by Xyla Turner
He strode to the exit and said, "I don't like any of this. I'm telling you now, I'm seconds from calling it all off, consequences be damned. I'll fundraise if I must. I don't have time to babysit some woman who acts like she can't introduce herself to everybody else."
"Man, calm down." He walked towards Randall. "Their company is built on building relationships. So, it's their way. I'm telling you. This is a jackpot."
"Whatever." Randall walked out feeling more uneasy about the whole thing.
Something about this did not sit right with him.
The basketball practice was gruesome but since it was at ten in the morning and over by two o'clock, Randall had no complaints. He wasn't able to leave the stadium until after three with all the post-practice regimen; cool down, stretching, massage and fraternizing with the fellas. They ranged from top dog to rookie. The veteran players were a little snobbish to the one's that worked their butts off every practice and every game. The competition was high but when the ball was tossed in the air to start the game off, they were one team.
That's what Randall loved about team sports; especially when people did them right. He loved the comradery, the connection, the sportsmanship, and the money, of course. Yet, it was also something that led to him being able to help others and that's what Randall valued. Miles didn't have that anymore, maybe he never did.
After practice, he made his way over to the LULA foundation. Mrs. Sinclair gave him the low-down on everything Mindy, so he was more than prepared to help her in any way she needed.
"Ms. Sinclair, someone is here to see you," the young woman announced as I walked behind her into a large office decorated in mahogany oak with matching floors.
"Laura, thank you." Mindy stood before she saw Randall. "Who..."
"Afternoon," Randall said, interrupting her question.
Mindy's head snapped up and those eyes fell on Randall.
"Oh God." She burst out laughing. "You are unbelievable."
"I've heard that before." Randall pulled up a chair and sat on the other side of the large desk, while Mindy slowly sat.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Jefferson?" Mindy nodded towards him.
"Mr. Jefferson, huh?" He shook his head. "Alright, then. If the lady would be so kind as to accompany me to Georgetown this evening to meet my friend at the career center. I thought about what you said and figured we could both take some assessments to see what we should be doing with our careers. She'll be expecting us by five, so we have time to get something to eat."
"Wait, what?" Mindy exclaimed. "You're a national basketball player. Why are you doing this?"
Randall smiled at the little cutie and replied, "Told you we're friends, and I won't be a basketball player forever. I don't even want to be so I'll need to set up my plan, and Susan is the best at Georgetown. Her programs are known around the country."
"Hmm," Mindy mumbled. "You're serious about this?"
"As a heart attack," Randall said as he stood up. "Come on, I'm starving and I want to get to this truck before everybody and their mom gets there."
Mindy eyed the tall, forceful brute and realized the man was not dumb and wouldn't be redirected. So, she shrugged her shoulders and grabbed her purse.
"Alright, jolly green giant." She stood up and headed towards the door. "Let's do this."
"That's the spirit, Minnie Mouse." Randall fell in line behind her. "Let's go conquer the world."
"Wow, you really do know how to pick good food," Mindy remarked as the two settled on the steel bench outside of the Learning Center on Georgetown's campus.
The truck did not get busy until after they bought their chili dogs and fries. Mindy wasn't a hotdog fan but the aroma lured her in and so far, Randall hadn't let her down yet.
"Told you, Minnie." He shook his head. "I know my food, sweetheart."
Fifteen minutes later, the two of them walked into the learning center looking to gain more insight into their future careers.
One hour later, Randall and Susan stared at Mindy, both had a smile on their face.
"So, let me get this right?" Mindy exclaimed with sarcasm. "According to the results, I could be great at a variety of things, including a housewife?"
Randall burst out laughing again for the second time as she tried to understand the absurdity of having a career being a Chief Executive Officer and a housewife.
"Okay, Susan, explain mine. Minnie mouse is going to need a minute." He urged her on.
"Sure, sure. So, your results conclude that your strengths lie in team activities, such as professional sports, coaching, or broadcasting. Your strengths also suggest you would be great at franchising, marketing, or philanthropy. Those careers can include the following: owning your own chain of businesses, working with others to help them find new careers, or marketing manager for large corporations."
"Wait, wait," Mindy interrupted. "Is this some sort of joke? Are you guys in on this together? I don't find this to be funny."
She was standing in front of Randall with her hands on her hips; about to have a hissy fit. He could feel the heat radiating from her and could not help but try to cool her down. Without thinking, Randall nabbed her by the elbow and pulled her body into his.
"Minnie, it's okay." His lips pressed against her ear and he said, "You can start or run your own business and you can run my house. What's so bad about that?"
Mindy jerked around with lightning bolts in her eyes.
"Are you kidding me?" she hissed. "Women have evolved from the ages of running men's homes and for your information, Randall Jefferson, you're an NBA player. That's what your maids are for. Do you want a woman that will manage your maids? Huh? That's what you want!" Mindy's lip was turned up and the look of disdain was etched on her face. "Well, I can assure you, Mr. Jefferson. I AM NOT the one."
She pushed from him and stormed out of the room. Randall thanked his friend, nabbed the results and ran after his hot-headed Minnie mouse. When he caught up to her, his hand nabbed her elbow again but when she went to jerk around, his hands went up as if he were under arrest.
"Don't kill the messenger!" Randall exclaimed. "I took the same test you took."
Mindy let out a sharp breath then glared at him.
"Look." He started to ask with his hands still in the air, "Why are you so mad? Didn't Mrs. Bee stay at home? I got the impression that she loved it."
"That was then!" Mindy exclaimed. "We are in a new era and two incomes are necessary. My father worked his butt off to take care of the family. Even went door to door to collect money for his charity. He was there but I wished he had been there more. I could have used some more time with him. If he didn't have to work so much, then I would have had that. If there were two incomes..."
Randall couldn't help it. He pulled her into his hard body and encased her; effectively cutting off her rant.
"Sweetheart, that's not why your father passed away. It wasn't because of working so hard and needing two incomes. Your father was a hard-worker and cared very much about you. I promise you that." He hugged her tight with his hand around her neck. "He loved you. All of you. It's okay to grieve your father. He was taken too soon."
Mindy burst out crying and dug her face deep into his chest. The tears flowed like a rushing river and she couldn't even stop them. At that point, it was too late to care about what people thought or even what Randall was thinking. She was full out having a breakdown in the middle of Georgetown's campus and in the safe arms of a friend. Mindy wasn't sure why she felt so secure but at that moment, she enjoyed his comfort.
Randall cocooned his short friend and let her have her tear-jerking moment. Of all the things that he thought about her, he'd never realized she was still grieving her father so deeply. She was the baby and probably the most dependent on him. So, his loss probably affected her more than the rest. She just did a great job at hiding it or just hiding from life.
They drove to Mindy's home, where he escorted her to her room, tucked her in bed and sat on the floor r
ubbing her back. She was fully clothed but he'd taken off her boots. Fifteen minutes later, her bedroom door opened and Mrs. Bee popped her head in.
"Everything okay?" she whispered.
Randall shook his head and stood up so he could fill her in outside of the room.
"Hey. Mindy sort of broke down when we went out. It seems she still grieving her dad," he stated.
"Yeah, she's better at hiding it but that makes sense." Her eyes held Randall's. "She going to need someone strong enough to weather that storm with her. I'm not sure if you're the one, but if it ain't you then leave my daughter alone."
Randall nodded his head in acknowledgment of her words. Her candor was refreshing.
"Mrs. Bee, that's the last thing you need to worry about with me. I'm in it all the way," he assured her.
"Well, if you realize you're not, cut it off." Her eyes narrowed. "She don't need more heartache. None of us do."
He nodded at her and she made her way down the hall.
"Don't forget the house rules," she called back. "I didn't raise any trollops."
"Yes ma'am." Randall shook his head and went back to sit by Mindy's side as he massaged her back in rhythm with her soft snores.
Around eleven fifty-seven, Randall kissed her on the cheek, sent her a quick text and left to go to his house across town. He lived close to Shane in a gated community. His agent, at the time who he considered a life-long friend, had convinced him of moving to the place because of safety and the amenities. Yet now he felt isolated and alone. Randall would throw the occasional party, might even have a lady friend stop by, but it wasn't the same.
He wanted more.
Chapter Five
Mindy could not believe that she completely broke down in the middle of Georgetown’s campus and more importantly not just in front of but in the arms of the Washington Wizards small forward. She was so glad he had a game today. For some reason, she wasn't sure how happy to be about the fact that he wouldn't pop in on her. Embarrassed was the word that kept coming to her mind.
Avoidance was the second word.
Basketball wasn't her sport; it was her secret hope. Shane had football, Sandra played volleyball and when Mindy was younger, she swore she'd be the next Lisa Leslie. However, her height said otherwise, so she gave up on that dream. Mindy never went out of her way to watch the sport anymore since her father was gone but she knew the rules and if a game were on, she'd get into it, probably just as much as the guys. The celebrating, the booing, jumping off the couch and yelling at the referees was a normal thing.
Mindy was about to step out for lunch when Laura, the office assistant, stopped her at the front. "Ms. Sinclair, there's a package for you."
"Okay, I'll get it when I get back," Mindy said as she kept walking towards the double doors.
"It's a lunch package," Laura called back, stopping Mindy in her tracks.
She swiveled around to see a plastic bag filled with two platters. The smell snuck up on her as she slowly walked back toward the desk.
"Randall Jefferson?" she asked.
"Yes, he called earlier to let me know to expect it." Laura was smiling from ear to ear. "He's smitten with you."
"Hmm," Mindy mumbled and took the mouth-watering bag back to her office.
She took out the food and nabbed the note at the bottom.
Hey Minnie,
Miss you already today but I won't see you until the day after. We're on the road this week. Hope you can tune into one of the games. This is comfort food, so enjoy! Trust me on this. Best food in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. I'll call you later. Pick up!
Randall
She sighed out loud and began to eat the 'not just good,' but 'slap your mama good' food. She couldn't help but wonder if he knew she was a little chunky monkey and wanted to win her heart through her stomach. This is what they said about men and he seemed to be doing the opposite.
It was then that Mindy came up with a great idea. At the time, she thought it was great, so she finished eating the food and started her plan to show him how his idea would not work for her.
Oddly enough, the entire week without seeing Randall was not as comforting as Mindy originally thought it would be for her. She had missed the intrusive brute, despite having lunch delivered to her every single day from some hole in the wall restaurant she'd never heard of, and she had lived in this city all her life.
Answering the phone when he called the first night was tough since she still felt embarrassed about her crying session in the middle of a college campus. Randall handled it like an expert and rightfully so since he had three older sisters. They probably cried once a week during that time of the month and he was either the punching bag or the shoulder. Just like a gentleman, he held Mindy tight, drove her home, and waited until she fell asleep before he left. The brute even sent a 'feel better' text.
The second night, when she picked up the phone, the first thing he said was, "I thought I was going to have to fly back and make you answer my call."
Why Mindy thought that was funny, she wasn't sure. Probably because he would actually do something as crazy as that.
She burst out laughing until he started laughing as well.
"I'm so serious." Randall still had humor in his voice. "The next call was to the airport."
"Fee-fie-fo-fum," Mindy mocked. "You're such a brute."
"Only when it comes to you. You're a little minion, all over the damn place," he countered.
"What did you want, Mr. Jefferson?" she asked.
"Miss me, don't you?" He laughed.
"Not in the least. I was just beginning to enjoy my freedom from intrusions and interventions." Mindy sat back against the headboard on her bed.
It was ten o'clock and his game was over. Not that Mindy watched or anything, but she knew they’d lost.
"Funny you mention interventions," Randall started. "I have one coming your way when I return."
Mindy stopped him immediately.
"Oh no, Mr. Man. I have something for you when you return. I get what you're doing and I'm going to raise you one and see if you can deliver. So, you can wait for my instructions when you return. I'll need to know your itinerary as well, so these things can be scheduled. Don't give me any flack because I have my ways to find out too. You're not the only one who knows people. I get an entire week. No talkback, just one week."
A mouse peeing on cotton could be heard over the line when she finished.
"Hello," Mindy called. "HELLO!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry. You caught me off guard there," Randall mumbled. "Uh, okay. You got a week. I'll send you my calendar now, so you'll see what's on the agenda. Anything else you need, Ms. Bossy Pants?"
She chuckled a little.
"Not right now. Not that I can think of." She nodded. "Just you be prepared. I'm about to shut you down."
"Hmm, okay. I'm not sure whether to be scared or fly home so we can start early."
"Nope, I need to prepare. So, win some games and stop bullying short people around," Mindy concluded.
"Well, the only short one I will always bully is you, so no need to worry about that and I hope we win some games." He laughed.
"Hope?" Mindy clicked her tongue three times. "That's not the champion that Diamond interviewed. He’d said he didn't believe in failure and the only thing that kept losers from being winners was their mindset going in. Winners think like winners. Losers will be losers because they chose to think like a loser. Some guy name Randall Jefferson said that to that lady reporter on national television."
Mindy clicked her tongue again, then mumbled, "Well, I could have been wrong. Maybe it was that other cute basketball player on the Wizards. Um, what's his name...Ah. William Ortiz."
"Ahhh." Randall made a noise. "Ortiz? Cute? You're breaking my heart."
"Oh God, Randall. William Ortiz is so hot. With that sole patch. We ladies love him." Mindy moaned. "Wait, can you introduce us? He's a friend of yours, right?"
"Hell no," Randall said sternl
y. "There's no need. He's no longer my friend, effective today."
Mindy burst out laughing at her joke. William Ortiz was cute but he was no Randall Jefferson. That wasn't even a good comparison.
"Kidding, kidding," Mindy finally admitted.
"You’d better be." Randall was still serious. He paused for a beat and then he said, "Thanks Mindy."
"For what?" she asked.
"For reminding me of what I know to be true. As a man thinketh, so is he. Famous biblical words that still ring true." He paused. "I didn't even know you watched that interview, forget remembering what I’d said. So, thanks. I needed to hear that."
Mindy could hear the sincerity in his voice and sobered from her prior joking.
"Well, I also need to take a page out of that mindset. Your interview spoke to me as well." She felt a little awkward since they mostly jabbed at each other and the last ten minutes of their conversation had turned very serious. "Okay, Mr. Jefferson. I'm going to, uh, go now. You have a good evening."
"Good hearing your voice, Mindy. Dream of me, sweetheart," Randall threw in there.
"Boy, bye." Mindy hung up the phone with a huge smile on her face.
When she realized it was there, she immediately wiped it off and fell face down on her pillow. She knew there'd be dreams of him, thoughts assaulting her while she slept, and missing him until they saw each other again. He was an unwelcome intruder in her life and there was no telling how any of this would go down.
The next day, as Mindy prepared her plan to shut Randall down, her mom sat down beside her in the living room.
"Hey Min," she greeted her daughter. "I haven't seen your male suitor lately."
Mindy's eyes cut to her mom with her face scrunched up in disgust.
"Mom, nobody says that anymore. Furthermore, he's not a male suitor, just a friend. We've discussed this and we're friends," she confirmed, as she clicked the next link on her tablet.
"Right. Honey, if you don't want to tell me that you're dating an NBA player, then fine. But you better make sure your brother knows because that could get quite ugly." Her mother held out her palm in front of her. "Remember when Shane thought Diamond and Randall were dating, he was ready to kill. You don't want him to find something like this out through the media. They tend to skew things for their own enjoyment. You know Shane."