Anthony
ANTHONY
I WAS DAMN near giddy about today and even my brother’s surprise visit wasn’t going to stop how I was feeling. He’d popped up looking as though he was here to chill and when I headed back to my room instead of going to the sofa, I knew he was about to ask questions.
“What you doing?”
I glanced down at the bag and the shit I was tossing in it then back at my brother.
“Packing.”
I grabbed the last few shirts I needed out of my closet and tossed them onto the bed.
My condo was a two-bedroom, two-bathroom that was on the west side of the city.
It was nice as hell and as soon as I got my first check from being on the practice squad; I paid the rent on it for the year.
Jacoby and Billy had offered their rental for me, but it was way too big for just me.
Antwan rolled his eyes and I laughed at his ass before I folded the last few shirts inside.
Since I wasn’t sure what all I was going to be doing while I was gone, I wanted a variety of items just in case.
If we did something I wasn’t prepared for, there were plenty of places I could grab something to throw on.
“I can see that fool, but where you going?” He plopped his long ass on the edge of the bed and pulled my bag to him as he started to go through it.
“Gimme my shit, man.” I fought my smile snatching it back and zipped it closed. “You know where I’m going, man.”
I was avoiding his face but when I looked up he was grinning at me.
That smile had fully funded my niece’s education, wedding and house funds.
His endorsements were money he never spent and once Aania was born he set it all aside for her.
Billy said we had the same smile so I needed to make sure my shit stayed on point because people were going to be clamoring for me to represent them.
I wasn’t so sure about that but I wasn’t about to argue with that lady.
“We going to bae watch?”
I had to laugh because his ass couldn’t help but be funny. “Yeah man. I’m trying to be supportive and shit. She’s finishing up her last match in a few hours so I’ll be there as soon as she’s done.”
“You miss her don’t you?”
His tone had changed and when I looked up he was staring at me not surprised but like my words were confirmation of what he’d already thought.
“Hell yeah. We met and that shit was just right. I ain’t ashamed to say it either so shit with me is serious.”
“And her?”
I couldn’t be upset with how he was feeling because Antwan was always overprotective. He had only met her briefly and since we were still new and undefined as to what we even were I understood where he was coming from.
“She wanted me to come so I’m gonna say yeah.
We feel good. She ain’t got a lot of folks in her corner so I’m happy to be that person.
Even if I can’t be her man I’m good being her friend.
Besides, she didn’t want me to book a flight until she knew how she was gonna do and of course she’s about to rack up another trophy. ”
“She a loner?”
“Yeah, her people kept her isolated for a lot of her childhood so she ain’t have many people to chill with. And then being who she is she never knew if they were her friends for real or if they were just trying to get ahead.”
’Twan gave me a smile of understanding as he nodded his head. “Yeah, we both been a part of that.”
“Imagine that shit with the pettiness that women can exhibit at times. She just left it where it was and didn’t bother after a while. Her closest friend is probably Billy and her folks to be real.”
“Damn. She ain’t got anybody like that?” I could tell he was gonna do the big brother thing with her too as soon as he got the chance. He was gonna have to fall back because nobody was gonna advocate harder for Aphrodite than me.
“Her people bad as ours, bruh.”
Antwan slow blinked and shook his head. “Gotdamn, bruh, you couldn’t find a girl with normal people?”
With my brow raised and a deadpan look on my face I asked, “Could you?”
He opened his mouth to say something but then snapped it shut. “Well, fuck. They not as messed up as Rye’s people are they?”
“Her daddy is a ho and her mama is most definitely a doormat. Only her brother is the outside baby not her.”
“Well, shit. We too much alike, Ant.”
“In a lot of ways, we are. But if I get the same fairytale at the end like you did I’ll be grateful.” I shrugged trying to make it no big deal but the idea meant everything to me.
He stood up and pushed my shoulder affectionately. “That was some real shit, Charmin ass nigga. She knows you’re coming?”
“Yeah, we’re going to just hang out for a minute in Miami and try to stay low-key about what we doing.”
“You got rubbers?”
My head shot up, eyes looking at him, because that was not what I’d expected him to ask me next. But that was a failure on my part because I knew my damn brother.
“Nigga, what?”
“Condoms. Protection. Rubbers. Prophylactics.” Why he thought my confusion came from the name he put on condoms more than him asking about them was beyond me.
“Antwan, we had this talk when I was fucking thirteen. You think we need to have it again? Besides, we ain’t on that.” And the craziest shit was that I wanted to be but I damn sure didn’t want to make her feel like she was under any kind of pressure.
“You mean you ain’t or she ain’t? Cause you jumping through a lot of hoops and I don’t want you being led on. Your heart already in this.”
I shook my head as I grabbed my duffel bag. “Always protecting me—”
“Because it’s my damn job!” His face was frowned up like I had him fucked up.
“I’m a grown ass man. I appreciate the concern but it’s my job to look out for me. And shit, have your back once in a while.”
“You’ve already done that and then some.”
“Not nearly as much as I should have. But that’s a whole different story.
I’m glad that she wants me to be around.
These kinds of things are just perfunctory.
Like preseason. They count but not for real for her.
The grand slams are what everyone focuses on but she has to do a certain number of these events through the year too. ”
“How many of them you trying to get to? All of them?”
“Nah, she’s already got her shit in the bag.
Honestly, I think she don’t want to go home for real before she has to head to her next tournament and I want to see her.
I’m more than happy to give her a reason to hang out instead of heading back to Jersey.
If her people on that bullshit like she says they are, I know it’ll only fuck up her mental to be around them. ”
“Real shit. You need anything? You clearly already booked your flight and shit without me but—” He said that shit salty as fuck and I couldn’t help but laugh at his bitter ass.
“Your Black ass trying to send me off with spending money or some shit? This ain’t a field trip, ‘Twan.”
“Uh, yeah. You need to treat your girl. Where you going?”
“Miami, nigga, keep up.”
I was laughing at how he was hovering but I didn’t take that shit for granted. We’d always been like this until he had to check my ass to get my mind right. Our being close again was something I wasn’t about to lose.
“Oh, then yeah nigga how much you need? Ten?” He pulled out his phone like it wasn’t shit and I tried not to laugh at him.
“I’mma need you not to treat me like a trick or a dependent, nigga. You wanna give me ten bands for a three-day vacation with my girl?” I was hoping he would understand how crazy that shit sounded if I said it out loud.
Antwan paused and glanced up from his phone where I’m sure he had his bank app up before he nodded his head. “You right. We need to make it thirty.”
I covered his phone with my hand as his ass tried to fight me to finish the transaction. First thing in the morning, I was going to remove his ability to transfer money into my account.
“Antwan, bruh! I’m good. I said we're doing low-key shit. I got the money for the stuff that I want to do with her. I’m good, I promise.”
“I’m saying she got money—” He said it the way he did to try to preserve my pride but I wasn’t pressed about Aphrodite’s money and she never made a big deal about tit.
“And the best thing about her is she don’t even act like it.
When we went out in New York we were on the subway, being fucking regular.
I like that shit about her because she don’t put on airs.
She’s just Aphrodite. That whole tennis family pedigree don’t come into play when it’s just the two of us. We’re just AP2.”
Hell yeah I was putting my name on her because her daddy’s last name wasn’t worth shit to me.
“AP squared? Y’all got a public couple name and shit? Gone make yourself a hashtag cause you know they about to run it up to death. Putting your name on somebody ain’t no small shit, Ant.”
He was speaking from experience because folks tried to drag Rye and her past to hell and back even though Antwan was ten times worse than she was.
The spotlight brought out all kinds of crazy people but I had no issue with standing in front of whatever mud they might try to throw at her.
Especially when I knew most of the mud would be from my past.
“I know. You taught me that too. That’s why I know it’s real.”
“Then you definitely need to make sure you have condoms, bruh.”
He was making too much sense and now I was rethinking my plan of just going with the flow and not bringing anything with me. “Yeah, maybe I need to.”
“Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. Y’all both too young in your careers for you to be popping out babies and shit.”
“Damn, you don’t even want me to have a ring on my finger first, bruh? You okay with me out here being a single father and shit? Letting me be a statistic?” I was clowning with my hand pressed against my chest like I was distressed at his words.