11. Won’t Keep You Waiting #2
“How old do you think I am Jersei Monroe? I ain’t but thirty years older than you,” she pointed.
I chuckled. “I know Victor. The negro been up and through my house eating all my oxtails up. He’s the one that looks like that actor with the cock eye,” she lowered her right eye.
We were screaming and it was funnier because she never cracked a smile. “That’s him right?”
“Yeah, Ma,” Jade chuckled.
“Alright then. I know what I’m talking about. Dreka, Teddy’s daughter, is carrying Victor’s baby right now. Apparently, he likes both. What they calling that now?”
“Bisexual,” Jade answered.
“Yeah, that’s it. Like you call yourself liking girls and boys.
Victor do too. Teddy says he thinks he loves Dreka, but he don’t want to lose his job.
Say that boy is an opportunist and has been all his life.
I tell Teddy he needs to tell his daughter the truth, but he says that’s young folks’ business.
I just keep my mouth closed and catch my ride to the bingo hall. That’s they life.”
I was floored. I didn’t wish bad on anybody.
Well, that’s a lie, because sometimes I do depending on the situation, but for Solomon the tables turned as I knew they would.
He was pouring his all into a man that was living the same double life he once lived.
It was sad, but God has a way of humbling you.
I would love to be a fly on the wall when that secret is brought to life.
“Chileeeee,” I shook my head. “I love mess when it ain’t my own. I hope it was fun while it lasted or as grandma used to say, or not,” Jade and I repeated together.
“Right. That’s on him.” Valen added.
“All I know is he better not come in here with no shit. I do know that.” Jade sassed.
“Better not ‘cause I fight niggas too,” Valen added.
“Me too!” Mama said and we all fell out laughing.
The party was in full swing. Upon entering, there was a large balloon arch that read Welcome to Zion’s July Madness . The colors were orange, black, and white. In the center of the floor was a large basketball goal made of balloons and a 360 camera with a basketball base with his name on it.
On opposite sides of the room were reserved tables for his friends as well as their thank you gifts.
Our hard work was not in vain. Since Zion was a chicken wing fanatic, The Chicken Hut catered the party.
Mama did amazing on the dessert table with popcorn buckets that looked like basketball goals, cupcakes with basketball toppers that read his name, and so much more.
In the gym, we kept the decorations basic outside of the DJ booth and a backdrop for pictures.
Each ball for the tournament had his name and party theme engraved in it.
I’d cried happy tears seeing the pure joy on my baby’s face when we walked in.
He had no clue and was so thankful. Every break he got, he would run over to hug and thank me.
The turnout was amazing and honestly, I wasn’t aware that we knew this many niggas, nor did I know he had these many friends. It was perfect.
Zion’s favorite player was Allen Iverson, so I got him a custom Sixers jersey with the number ten on the back with his name.
Vayce and I wore matching jerseys with green and white Dunks.
I knew very little about the players, so he got us Boston jerseys with the name Russell on the back with the number six.
He’d told me countless times that he was a legend, and I simply smiled and nodded.
The DJ was amazing, and I was feeling good with this tequila in my system. Currently, we were in the last free throw tournament and Devon was our referee. To keep confusion down, each round was elimination, and we were down to five contestants.
“You see that lil’ nigga right there,” Vayce pointed across the gym to a kid that was practicing his layups.
“What you finna say? Sum crazy I know,” I pulled my shorts down. “That’s Etta son.”
“What’s your point? Nigga sorry as fuck.
Coach Bishop helps with basketball sometimes and had me sit in on tryouts,” he shook his head.
“He missed every throw, but you’ll never be able to tell ‘cause he’s so confident.
I put the biggest X through his face. Just big, lanky, and trash.
Nigga need to go play the clarinet or some shit. ”
I could hear that my laugh was ugly, and I attributed it to the shots we’d taken. “He sholl walked out on the court like this,” I got up and mimicked his walk. Vayce laughed. “Don’t tell me he finna get up here and not do nothing.”
“That nigga ain’t about to do shit.”
I laughed and sat back down. “How was it earlier with Zion? Did y’all have fun or what?”
He sucked his teeth, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. “You gotta stay outta grown men business, baby.”
“Grown men?”
His brows raised in amusement as he smirked. “You heard me,” he discreetly pinched my ass cheek. “It was good. Natural. He is the same amazing kid I knew he was when he first walked into my office. I can’t wait for more connections with him. He cool as fuck, just like somebody else I know.”
I smiled wide hearing the sincerity in his tone.
I appreciated that he valued the relationship I had with my son enough to build one of his own.
All I could think about was that one day, they’ll both be under the same household, growing together.
Peace had to exist and that’s what the three of us wanted.
“Well, since I only get the surface level details, I’m glad you two had fun. And yes, he is sweet. It sounds biased coming from me, but he’s the best version of me. I prayed over my stomach so much and God gave me more than I could’ve asked of Him.”
I looked over at Zy who was shooting free throws effortlessly.
I prayed that by his sixth-grade year his condition could be controlled enough for him to join the SPA team.
He was the farthest thing from a scrub, and I could easily see him going to the league if he stayed consistent.
I guess he felt me looking at him because he glanced over his shoulder and placed a hand over his heart before giving me a thumbs up.
That was his way of saying Mama I am good, don't ask me how I feel . I chuckled, returning the kiss he’d just blown me.
Zion looked at Vayce and flexed his muscle, making them both laugh.
I didn’t get it, but I assumed it was an inside joke, then he saluted Vayce, who returned it.
“Thank you for stepping in this morning. It helped so much.”
Vayce looked over at me, frowning a bit. “Zion’s part of you, so he’s part of me,” he repeated as he did at the cabin. “In whatever capacity y’all need me, I’ma show up.”
He was growing his hair out, so his little fade was in small curls. His freshly lined beard made my clit jump. Vayce was beautiful and it was clear that good genes ran in their family because so was Valen.
“I wanna put a baby in you,” I blurted.
Vayce choked on his drink. “Yo, J what the fuck is wrong with you?”
“So you wouldn’t carry my baby?” I looked at him in disbelief while he laughed his ass off. “You better be glad niggas can’t get pregnant. We’d have a slew of stair steppers. With yo’ fine ass. Six weeks who? Boy lay yo’ ass down and pull them Hanes to the side.”
“That’s yo’ last drink,” he laughed, shaking his head. While I had his attention, his eyes continuously scanned the crowd of people like he was waiting for something to be out of place. “But since you can’t, let’s change the roles and let me put one in you.”
My left brow raised, and I did a little dance in the seat. “You know sum? I never got fucked under the bleachers when I was in school ‘cause I call myself being modest, but you my man now, so what’s up? You tryna slide or what?”
He looked over his shoulder to the bleachers and back to me with a devious grin. From the darkness that flickered in his eyes, I knew he was considering it. I winked, making him laugh.
Vayce wrapped an arm around my neck and kissed all over my face making me giggle.
I don’t know if I’d ever get tired of being in his embrace or his presence.
Yes, he was my man, but there was a different connection you shared with a person when you were able to let your hair down and be yourself.
I didn’t have to question being judged, overlooked, or feel like a fucking burden. Vayce was my favorite…everything.
The buzzer went off and I hopped to my feet to cheer the kids on. Devon was doing an amazing job refereeing. Valen was keeping score, while Jade was working the stop clock.
As Vayce said, Etta’s son was sorry. Out of the five free throws, he made one. I cut my eyes at Etta, watching her and her husband record and cheer. I looked back at Vayce, and he laughed. “You hell, baby.”
Zion made four out of five of his shots so he and two of his other friends advanced to the final round. The other two deserved to be eliminated.
“Let’s go baby! You got this.” I yelled and ran over to the DJ to request Zion’s theme song.
On the way back to that side of the court, the beat dropped and Zy scanned the room in search of me.
I met him halfway on the court and circled him a few times.
I played this when he was around two and he did the cutest dance to it and still loved the song till this day.
Zion put his ball down and started going in.
He didn’t have a lick of rhythm and that made it even funnier.
Everybody crowded around hyping and recording us.
“Here we go now, here we go now, here we go now!” The DJ added on making everybody else dance too.