Chapter 11 Hymn
HYMN
I had a game in Atlanta, which we won by the skin of our teeth.
Of course, we couldn’t win them all, and it wasn’t up to one person to carry the team, but Isaac still didn’t have his head in the game.
He fumbled one too many times, and that almost snatched the win from us.
I didn’t even want to ask what was going on with him and London.
After the game, I linked with my sister for food, and I was going to her crib to visit our mother afterward.
“I thought I would see Huncho at the game,” she bit into a wing. “He probably knew if I saw him, I might have a few words for him.”
“Why?”
“He still hasn’t been by to see his mother. He’s right here in the city, so what’s the excuse?”
“Probably the same ones she had when she was right in the city with him and never went to visit,” I sipped my water.
“He’s addicted to heroin?” she inquired sarcastically.
“He’s not at the point where he’s ready to forgive her like we did. You gotta give him some grace, Divine.”
“I know,” she rolled her eyes while picking up a fry. “The doctor said he’s not refilling anymore of her narcotic pain medication. From here on out, it’s only Ibuprofen for the pain. This is where it’s about to get real.”
“She doesn’t have any choice but to get through it because she can’t get around on her own. If she calls anyone to come to your house and bring her anything, you know I’m sending her ass packing, right?”
“I know. I start class next week, and I’m sure she’s going to show her ass. I thought about switching to a later date, but I’m going to start as planned.”
“Class for what?”
“I want to get my real estate license. And once you stop playing ball, I think you should too. I’ve always heard that in real estate it’s not what you know but who you know, and you have some awesome connections.
Honestly, you wouldn’t even have to work hard.
Two or three luxury listings a year will put more money in your pocket than some people see in five years. ”
My head bobbed as I thought about what she said.
I didn’t put in all the work I did on the football field to retire and have to work.
But even if gave the league another five years, I’d still be young when I retired.
I wasn’t sure not having anything to do would be something that I enjoyed day in and day out.
I never had an issue with making money, and making easy money was even better.
I was good for the rest of my life and if I ever had kids, they would be good too.
I could do better than that though. I could leave the world with enough generational wealth to make sure my great-great-great grandkids were rich.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You can take it a step further and have your own firm. Hire agents that already have good connections that just need to work under a broker in charge and even when you’re not actively selling houses, you can get a small percentage of your agents’ commissions when they get sales.”
A smile danced on my lips because I was just that proud of Divine. “Look at you. Always thinking of ways to make both of us some money. I can dig it.”
She beamed because what I said was true.
Divine went above and beyond to do her own thing and not just lean on me and for that, I would give her the world even when she didn’t want to accept it.
“And once you get that off the ground and running, we can get you married, and your wife can start pushing out babies.”
“Excuse me?” I raised my eyebrows as far as they’d go.
“Come on, bro. You’ve done your thing on the field. You’ve reached about every goal that you have yourself in your career and your personal life. Once you retire what are you going to do? Keep having sex with random women with no commitment?”
I stared at my sister blankly. The longer the silence stretched, the more she narrowed her eyes at me.
Finally, she balled up a napkin and threw it at me making me chuckle.
Divine was gorgeous. My mother’s twin. Even with their differences, the similarities overpowered any inconsistency.
Our mother had light skin while Divine’s was a rich brown.
Our mother had thick course hair, and Divine had thick coils.
They both stood 5’5 and had the heart of a man that stood ten feet tall.
“You act like I’m out here dodging women and relationships. I’m just not actively looking. If I run across something that make me consider commitment and kids, that’s what it is.”
“The energy that you give random groupies that you meet at the club is the energy you could be putting into a more wholesome woman.”
“I don’t just meet groupies at the club. Didn’t you meet Mark at the club?”
“And Mark isn’t an athlete.”
“He has money though. You were at the club having fun with your girls, and Mark pursued you. Months later, you’re in love.”
“I didn’t sleep with Mark on the first night either.”
Not missing a beat, my shoulder hiked into a passive shrug. “I know couples that slept together the first night, and now they’re married.”
Divine pushed out a breath through her nose and flexed her jaw muscles in frustration. “You get off on pissing me off.”
“I’m just saying,” throwing my hands up in surrender, I laughed. “I’ll find her when I’m supposed to D. Don’t worry about it. I’m not even that old yet.”
“Yeah, well, old age is right around the corner,” she mumbled.
Shaking my head, I removed my wallet, so I could pay for our meal. “You give a man a hard way to go.”
“It’s out of love, brother.”
I knew most people felt that being in a relationship was the end all be all, but it was absolutely possible to be single and happy.
It all depended on what a person wanted for their life.
There was no right or wrong answer when it came to adults and whether they chose to be single or in a relationship.
I was satisfied with the way my life was going.
I got sex when I wanted it, my home was peaceful, I was at the height of my career, and I had more money than I could spend. Life was damn good.
I met plenty of women over the years that were the kind of wholesome that Divine wanted me with.
Tabitha was a successful attorney. She didn’t have children, and according to her, she didn’t lose her virginity until she was twenty-four.
I met her when she was twenty-seven. The deal breaker for me was that Tabitha didn’t want kids.
I wasn’t exactly pressed to have kids, but I wanted the option.
Children weren’t completely off the table for me, and I wasn’t going to agree to her terms only to end up regretting it two or three years later.
Michelle was cool too. She was a yoga instructor and had her own studio.
Michelle was Ethiopian and didn’t have any children.
She wanted children, but she wanted them yesterday.
She also didn’t want children out of wedlock.
If it was up to her, we would have been married within four months of knowing each other, and I wasn’t on that type of time.
As I got older, I understood that entering a relationship or getting married was about much more than meeting a ‘good person.’ Compatibility would make or break the relationship, and there were certain red flags that I wasn’t willing to ignore.
If I got married it would be because I found the right one. The person that I was compatible with and shit flowed effortlessly with. Until then, I was a bachelor and absolutely content with it.
The movie ended, and Brion stretched. An hour after I left Divine’s house, Brion got on the private jet that I sent for her. She arrived at the hangar forty minutes later, and I drove her back to my house. We had chili cheese dogs, popcorn, nachos, and snickerdoodle cookies.
“What did you think?” I looked over at her.
“Um, it was pretty decent. I give it a nine out of ten. Did you like it?”
“It was cool. I’m not a big horror movie fan, but that one was straight.”
I made Brion aware that she could spend the night with me, and the jet would take her back to North Carolina at nine AM. After I cleaned up in the movie room, I took Brion on a tour of the house, and we ended in my ensuite bathroom, so she could take a shower.
“This home is bananas. I mean, London and Isaac have a gorgeous home, but I haven’t seen the entire house.” Brion looked around my bathroom in awe.
“Yeah, I have all this house, and there are some months that I barely spend two nights here, but I love it.”
“Is this your forever home?” she angled her head slightly to the left and studied me like I was the most interesting subject in the world.
“I’m not sure. Maybe ninety percent of me says yes, but you never know.”
“I get it. Prayerfully, I can buy my forever home in the next two years. I’m speaking into existence that my makeup gigs will take off, and I’ll be making enough to live comfortably and save toward a downpayment.”
I had to like Brion because I almost told her, I’d buy the home of her choosing, be the landlord, and let her rent to own. I kept those thoughts to myself, however. “In the next two years you might meet a man that won’t play about putting a ring on your finger or buying you a house.”
Brion snorted so loudly that I laughed.
“Damn, it’s like that?”
Brion didn’t respond with words, but she raised her eyebrows, pursed her lips, and gave me a knowing look. “Okay,” I held my hands up and backed out of the bathroom.
While Brion showered, I made sure my downstairs was tidy and clean because I’d be turning in for the night after I made Brion have a few orgasms. Just when I was about to head upstairs, the doorbell rang, and my brows snapped together.
It could only be Divine or Huncho at my door.
When I opened it, I saw that it was in fact, Divine.
“I’m sorry to pop up on you, but I had to get out of the house for a bit, and Mark is out of town.
I think the withdrawals have started, and I am in hell.
The nurse is there, and I asked her could I give ma some Nyquil.
She said yes, so I gave her more than the recommended dose and took a drive. When I get back, she better be asleep.”
Laughing, all I could do was shake my head. “Well, how long do you plan on being here because I kind of have company.”
Divine’s brows hiked while her gaze darted toward the stairs. “You have company?” My sister inched further into the room. “She has to be a little special or someone that you’ve known for a while if she’s here.”
“Okay, Blue, while you’re trying to put clues together and shit.”
Straining her ears to hear, Divine’s nosey ass looked at me with wide eyes. “Is she in the shower? She’s spending the night?”
“You too deep off in my business, little sister.”
“If she’s upstairs, in your main home, unattended, I think she must be more than a common thot. Can I meet her?” Divine squealed and clapped her hands together like a lunatic while flopping down on the couch.
“Hell no,” I frowned. “I’m not about to sit here and watch you do the most. Hell to the fuck nah.”
It was Divine’s turn to frown. “You suck. You suck balls.”
“I don’t suck shit.”
Divine stuck her tongue out at me then proceeded to tell me about her day with our mother. I had told Divine one too many times that she didn’t have to deal with our mother. If she chose to keep doing so that was her choice. After about fifteen minutes, Divine was done venting.
“Maybe Lucifer is sleep by now.” She stood up and took another peek toward the stairs. “I’ll let you get back to it. I hope you’re being intentional. Don’t just stick your peter anywhere. Give it to a deserving woman that you can see a future with.”
“I don’t know what I said or did to make you think I need advice on love or a manager for my peter, but I’m good, Divine.” I stood too, so I could lock the door after she left.
When I walked into my bedroom, Brion was sitting Indian style on the bed looking through her phone. “You good?”
She looked up and gave me a small smile. “Yeah, I’m good. I almost texted you and asked you to bring me up a snack, but I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“That was just my sister’s nosey ass. You could have come down, but I can guarantee she would have talked you to death. What kind of snack you want that isn’t me?” I placed my palms flat on the bed, leaned in, and kissed her on the lips.
“Your chocolate is definitely sweet, but I’m craving something a little salty, and nothing on your body better taste salty.”
With a laugh, I straightened up. “You and my sister are just regular comedians tonight. I’ll be right back. I’ll bring a few options.”
“Thank you.”
I had no problem getting Brion a snack and something to drink because the way I was about to fuck her, she was going to need some fuel.