Anthony #4
“Soon enough though. You feel better with what’s going on with Jill?”
I paused letting my emotions settle and they didn’t feel as bad as before. “Some.”
“I’ll take that. Now, you need to get on with what you were doing before I interrupted you.”
He was dismissing me like I wasn’t the one who’d dialed him up. “I called you, Unc.”
“Yeah well no big deal. I’ll be there in New York for you. Got my custom jersey ready and everything.”
“Custom?”
“Hope you didn’t think I wasn’t going to rep both of my nephews at once? I got them to put your number on one shoulder and Flash’s on the other. It still says Phillips but I have his number on front and yours on back. Coming or going folks gone know who I’m there to see.”
I had to swallow hard and hold my breath for a minute because he was gone have me balling like a bitch out here.
“‘Preciate that, Unc. That and everything else you’ve done.”
“It’s always my pleasure, Knuck. Remember that.”
“I wish I could be there.”
I straightened up the tie that I had for this tuxedo and tried to fight the melancholy I was feeling.
Truth be told I missed her too. I missed her something crazy but I didn’t want to put that pressure on her.
She was so damn close to making history this year and after what happened at Wimbledon she needed to keep her head in the game.
Her quad was better and her serves had been even more powerful than before.
It showed that her training her chest had helped her improve.
I couldn’t take the credit for a simple suggestion because Aphrodite was the one who put in the work to get better.
I was grateful that she was in the position to live out her dream.
“I can always just stay here and cake it up on the phone with you, AP. I’d much rather do that shit anyway.” As I was saying that I was reached to take the tie back off my neck.
She shook her head like I was committing a crime to skip a party. “No! It’s important that you network—”
“My ass been with them all damn summer. There’s no way to network with them muhfuckas any more than I already have. Unless you wanting me to cross some freaky ass lines and I ain’t about to do that.”
She was giggling but I could hear in her voice how tired she was. She was icing her hamstring from the last match and I was happy to see her taking care of herself. “Never, but you must be missing me talking crazy like that.”
“I missed you the second you got on the plane, baybeeh.”
Her eyes softened and she had a sweet smile on her face. “Stop talking like that to me, Bam.”
I was grinning thinking of the reason why she started calling me that. The shit never got old to hear her say it. “Can’t help it, that’s how I feel. But you supposed to be focusing on this semi-final, not me.”
“I’m good. I’ve rested. I didn’t fly back like I wanted to so I could be your date so fatigue won’t be an issue.
” When she threatened to bring her ass back to Texas just to come to the Desperados Gala it took everything in me to keep a civil tongue in my head.
She had a semi-final game in two days and I would’ve been pissed if she’d shown up here putting her match in jeopardy.
“Not you thinking I wouldn’t have put you immediately back on the plane if you’d have come here.”
“I thought about it. I wanted to be there. This feels important.”
“And what you got going on ain’t?” I appreciated the way she wanted to show up for me but not at the risk of messing up things for herself.
She sighed and I could tell that the pressure might have been getting to her. “I’m just in my head. Worried that I won’t be able to support you how—”
“You can stop that right there. We’re lucky enough that our sports are mainly the opposite of each other with little overlap.
We said we’d put in the work to make this work and that wasn’t lip service.
But what we not gonna do is sabotage anything we got going on respectively to try to keep this relationship alive.
” I’d sat back down on the bed wondering if I should skip this and stay on the phone with her to make sure she kept her head in the game.
“Sacrifices sometimes need to be made.”
“Not this and definitely not you. Our sons and daughters in the future gonna be able to say not only are they tennis royalty, but that their mama was the first Black woman to sweep the grand slams in a year. You think that’s something they wouldn’t want to be able to brag about?
How you taking that away from my babies all cause you wanted to run from being great? ”
I had her laughing again so I felt less stressed out about her mental. “Why you saying it like that?”
“Because you know I’m right. You’re afraid because the voices you thought you’d silenced all these months were gone.
But now they’re back with a vengeance. I know how you feeling since I’m sure in a few days I’ll be right where you are.
Needing to be reminded that I’m worthy of this opportunity and that I worked extremely hard for what I have going on.
It’s easy to forget when you don’t have the positive voices pouring into you that you’re not where you’re supposed to be.
But you are, Aphrodite. You put in the work so reap the rewards, baby. ”
I watched her sniffle as she nodded her head slightly. She wiped her eyes and turned toward something off in the distance that I couldn’t see. “Thank you. I needed that so much. They’re here and the press keeps asking me what I’m doing and the pressure feels—”
The tears streaming down her face damn near broke me.
“Heavy and loud. But remember who you are and how you worked for this. Don’t let people who could never do what you have determine how far your talent can take you. That’s the quickest way to lose focus on the prize and we’re not doing that.”
“No, we’re not. I hate being away from you while I’m playing and you’re getting your last few practices in. But these are the moments that are gonna test us I guess. To see if this is something we can handle.”
Phro dried her face and nodded her head like she was getting her mind back in the game.
I was happy that she was refocusing without me having to put too much pressure on her.
We were going to have so much coming at us I was glad she could get herself together without me.
She had to be strong on her own and this showed me she could be.
“We can handle it. We just got spoiled coming home to one another every night but we got this, baybeeh. I promise you. This shit is going to be okay and it’ll be worth it when you’re hoisting that winners trophy over your head.”
“Unwavering faith in me.” She smiled again and her soul seemed more settled. I still didn’t want to go to this without her but I damn sure would feel better about it knowing she was good.
“Always. Get your rest, AP. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
“You here by yourself?”
The Desperados Gala was held on the team campus and just like every year before no expense was spared.
Parker had the entire team staff, the roster players, the people who managed the stadium and the practice squad players and their families in attendance.
The event was open to the public but they had to pay a hefty price to be able to attend.
I turned away from the bar that was in the shape of the Desperados logo made out of ice and saw the face that was attached to the voice I’d heard.
I was immediately on high alert for multiple reasons.
The first being it was a woman. The second being she was beautiful and dressed like she wanted to get chosen.
Since she was unfamiliar to me it made me feel like she was wanting me to be the person that picked her.
Even if I hadn’t met AP this year, this was the type of woman I wanted to avoid.
She was a hunter: putting herself in the position to be in a room surrounded by her chosen prey.
I wasn’t about to get myself caught up in her trap.
Hell, I felt like I was doing something wrong by just being here talking to her.
“What’s good?” I gave her a dismissive head nod hoping it was just seen as polite and not an invitation. It seemed to have the opposite effect this time.
“Not a whole lot. I wanted to see what was good with you.” She licked her lips tossing her blonde extensions over her shoulder as she stepped closer to me. She wore a black dress that was made of some sparkly shit and her grin was hinting at the good she wanted to see with me.
“Enjoying the party.”
“We can always get out of here and make our own.” She nodded her head toward one of the exits without taking her eyes off me.
“Absolutely not. I got a girl.”
“If you ain’t made her your wife then that means you’re fair game.”
I took another step back damn near using the corner of the bar as a buffer between me and her. I ain’t care if the bartender thought I was crazy for the way I was surely invading his workspace, I wasn’t about to get caught up in bullshit this close to the start of the season.
“I’m not even going to honor that with a follow up. I’m not interested and I have everything in her I want and need. Enjoy the benefit though, make sure to donate to the cause.”
I gave her a nod and turned to find something that was safe to do when she grabbed my arm.
“That’s it?” She looked offended that I wasn’t giving her the attention that she wanted but I couldn’t give a fuck.
“Yeah. I got a girl that ain’t you. I’m not messing up my forever up for anybody.”
“You should be lucky that anybody is even paying attention to you in the first place. You’re a fucking second or third string player. Getting some play from me ain’t something easy to come by.” She rolled her eyes as she insulted me and I did my best not to laugh in her face.
My smile was tight because it was the only way I kept from cussin’ this slag out.