Chapter 30
Football Trip
“This place is way bigger than the pictures made it seem. Wow.” We were at the Philadelphia Eagles stadium, and the place was packed full of people. When they told me they’d never been to a professional game, I made it my mission to make sure they got all the experience they could ever imagine, including taking pictures with some of the greatest players out there. This was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I refused to miss out on it.
“Man, this is so cool. Look! There goes Aaron Bradley and Manard Shaw,” Cash pointed out with his phone in his hand as he recorded everything. The excitement on their faces meant everything to me.
“Oh snap! Cash, look! It’s Raheem Manors. Man, I’ve got to get a picture of him before we leave here. Jay‘Cub is never going to believe this.” Moolah rarely got excited about much except football, which reminded me a lot of myself. He studied his craft and possessed a natural love for the sport.
The two of them talked among themselves, walking ahead of us. I hung back to make sure the spoiled queen was doing alright.
“Are you sure you’re okay? I told you that it would have been okay for you to stay in the room. I don’t want your feet to swell up like two ham hocks,” I teased.
“You can kiss my black ass. First of all, I’m on my feet at work every day, so this will be no different. I’ll be fine as long as I have my snacks and something to drink.”
“Alright. I’ll take your word for it. You can always sit in the stands if you get tired. I don’t want you dragging my baby around when you get tired.”
“Your baby is the reason why I’m walking around here looking like Baby Dee from Next Friday , so I don’t want to hear any of that.” I chuckled, grabbing her hand in mine. She glanced at me as if she wanted to ask me something, but I kept walking.
There were a lot of other kids out here, and my sons wasted no time getting acquainted with them. I loved watching their personalities shine through in these types of settings. You could see their differences as well as their similarities when they interacted with new people.
“What’s up, big dawg! I’m glad you were able to make it.” Montez greeted me. After college, we were both drafted into the NFL, but he ended up playing up North while I remained on the East Coast. We still kept in touch over the years, and I was proud of all of his accomplishments. When he reached out to me about participating in their event, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“Thank you for having me and my boys. They are hyped for this weekend.”
“Man, it’s crazy to find out you have twins. One of my nephews showed me a clip of them at their championship game, and you would have thought they were playing on a college level. You have some real champs on your hands, but I shouldn’t even be surprised, considering who their father is.”
“Yeah, man. They are going to be way better than me if I have anything to do with it,” I declared. I loved instilling all the core training and values into them while also sharing my failures with them in hopes of preventing them from making the same mistakes as me. They were both destined for greatness, and I wanted to see to it that they achieved everything they desired to accomplish.
“Oh, shit. I’m so sorry. I got so excited about seeing an old friend that I let my manners get away from me. How are you doing, gorgeous?” Montez reached out his hand toward Sunny. My eyebrow raised when her friendly ass grinned like a Cheshire cat.
“Aww, you’re so sweet. I feel more like a beached whale at the moment, but I’m doing well. It’s nice to meet you.”
“How do you know that when you’ve only talked to him for a few seconds?” I murmured, not feeling their interaction at all.
“Chill, bro. You sound a little jealous. It’s not even like that. My mom always taught me to compliment a woman’s beauty whenever the opportunity presented itself. A beautiful creation like this deserves to be acknowledged.” Montez had been a playboy since I’d known him. He had already been through two broken engagements due to him fucking off on the side. He needed to go somewhere with those lame ass compliments.
“Don’t mind him. He doesn’t have any manners whatsoever. I appreciate the compliments. Really and truly.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t believe I got your name.” Montez smirked in my direction, then focused his attention back on Sunny.
“I’m Charae.”
“Charae, as in Sunny?” He gestured toward me as the revelation began to settle in.
“Yes, the one and only,” she proclaimed.
“Ahh, now it all makes sense. I see why you have your chest all poked out like I tried to take what was yours. This is the infamous Sunny. Well, you may not remember me, but Money and I were roommates in college. I got a front-row seat to him crying over you for the majority of our time there.”
“Bruh, don’t make me beat your ass in front of all of these people,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Am I lying? Man, I’ve never seen a man so lovesick in my entire life. He really loved you, so it makes me happy to see the two of you here with your family. I guess love won after all.”
“Speaking of love, what’s up with you? I see your ass can’t seem to stay out of the blogs.”
“Man, I don’t know what they are talking about. Every time I go out, they have me on those pages talking about Montez with a new boo. I can’t even smash and dash in peace because they want to turn every link up into a relationship.”
“Yeah, I know what it’s like, and I don’t miss it. That’s why I moved further out of the city because I got tired of having my picture taken whenever I went out. Those paparazzi don’t have any respect at all.”
“Who are you telling? They are still harassing Tyla after our split. She reached out to me the other day because some paparazzi jumped in front of her car to ask if we were going to get back together. Shit is wild out here. This will be my last year playing, and I’m praying they leave my ass alone. I’m trying to settle down and stay off the grid.”
“Yeah, right. I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“I’m serious. I’m tryna be like you. Settled down with my woman and have a few kids.” Again, I failed to correct him. There was no point because even if we weren’t together, Sunny was off-limits to anyone. I would allow them to think whatever they wanted. It would be better than them playing with their lives. Besides, I would be making her mine sooner rather than later.
We chopped it up for a while, and Montez introduced me to a few people. I was familiar with many of the players from playing against them, but I’d never interacted with very many of them on a personal level. The twins were doing an interview with a sports magazine, so Charae accompanied them. Even though she was supposed to be relaxed, mom mode never had a cutoff time.
After the meet-and-greet, they had a couple of scrimmage games with the high school players. One of the teams was down a player due to an unexpected injury, so Montez asked if Moolah could sub for them. At first, I was hesitant because he had never played against players that much older than him, but Moolah practically begged me to let him in. Meanwhile, Cash ended up playing on the middle school team.
I used to think there was no better feeling than playing on the field and winning. However, watching my seeds dominant in the sport I loved was the most incredible feeling in my life. Cash played solid on defense, and the coaches were very impressed. Of course, he remained humble as they raved over his performance. When it came time for Moolah to play, I’d admit my anxiety spiked. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was playing against older players. It was the fact that they would look at him as a threat, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to remain professional if someone did something to my son.
Dreis, Montez, and I stood on the sidelines as we watched the game. In the first quarter, they did everything they could not to pass Moolah the ball, and as a result, they hadn’t scored a single point. I didn’t want to be the parent who overstepped and argued with the coach about his calls, but what was the point of having him as a sub if they weren’t going to utilize him?
“They don’t even know what they’ve got out there. Moolah could run circles around all of those niggas,” Dreis vented, expressing the same sentiments I was feeling.
“Yeah, I’m about to go talk to the coach. They keep passing it to number sixteen, and his ass acts like he’s afraid of the ball,” I complained.
“Don’t even worry about it. I’m about to holler at him. His son is number sixteen, but I made it clear that if his son wasn’t coming with his A game, then he might as well not even play him. People want to see a good game, and we’re trying to showcase what these boys can really do,” Montez expressed. I nodded in agreement as he walked off. They called for a timeout, and the players walked over to the sidelines.
“Moolah! Come here.” My son was pissed off, and it was all over his face.
“This is some bull—” I dared him to finish his sentence as the two of us held eye contact.
“Look, you have every right to be upset, but you have to understand that these people don’t know you. They don’t know what a beast you are on the field. All they see is your age, and they assume you aren’t capable of holding your own.”
“That’s not fair. Why put me out there if they aren’t gonna give me the opportunity to run the ball?” My hands rested on his shoulders, and I looked my son square in his eyes.
“Prove them wrong. Don’t even wait for them to pass you the ball. Go after that shit. You already know they are gonna try to pass it to the coach’s son, so make sure you’re right there to intercept that shit if you have to. Let them know they have a mothafuckin big dawg on that field, and they need to recognize it. We’re Suttons, and we don’t ask for a damn thing; we take that shit. You hear me?”
He nodded. “Hell yeah. I hear you, Pops. I’m on it.”
I was so stunned by him calling me Pops that I lost my train of thought. I tapped him on his helmet, and he raced back to the huddle. As men, we are taught to hold our feelings in, but hearing Moolah acknowledge me as his father brought so many different emotions out of me. We’d come a long way since we first met, and I finally felt like we were bonding like father and son.
Moolah moved his neck from side to side, and I noticed the shift in him. My son was a mothafuckin beast out there, and he was about to show them what he was made of.
“Our boy is about to get active,” Dreis declared.
“You already know.” I grinned with pride. My son had no fear in his heart, and it was one of the things I loved about him the most. He took on everything with the mindset that he was going to conquer it.
When the referee blew the whistle, and the clock started back up, I tuned out everyone around me. My boy got in position, and although I had no idea what they were saying on the field, I knew Moolah well enough to know he was probably shit-talking.
“I think the QB is about to try to run the ball himself.” Dreis’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Yeah, and he isn’t gonna make it very far.”
“Yikes. That hit had to hurt.” Dreis hissed after the QB got tackled. I saw it coming a mile away. The opposing team had begun to predict their plays because they kept running the same ones. It was crazy the coach couldn’t see that. If they would switch things up, they might actually score. I shook my head in disbelief. On the next play, I watched the QB before focusing my attention back on Moolah. They were getting ready to try to pass the ball to the coach’s son again, and I hoped Moolah understood the assignment. Since they weren’t gonna give it to him, he would have to take it.
The QB caught the ball and planted his feet into the turf as he attempted to pass it to number sixteen. On the right side of him, I saw my boy leap into the air, catching the ball in his hands before landing on his feet. Without a second glance back, Moolah took off like a bat out of hell with the ball tucked in his arms.
“Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!”
“Hell yeah! Show out, nephew!” Dreis roared as Moolah gained yard after yard. The defense was ready to pile on the other player, so it took too long to figure out what was going on, giving Moolah the advantage. I couldn’t contain my excitement, watching my son shake the defense before crossing over that white line to make a touchdown. I almost wanted to run out on the field because of how proud I was.
His team cheered, but he paid them dust. His finger pointed toward me before hitting his chest. There were no words to express my feelings at that moment. The next play went much like the one previously. The QB attempted another pass, and my boy swept right in and made another touchdown. You would have thought the coach would be happy, but he was cussing on the sidelines. When he called for a timeout, I moved a little closer to hear what he had to say. I didn’t give a fuck if this was supposed to be a peaceful event; behind my kids, anybody could get their ass handed to them.
“I don’t know who you think you are, but I’m the one calling the plays. All of you must have gotten confused about who the coach was. I want you to run the play I called out, and Landon, make sure my son gets the ball. Josh, you better get your head in the game. There is no way we’re gonna let a little kid show you out on that field,” the coach spat. My fists were clenched, ready to show my ass on this field.
“Aye, Moolah!” His head shot up as he looked in my direction. “Show them what that little kid is made of!” I shouted for everyone to hear.
No one on this planet would ever make my son feel like he wasn’t good enough. Fuck them and their egos. My boy was damn near the same size as a lot of those players, which was another reason they were mad. However, they were on the same team, so there was no reason for them to act that way toward him.
The coach glared at me, and I winked at him. Bitch ass nigga. Hating on a kid because his own son was a disappointment.
“I can see that look in your eyes, Money.” Montez chuckled. He saw firsthand how I got down, so I didn’t have to say much. All I knew was that he better get a handle on that mothafucka before I stepped in.
“Come on, Moo,” I whispered, watching him crouch down. They were tied right now, and we were down to the last few minutes of the third quarter. If they could score one more touchdown and hold the lead through the fourth quarter, they would win.
I thought the QB was going to try to pass the ball to number sixteen, but he shocked the shit out of me when he turned to the right and fired the ball right to Moolah. My boy caught the ball, but the defense blindsided him, barreling his helmet into Moolah’s ribs. Dreis held me back because he must have known what was going through my mind when my son hit the ground.
The referee threw a flag on the play, but it did nothing to remedy the fact that my son had been injured. When it took a long time for him to get up, I raced onto the field without any interference from my friends. Kneeling down, I rested my hand on his chest.
“How are you feeling, little man?” The look of pain etched on his face sent me into overdrive. It took a moment for him to respond, but when he turned to look at me, a smile graced his face.
“Ain’t nothing little over here, Pops.” Cocky mothafucka. I grabbed his hand, helping him sit up. The medics were ready to take him off the field, but I wanted to check him out first.
“I don’t want them to pull me out. We can still win this game,” Moolah pleaded. The passion in his eyes mirrored mine as a young man. No one could get me off the field when I knew my team depended on me.
“We need to make sure you don’t have any cracked ribs. You took a pretty hard hit out there.”
“Man, that was nothing. I’ve taken harder hits from Cash at your house. I’m ready.” I stared at him, full of conflict. The player in me understood what he needed to do, but the father in me didn’t want his health or his career in the future to be jeopardized. Lifting up his shirt, I spotted a big ass bruise on his side.
“I’ll make you a deal. The third quarter is over. Let them wrap you up, and I’ll let you make one more play, okay?”
“That’s all I need.” He smirked.
“You are something else, you know that?”
“Like father, like son.”
I helped him stand up so the medics could get him on the stretcher. I followed behind them to make sure they were doing what needed to be done. I’d had enough experience with hits to know if someone was qualified to take care of my son.
Eight minutes passed before they finished wrapping him up, and I had second thoughts about allowing him to play. He swore he was okay, but I’d seen people say the same thing and end up dead the next minute from unknown complications.
“Pops, I’ve got this. I promise you I do,” Moolah declared. He read my facial expression as we walked out on the field. The crowd went crazy when he stepped back on the turf. I heard his nickname being shouted from the stands as we walked. The only thing on Moolah’s mind was winning, and I couldn’t take that away from him. Charae would probably be pissed with our decision, but I would take accountability for it.
“I’m gonna let you play, but the minute anything seems off to me, I’m pulling your ass. Do you understand me?”
“I hear you loud and clear, Pops. I’m straight.” We bumped fists before he jogged back over to his team. The majority of them embraced him, including the quarterback. I kept my eyes down, not even wanting to glance in the direction of his mother. Knowing Sunny, she was probably cussing me out right now and sending all types of threatening messages to my phone. I would deal with her later because, right now, we had a game to win.
“Aye, I already talked to the other coaches and removed Coach Arnold from the game. He wasn’t playing for the best interest of the team, and I wasn’t feeling the way he was carrying Moolah. We’re here to have fun, but this is always an opportunity for these young folks to be seen, and I refuse for him to fuck it up because of his ego. He might need to find another sport for his son to play because football isn’t his calling,” Montez expressed.
“I appreciate it.”
“How’s little man doing?”
“According to him, he isn’t little. He’s all good, though. He wants this win badly, so we’ll see what happens.”
“I believe he can pull it off. He comes from one of the best to ever do it. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
The game resumed, and they were down to the last few minutes. They were still tied, but the opposing team had possession of the ball. I’d give it to their defense because Moolah’s team had a strong defense line. The opposing team could barely get any yards, and I knew a field goal was coming. This would put their team up by three points if they made it, but if they didn’t, the teams would remain tied, and Moolah’s team would regain possession of the ball.
“Come on, Son. You can do this!” I yelled out as they got into formation. I didn’t think I’d been this nervous about my own games, but this moment meant so much. My sons were making names for themselves, and it was incredible to watch.
I glanced back and saw Sunny standing up with her hand on her belly. I couldn’t believe I had been blessed to have a family with her. We’d been through so much, but it was something about seeing her carrying my seed that had me rethinking so many things. Lately, I’d been re-evaluating everything that had taken place. It was time for me to make some hard decisions, and this time, I wasn’t running.
“Field goal incomplete. The ball is now in the possession of the Durangos. There are three minutes left on the clock,” the announcer called out.
“If they score a touchdown, they win, but if not, there’s still a chance for them to win during overtime,” Montez commented.
“I’m not worried. My boy is about to bring it home.”
“Let’s go, Bro! Get that touchdown!” Cash yelled from the sidelines. They both hit their chest three times and pointed toward one another. The bond between them was something to see. Growing up, I always wanted a brother, and seeing the way they loved each other was why. No matter what happened in life, they would always have one another.
The clock seemed to be running fast, and my chest grew tight. My vision focused on Moolah, who was in position. He was ready, and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind. We trained for this. Moolah was hungry and determined to win. His skills were far more advanced than half of those boys on the field. This last play would solidify that.
“Number six, Cashynn Sutton has the ball, and it looks like he’s going to try to go all the way! Number forty-three is right on his heels.” I tried my best to tune out the announcer so I could focus.
“Oh, shit!” I flinched when Moolah got tackled because he was already injured. I could tell he was in pain because it was taking him longer to get up. I wanted to pull him out so badly, but they were down to the last minute and thirty seconds. I planned to have his mom check him out as soon as I got to the room to assess the injury.
Moolah and I locked eyes, and he must have read my facial expression because he signaled that he was okay. They got back into formation, and I held my breath as the clock continued to run. Come on, Moo. Show these mothafuckas what you’ve got.
“Great pass by number six, Cashynn Sutton!” He lucked up by getting his regular jersey number. It seemed like fate if you asked me.
“Let’s go, nephew! Dig yo’ heels in that fucking turf!” Dreis shouted. It felt like everything was moving in slow motion as Moolah ran down the field. The defense was on his ass, but he shook over two of them. Come on. Come on.
“Defense is trying to get ahold of Sutton with no luck. Sutton pulled a fast one, leaping over number forty-three, Gerard Masson. What an incredible move!”
“What the fuck! Did you see that shit? Nephew ain’t playing with these niggas!” Moolah leaped over the player and immediately took off on them. Right now, there was only one defense player within four feet of him. He was gonna make this touchdown. The time on the clock showed ten seconds left, and he was almost there. Another defense came up on the other side of him, but they were still a nice distance away. Eight, seven, six. The timer was almost down, but Moolah was only a few steps away from the line. All you’ve got to do is put your foot on the line, Son. He couldn’t hear my thoughts, but I prayed he could feel my presence.
Five, four, three. Moolah dove into the endzone right before the buzzer went off. My heart damn near leaped out of my body when he landed on the ground.
“Touchdown! The Durangos win!” The crowd and the players went crazy.
The Durangos flooded the field in celebration as the whistle blew. Dreis and I cheered as they lifted Moolah up. We waited for a moment before the team finally dispersed. Moolah and Cash embraced one another, and I took out my phone to capture the moment. My boys were their brother’s keepers, and it made me even more proud.
Both of them ended the night with multiple awards after it was all over, so we hung around a while as they passed out the trophies and medals. Eventually, Sunny made her way onto the field. I smiled at the waddle in her walk. Our princess was sitting low, but she still had a long time to bake in there.
“Why do you have your lips poked out?” I nudged Sunny as she stood next to me.
“I wanted to fight you and Cashynn when you let him go back into that game. My baby could have been seriously injured.” She cut her eyes over to him and then back to me.
“I’m sorry, but the same way I ask you to trust me, I had to trust him. I considered pulling him out, but I know the kind of player our son is. He believed he could bring home the win, and I allowed him to do his thing.”
“Yeah, guess you two made a great team after all.”
“Hell yeah. My boy went out there and did what needed to be done.” I boasted. Nobody could take the pride I carried for my sons. They were everything a father could ask for.
“He called me pops tonight.” Sunny and I locked eyes. We were so connected that I didn’t have to explain any further. She understood what it meant to me.
“I wish I would have gotten the moment on camera. It was only a matter of time. As stubborn as he might be, you’re a great father. Nobody can deny or take that away from you. Our babies are blessed.”
“Did you see us out there?” Moolah interrupted our conversation as he walked over to us. He sported the biggest grin with the MVP trophy in his hands.
“Y’all really showed out tonight! I’m so fucking proud of you!” I praised, hugging both of them.
“Man, I’ve never been so fired up in my life. I wasn’t sure how the game was about to go.”
“My blood pressure was through the roof, but y’all looked good out there. The people in the stands couldn’t stop raving about the Sutton Twins. They said you were gonna carry on the Sutton legacy.”
“You hear that, Pops? Just wait until I get to high school and college. They’ll be posting our photos side by side, talking about how I’m blowing your stats out of the water,” Moolah teased.
“Man, get out of here. You’re gonna be great, no doubt about it. But you’re crazy as hell if you think you’re gonna run circles around me. I’m the original Money Sutton. Don’t you ever forget that.”
We took some photos, and a handful of coaches complimented the boys and expressed their interest in their futures. I wasn’t pressed about recruiters right now because they were so young. There would be plenty of time for that when they got to high school. We still had a few years to fully develop their skills. Plus, I wanted them to focus on their academics just as much as they did sports. The NFL was not a guarantee, and even if they did make it, it was important that they had a degree to fall back on.
After we finished, Moolah and Cash wanted to meet some of the other players for dinner. A couple of the parents offered to take them to an arcade near the hotel. Sunny looked exhausted, so we headed to the room so she could go to bed. Since most of us stayed at the same hotel, I handed them some money and allowed them to go. Both of their phones held tracking devices, so I wasn’t worried. They would either return my children safely or lose their lives.
By the time we made it to our room, Sunny’s light snores filled the truck. I planned to lay her down before I headed to the gym. I still had a lot of energy built up, so I figured I would get a workout in. There were a lot of things unfolding in my life right now that I needed to sort through. Sunny thought my hesitation to break things off with Harper was due to my feelings for her. Unfortunately, it was much deeper than that. There were a few things I needed to get to the bottom of first.