Chapter 31 Cici
Cici
“What’s up, podcasters? This is Liliana Sweets and I'm here with Ron Covey, the Pit Bulls beloved left fielder, and Cici Powell, the daughter of Owen Powell and one of the owners of Scotts, Powell, and Coleman. Do you guys want to say hi?”
“Hey, everyone. We’re excited to be here. We can’t wait to answer some questions and get the truth out there.” Covey leans into the mic and looks so comfortable talking, I'm a little more hesitant. I'm not used to having to talk to the media, but this is just Liliana.
“Hey, podcasters!” I wave like they can see me and Covey snorts with laughter.
“They can’t see you, babe. But I found that adorable.” He presses a soft kiss to my temple and intertwines our fingers, resting our joined hands on his thigh.
“I swear, these two are adorable together. I wish you guys could see them… I really need to start doing videos so you can. It would be so much more fun.” Lils smiles at us.
“Now, let’s get down to why we’re here. Cici, you had a really scary thing happen to you.
Do you want to tell our listeners about it? ”
I tell Liliana all about Josh and how he started flirting with me at work and I was really uncomfortable. I tell her how things kept escalating and eventually we ended up at Kennedy’s Pub and how my night took a drastic turn.
“That sounds terrifying. Now, I was at Kennedy’s with you that night and I have to give a shout out to the Pub.
They kicked everyone out instantly. They helped keep Josh in place while we waited for the police to show up.
They really were amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better response to such a terrible situation. ”
“Oh, they were amazing. It makes me feel safer going there rather than other pubs. I know they keep an eye on everything and step in as soon as they think something isn’t right. Kennedy and Blake deserve an award for having such a delightful business.”
“I’m sure listeners are wondering, why are we talking about this attack on a sports podcast? Covey, would you like to tell them?”
“Definitely. This low life that went after my girl, he tried to ruin my name because I punched him a few times. According to him, my reaction to his attack was over the top and unnecessary.” Covey rolls his eyes.
“Can you tell us exactly what went down?”
“Well, he was grabbing Cici hard enough to leave massive bruises all over her torso and hips. He was trying to lift up her skirt and she was trying her hardest to push him away. Telling him to stop. When I saw what was going on… man, I felt like I was going to be sick.” His voice breaks and I realize just how much that night affected him.
“She was terrified and I felt like I would die if I couldn’t stop him.
I grabbed him and threw him on the floor.
Instantly, I punched him. It was only like three punches, but I made sure he was no longer a threat to my beautiful girlfriend. ”
“You don’t think three punches was too much?” Liliana smiles, she told us he deserved more.
“Absolutely not. I stayed in control. I didn’t let anger or revenge take over. I did it to make him realize he wasn’t in control and he couldn’t do that to my girl. It wasn’t about making him hurt; it was neutralizing the situation.”
“Wow, I'm not sure I could do the same if I were in your situation.” Liliana shakes her head. “I’m fairly certain most of the players I know would’ve killed a man for doing something like that to their wife or girlfriend.”
“I know a few who would too, but my focus wasn’t Josh.
As soon as Blake came over and I knew he’d keep Josh in place, I gathered Cici into my arms. My sole focus was her and nothing else.
If I had lost control, someone would’ve kept me from her.
The cops or one of my teammates. That wasn’t something I was willing to risk. I needed to know she was ok.”
“So, you said Josh tried to ruin your name?”
“Yeah, he thought he could ruin my name and drag my reputation through the mud to make himself look better. He went to any gossip rag that was willing to listen to him.”
“How’d that go for him?”
“Well, my lawyers got right on it. They sued him for slander, guaranteeing we’d drop the case if he stopped.”
“That was very generous of you. Most people would’ve taken him to court.”
“I didn’t want to deal with any of that. I just wanted it over with. Throughout all of this, my only care has been Cici and how she’s doing.”
“And how are you, Cici?”
“I'm doing so much better. Covey’s been amazing through it all. He’s been by my side, which I really needed. He constantly kept an arm around me and made me feel safe.”
“Wow, I'm sure that made you feel a lot better. I’m pretty sure I’d be a mess if I went through something like this.”
“Oh, I was.” I chuckle. “I jumped every time someone came too close to me. I now affectionately call Covey’s arm my emotional support bicep.” I squeeze his bicep, making him laugh.
“I mean, I love it. Who doesn’t like a pretty girl holding onto his arm every time she gets scared or feels uncomfortable? She makes me feel like this massive protector. Like she has all the faith in the world in me.”
“I do. I know he’ll do everything in his power to protect me and that’s such an amazing feeling when it comes to the man you love.” I lean my head on Covey’s shoulder and he instantly kisses the top of my head.
“Are there wedding bells in the future?” Liliana wiggles her brows.
“I think there might be, but you’ll have to wait and find out.”