Poor Nico. I heard his wife left him and is getting more than half of his money (I guess his team of lawyers will use the other half to keep his ass out of jail), which is estimated at almost seventy-five million dollars. She is one lucky bitch, but I think if I tell everything I know and go on a book tour, I will sell as many books and maybe more than that Video Vixen girl, who by the way I really like. I think she’s very pretty and smart. Maybe one day I can meet her and we can swap stories about how we used our female powers for good.
Well, Diary, I don’t know how much I’ll get to write to you anymore, since I’ll be writing this book, but I’ll visit you often and think of the comfort you’ve brought me so many nights. At first I thought keeping a diary was silly, but I’ve learned that you were the only one I could trust, so I’ll miss you. But I’ll put you in a safe place just in case I need you, if only to see how far I’ve come.
CHAPTER
48
Message to Mama
Spartanburg, SC
August 9, 2007
Dear Mom:
Since PCs are banned the first couple of days of training camp I thought you’d like a real letter better. When was the last time I’ve handwritten you a letter? Was it in the third grade when you told me to write you and tell you what I wanted for Christmas? That was the year you told me there wasn’t a Santa Claus. What did I ask for? Most likely what I asked for every year: a daddy and a dog.
That’s why I’m writing you, because I now have them both and I have you to thank for that. I want to thank you for being the most wonderful mother any son could ask for. One of the things I’ve learned during my two years of playing professional football from some of my new teammates is how good I had it, even though I spent most of my life with one parent. I share that with a lot of my teammates. But what makes me different and so blessed is that I had you, a woman who was willing to give up her entire life to love and protect me. I thank you for that.
Although my experience with Barrett damaged me for a while, recently I have been on some dates with some pretty nice young ladies. Because of you, Mom, I still have a heart that is willing to hold love. I’m just a little careful about which girl is worthy of meeting my mom and dad.
When I think how you went against your own parents demands, my body shudders at what you gave up for me. How difficult that must have been for you. That’s real love, Mom. And even though you say your parents are old-school black people and will never budge on their stubbornness, I still hold out hope that one day I can meet them. And that we can complete our family. You deserve to be loved and cherised by them and I will keep praying the prayer of forgiveness will come to us all.
How are Shelby and her beautiful baby, Rhianna? Has she heard from Torian or is he still refusing to pay child support? I’m so happy the NCAA allowed me to donate the money Nico put into my account to Brandon’s Room to help young ladies like Shelby. I just don’t get dudes like Torian.
Almost every day there is a new teammate getting served with child support or divorce papers. My generation of men take having babies so lightly, and that disappoints me. They talk about it in terms of how much the new baby is going to cost them and how the numbers of their babies’ mamas have increased. But that’s not why I’m writing. I decided I wanted to write you because I want to thank you for my gift. I love Saban, he is the perfect dog, and he protects me like you have all of my life.
I just got off the phone with Woodson, and although the first year of our relationship was challenging, I think every time we see each other and speak to each other we become more like father and son. We are so much alike in the way we look and feel about the world. We spent an entire night talking about the plight of black men and how recent incidents involving wealthy black men show us how quickly it can all be taken away. Can you believe all the trouble Michael Vick got himself into? Mom, that was my dude, and I always admired his skills on the field. I sure hope he can redeem himself and do something positive with his life. I know it would have been tough, but I wish the Texans would have drafted me and I could see my dad and new sisters more. Still, I love being a Carolina Panther and it keeps me close to home and you. I guess what I’m trying to say you already know, but it bears repeating. I love you and I thank you for loving me. Thank you for setting the bar for my life so high. I’m sorry that there was ever a day when I doubted your love and knowing what’s best for me. I always thought you wanted me to be perfect, and that was very tough to live up to. Nobody is perfect. Thanks for teaching me that one bad decision doesn’t have to ruin a life well lived. That the honor comes not from living a perfect life but from living a good life, imperfections and all. I love you and I can’t wait to escort you down the aisle as you start another chapter in your life with your soul mate Sylvester. I know you two will continue to make each other happy.
Your Not So Perfect Son,
Brady Jamal Bledsoe
All-Pro Running Back for the Carolina Panthers
ALSO BY E. LYNN HARRIS
INVISIBLE LIFE
JUST AS I AM
AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS
IF THIS WORLD WERE MINE
ABIDE WITH ME
NOT A DAY GOES BY
ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS
A LOVE OF MY OWN
WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKENHEARTED
I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER
Copyright © 2008 by E. Lynn Harris
All Rights Reserved
Published in the United States by Doubleday, an imprint of The Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.doubleday.com
DOUBLEDAY is a registered trademark and the DD colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Harris, E. Lynn.
Just too good to be true / by E. Lynn Harris. —1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Mothers and sons—Fiction. 2. African American college athletes—Fiction. 3. Family secrets—Fiction. 4. Celibacy—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3558.A64438J88 2008
813'.54—dc22
2007045760
eISBN: 978-0-385-51412-5
v3.0
Just Too Good to Be True Page 29