almost choked on the pizza I had in my mouth. “He asked what?”
“He wants to know where his mother is, Son.”
“Are you sure that’s what he said? Sometimes?—”
“I know what my grandson said. I know I asked this a while back, but?—”
“Nothing has changed, Ma. Chanice has only reached out a few times over the past four years. She gave me full custody for a reason.”
“If she didn’t plan to reach out more than once a year, she should’ve signed over her rights. Since when does full custody mean no contact for the other parent? She’s not concerned about her son’s well-being?”
“I don’t know because I haven’t talked to her.”
“Maybe it’s time you give her a call.”
“I can’t do that. We agreed that she’d contact me if she wanted to see him or know how he was doing.”
“That’s—”
“Kolette, let it go, baby. Niko is a damn good father, and that’s all that matters.”
“That’s all that mattered when my grandson wasn’t asking about his mother. It’s different now.”
I sighed. It had been a while since my mother had mentioned Chanice. For the first year that I was home, she didn’t mention her at all, and I thought she understood the agreement I’d made with Deuce’s mother.
“I can’t make her be a part of his life. I’m holding up my end of the bargain by not reaching out to her, not sending pictures or videos, or pressuring her to be present in his life. That’s all I can do, Ma.”
She sighed and shook her head with disappointment all over her face. I hated that she felt the way she did, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Thankfully, my father changed the subject, and we enjoyed the rest of pizza night. I stayed for a few hours after we finished eating to play with Deuce. He could hardly keep his eyes open by the time I’d bathed him and read him a bedtime story.
“All right, parentals. I’ll be over before noon to pick him up. Thanks for watching him.”
“You know it’s never a problem,” my mother said.
“Unless we have plans. I keep telling you to find a backup sitter,” my father added.
He loved Niko being around as much, if not more than my mother, but he never missed an opportunity to remind me not to take them for granted. I never had, and I never would.