23. Keyshawn
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
keyshawn
“Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Put your hands together for the man with the hands, the defending light heavyweight champion… Krash Williams!” The announcer introduced me as my theme song played around the arena. My entourage followed me out onto the path to the ring. Everyone cheered for me as I closed the distance to the ring. I stepped between the ropes and walked around the ring.
Dre Bricks was in his corner with his coach shouting in his face. I smirked at the young man. He had been talking a lot of trash on social media over the last few weeks leading up to tonight. The interviews from earlier this year had dropped, and he said he’d never take mentoring offers from a nigga like me. I chuckled at the thought. These young kids these days had no guidance and didn’t like to take heed from the old heads who paved the way for them. I wasn’t the type of nigga to beg someone to listen to me. He’d be humbled tonight and see the errors of his ways.
I took off my robe and placed my mouth guard in my mouth. I looked out at the VIP section in the front row to see Bernice, her parents, and my boys all in attendance. Her stomach had gotten rounder. She looked beautiful as hell in the dim lighting around the arena. I winked at her before I focused on Coach Larry.
“You’ve had a hell of a career, Krash. Tonight is no different than any other match you’ve had. I don’t tell you this enough, but you’ve made me proud over these years. Your determination to put your name up there with the greats has paid off. Tonight, don’t get comfortable. Give it your all.”
Because of the mouth guard in my mouth, I didn’t respond. Instead, I gave a confident head nod.
The referee called us both to the center of the ring. We went through the instructions of the fight. Once the first bell rang to start the first round, I was razor focused as I got into my defensive stance. The key to my strategy included me being light on my feet with my hands close to my face.
Dre Bricks jabbed me twice in the ribs, but I sensed he’d go for the body. Once he’d pulled out of the punch, I uppercut him in the face. He staggered back. After the first hit, I danced around the ring with sniper-like eyes. I needed to find my next opening. Dre Bricks wasn’t a bad opponent, but he moved wild. His actions were predictable.
If Dre had a good mentor, he would have known to watch film of my older fights. He would have had an idea of the kind of boxer I was. Instead, he grew frustrated with my footwork and speed.
Left. Right.
Right. Left.
Left. Boom !
My right hand swung out and jabbed him in the jaw. He staggered back. I didn’t wait to continue. A quick left and right to his nose had him laid out flat on the floor. The referee pushed me away from Dre as he began the ten second countdown.
“Down goes Bricks! Down goes Bricks!” the commentator shouted.
I moved over to the side and looked over at my family. They were all cheering wildly, hands swaying in the air, fists pumping with excitement, and mouths screaming with pride.
“Keep your head in the game. It’s not over until they declare it,” Coach Larry stated from the corner of the ring.
“Seven! Eight! Nine! Ten!”
The referee motioned the end of the game with his hands. The arena erupted as Dre was pulled out of the ring and taken to the back. A total knockout was terrifying—so I’d heard. The ref lifted my hand into the air and declared me the winner.
“The undefeated light heavyweight champion of the world! Krash Williams ends his almost ten-year career with no losses on his record.”
Cameras flashed, the ring was packed with reporters, and all I could think about was getting out of this ring to my future wife. This chapter of my life was over, and I was ready to turn the page on the next one.
“Champ! How does it feel to be undefeated your entire career?” one reporter asked.
I showed my teeth in a wide grin. “I feel blessed. I’m grateful for my team. Without training, guidance, and trusting these hands… I wouldn’t be the best. I tried to tell Dre Bricks and other young boxers to take the mentorship from old heads. We’ve fought for years. We know what it takes to get to this level. I tried to offer Dre the opportunity to learn from me, but instead, I’m going to extend my mentorship to any boxer—female or male—looking to be better than Dre and allow me the opportunity to pass down my greatness.”
“Congratulations tonight, Champ. How are you celebrating tonight?” another reported asked.
“With my family. Thank you.” I waved and posed with the title belt and made my way through the crowd.
The first face I saw was Bernice’s. I jogged over to her and lifted her into my arms. I spun her around and showered her with kisses.
“Krash!” she squealed.
I put her back on her feet and held her in my arms.
“First of all, congratulations, baby.” She kissed my lips.
“Thank you.”
“Second of all, don’t go spinning me around like that when you know your child doesn’t like all that movement.”
I laughed. “You’re right.”
“If you want to go out with the guys, you can. I know your match routine involves clubs and parties. I want you to celebrate with them and then come home and celebrate with me.” She smirked.
“Fuck the clubs. We can go home right now.”
She tossed her head back with laughter. “No, sir. You deserve to go out with the boys without your pregnant girlfriend getting in the way.”
“You’ll never be in the way, bae.”
“He’s really not going to acknowledge the rest of the family.”
I turned to see Mrs. James shaking her head at me. I chuckled. “My bad, Mama. I’m on a natural high and only had my eyes focused on my baby. Thank y’all for coming and supporting me tonight. It was weird to have so much love in the seats.”
She smiled. “No problem, Krash. You know we’ve always got you.”
“The media is going crazy!” Gary exclaimed.
“You’ve got hella clubs willing to pay a pretty penny,” Deionte added.
I shook my head. “I don’t care about any of that. I want to celebrate at home with my lady tonight. Tell everyone I’m having the biggest party of the year next weekend. Anyone who is anyone will be in the building. They can pull up on me then to celebrate this victory,” I explained to Gary and Deionte.
“That’s what I like to see. Put your family first, always,” Mr. James chimed in. He patted me on the back and gave me an approving head nod.
“I’ll have more time to spend at home with Bernice. I’m only going to be at the gym four days a week. When the baby comes, I’ll only go in a couple hours a day. I want to give Bernice the leeway to work as much or as little as she wants once our baby is here.”
Mr. James nodded. “I’m glad you have a plan. It might not go exactly as you imagine because newborns change everything. Luckily, y’all won’t ever have to do anything alone.”
Family.
I really had a solid family behind me. Growing up, all I knew was fear and disappointment. All I knew was pain and suffering. To have father figures like Mr. James and Coach Larry saved me from going down a dangerous path. I probably wouldn’t have seen thirty had I not found the two of them.
“ Fuck !” Bernice moaned as I stroked deep inside of her.
I placed my hand over her mouth to keep from making too much noise. We hadn’t even made it fifteen minutes into my Dirty Thirty party. The only requirement was all the guests had to wear a shade of brown. I wore a light brown suit with dark leather shoes. My hair was cut and my jewelry shining.
Bernice had on a nude-colored spaghetti strap dress with tan colored sandals. She was fine as hell with her stomach round and ass fat. Every month, it felt like her ass was getting bigger than her belly. I couldn’t keep my hands off the juicy cheeks because she never wore panties anymore. She’d say some shit about needing to let her coochie breathe as much as possible. I didn’t mind though, because it eliminated the hassle of removing her panties when we were in moments like this.
“You got to be quiet, Bern. You want the world to know what you sound like when you taking all this dick?” I asked in a hushed tone as I continued to pound into her wetness.
“Mmm. The music the DJ is playing will drown out my moans.” She placed her hands on the sink and tossed her head back as she fucked me back.
“Cum for me, baby. Cum on the dick you’re addicted to.” I snaked my free hand to play with her clit. The stroke and stimulation sent her over the edge of ecstasy.
Her body shook as she released an intense orgasm onto me. I followed shortly after. As we came down from the high, she turned to look into my eyes and grinned. “Happy birthday, Key.”
“Thanks, beautiful.”
I pecked her lips before we cleaned up our mess and discreetly exited the bathroom. We looked at each other, looking to make sure we didn’t leave any evidence of our quickie. She stepped onto the tips of her toes to peck my lips several times.
“Let’s celebrate more life tonight, my love.” Her smile lit up her brown irises.
“Lead the way, my queen.”
“Your queen? I like that.” She giggled.
When we reentered the room, all eyes were on us as everyone cheered and clapped. The venue was huge with two floors for guests to mingle. The top floor had a small bar as well as a fruit table. The lower floor had tables to dine from the caterer as well as a huge bar with two bartenders. The DJ booth was in the far corner. Gold and white décor covered the two floors. In total, there had to be almost a hundred people in the room at any given moment. Most of them were other boxers, a couple rappers, R&B singers, and fans. I wanted to have all works of life in the building to celebrate with me.
“Happy birthday, Krash!” Everyone shouted in unison as bottles of champagne were popped in my honor.
The DJ played Post Malone’s “Congratulations” as I walked through the room and spoke to different people. The building was packed, and bottles were being distributed everywhere. Everyone looked amazing in their different shades of brown.
“Happy birthday, Krash. The party is lit as fuck. You’ve had the city turned up since your retirement match. I also see you’re expecting. Congratulations on everything.”
I turned toward the voice and raised a brow. I’d seen her before, but I couldn’t place her face with a name. “Thanks.”
She chuckled. “You don’t remember me?”
“I don’t, sorry.”
“Lola,” she informed.
Lola… Lola…
“We hooked up after your fight with Carlos Gonzalez.”
“What did she say?” Bernice asked as she turned to focus on the conversation. Prior to that, she’d been doing a little two step to the current upbeat song playing through the speakers.
I scratched the back of my neck as I tried to figure out how to explain the current dynamic for Bernice. She’d been extremely emotional since the pregnancy, and sometimes it felt like I was walking on eggshells. If I didn’t mediate the conversation soon, Bern would be pissed.
“I didn’t mean any disrespect. Trust me, boo. I don’t want him. I just thought it was funny to see how much life has changed since I saw him a few months ago.” Lola flipped her long hair over her shoulder.
“A couple months ago?” Bernice repeated to me.
I shook my head. “It was before us. It was actually right before you installed my new security. I haven’t talked or contacted her since that night.”
“He’s telling the truth. I didn’t come to cause any drama. I just wanted to congratulate the man and see what A-list celebrities would be popping out. Trust me, girl. What Krash and I had was a one and done.”
Bernice nodded. “Okay, girl .”
“We actually never had anything. We fucked once, and I left the same night.” I defended my actions.
“Anyway, I’m going to go sit down and give my feet a rest. Find me when you’re done here.” Bernice didn’t give me a chance to respond as she waddled away, rubbing her stomach in gentle circles.
My eyes met Lola’s. “I ain’t trying to have my night ruined. Don’t ever pull no shit like that again.”
She raised her hands in a motion to ease the tension. “I promise my intentions were pure. I actually wanted to bump into that bodyguard of yours with the snake tattoo on his neck. He is my type, and I want to get to know him.”
“Rule of thumb, most niggas in close friendships don’t see a bitch their homie fucked as wifey material, but shooters shoot.” I shook my head and walked away. My eyes scanned the sea of people until I found my lady sitting at a table with her friend from college. I think her name started with a J.
“Congratulations on your win, and Happy Birthday, Krash,” Bern’s friend said as I claimed the seat next to my fiancée.
“Thank you.”
The woman shook her head. “You’d think he’d remember the name of the girl who takes his woman out once a month.”
“Apparently, he’s not good with remembering anyone’s name…” Bernice mumbled.
I smacked my lips. “C’mon, baby. Don’t do this. I told you the girl wasn’t nobody important. I fucked her before I even knew you were back in Houston. It was a one and done, and I never hit her up after the first time.”
“I hear you, but my feelings are still hurt because how the fuck did she get into the building?”
“I’ll tell them to escort her out.”
Bernice sighed. “No, it’s fine.”
“Bern, you’re the only woman for me. We’re getting married in the fall, and our baby will be here in a few months. I’m locked in for life. No one else could ever make me lose focus on you.”
“Good.” She crossed her hands over her chest.
“My name is Jaelyn, by the way…” Bern’s friend interjected.
Bernice laughed so hard she snorted, which lifted the tension in the room. Her and her friend giggled together while Bern rubbed her round belly.
Deionte and the guys pulled up on me while I sipped on a cup of champagne.
“Ain’t this nigga thirty now?” Deionte asked with a smirk.
“Don’t come over here on no bullshit, D,” I warned.
“You look clean as hell for a nigga who supposed to be celebrating his dirty thirty,” Blake chimed in.
I frowned. “Don’t do nothing stupid, dawg. I swear to God…”
“Man, we ain’t gon’ ruin this clean ass fit. We just saying. You should be slurring yo’ words and stumbling on yo’ feet. Come take shots with us.”
Bern grinned. “Yes! Go take shots for the both of us.”
I shook my head. “Man, I ain’t trying to get carried out the room.”
“Why not? You deserve it.” Gary held up the bottle of tequila. The agave blend wouldn’t leave me with a hangover in the morning, so I graciously took the bottle to the head. The burn was instant, but I digested it like a real nigga.
“Yeah!” Everyone cheered around me.
The DJ thought he was funny by transitioning the current song to the LMFAO song “Shots” featuring Lil Jon. “I need everybody to put yo’ fuckin’ glasses in the air. We’re celebrating a champ’s birthday. Krash! Take them shots!”
The bottle once again was taken to the head. The second time around, the liquor didn’t burn my throat as badly as the first gulp.
This had been the best birthday thus far. I was surrounded by genuinely good vibes, my best friends, and my legacy. Nothing and no one could bring me down from this natural high. Life was good, and my relationship was great. I couldn’t wait to see what the next year of my life would hold.