“It’s okay. Actually, our family is from Nigeria, but we did our schooling in Paris and came here for college.”
“Are you a Beyoncé fan?” CeCe asked. “We came all the way here for the show. My bestie treated me.”
“You’re dedicated fans. When are you returning?” Dele asked.
“Tomorrow, but before we leave, do you know a nice place to eat nearby? We are starving for real food and we want to see more of the city,” I asked.
“There are plenty near here. Let me get your information, and maybe I will show you ladies a little of London on your last night here.”
“Sounds good,” CeCe said, and gave him my number. He said he would contact us later.
Back in our hotel room, CeCe and I debated who Mr. Fine-Tall-Sexy-African-Man was interested in.
“CeCe, why did you give him my number? You were doing all the talking.”
“Because you have the international calling plan, Mo. I loved his accent and he is tall. Can you believe he plays for the same team as Kadir? What a coincidence.”
“It is. I thought he looked familiar. I don’t know everybody on the team yet. Girl, talk to him,” I said.
“I would, but I think he wants some Mo in his life. If you weren’t my brother’s wife, I would say go get that tall muscle-popping chocolate African king, because he was flirting with you.”
“I saw him staring at you the entire time. And if I wanted to talk to him, I would. Carl isn’t here, plus remember we are on a break. But he is gorgeous. Those eyes . . . those cheekbones. . . his beautiful skin . . . I would have fun with him.” I laughed and CeCe agreed. We had a few drinks in the room and packed for our return flight. Grandmom CeCe took a shower and wrapped her hair and put on her scarf. She tried to stay up, but by the time a text message came from Dele saying he was still downstairs and asked if we wanted to have more drinks, Grandmom CeCe was fast asleep. But I told him I would come down.
I walked to the hotel lobby to see Ayodele waiting at the bar. He was even more beautiful than I remembered from two hours earlier. I couldn’t take my eyes off his delicious-looking malt chocolate skin. He had three drinks in front of him.
“You already ordered. Thanks, but CeCe is asleep. I tried to wake her up.”
“Hah. She retired early. That’s fine. I’m glad you decided to join me.”
“Plus, I don’t know you and what you could have put in my drink.”
“You are right, but I am not that type of man. I’ll order you another drink.” He ordered another round of drinks and then turned his attention back to me.
“You are so beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I said, blushing. His forwardness caught me off guard. I felt his eyes roaming my body. I tried to pull my dress down an inch.
“I still can’t believe that you have a grown man as a son. How old were you when you had him?”
“I had him at seventeen. He’s twenty and turning twenty-one soon. That makes me almost thirty-eight. How old are you and where is your missus, Ayodele?”
“Twenty-eight, and she is nonexistent. The life of a bachelor suits me well. I travel a lot, and well, I haven’t found anyone that I would want to spend the rest of my life with.
“Why aren’t you wearing your wedding ring?” Dele asked.
“I was with Kadir’s dad for eighteen years, but we never got married.”
“Why is he not your husband? You have a grown son, and you’re not his wife? I never understand why you American women stay with a man for years and years and never marry.”
“We just didn’t. And he is not his real father. He helped me raise him. And that isn’t any of your concern. We loved each other and we raised a great son together and that’s it.” I tugged on my dress again and took a sip of the drink in front of me.
“I’m sorry if I offended you. I was just curious. Why do you keep playing with your dress?”
“I’m just fixing it.”
“I think your dress is fine. You are beautiful, and your body looks amazing. I can appreciate a confident woman.”
“I wish everybody did. All my son says to me is that I should start dressing like a mom.”
“I’m glad you don’t dress like a mom. And you’re his mom, but you’re a woman, too.”
“Thank you. That’s what I tell him all the time.”
“No, thank you.” He licked his lips and his eyes wandered up and down my legs again. This time he grabbed his chin and I felt myself staring back.
He told me he played basketball for France in the LNB and then was drafted in the NBA five years ago. He was on a few teams before coming to the Hornets.
We had three more drinks, and then he asked me to join him in his room. He whispered something French in my ear. I don’t know what the hell he was talking about, but it sounded so sexy. He stood up and towered over me.
“Why don’t you come up with me?”
I laughed at his aggressiveness. “No, I’m fine. Thank you for the drink. I’ll see you at a game.”
“No, come with me. I promise you we will just sit and talk.”
“I can’t. I have to get some rest. My flight leaves at six.”
“It’s only ten. That means I can have the next five hours.”
“No, because I have to get to the room before my friend gets up.”
“So you agree you will stay with me?”
“No, I don’t agree.” My mind was saying one thing, but my body was talking another language. It was speaking seductively to his. He paid our check and grabbed my hand and led me to the elevator. I pressed seven for my floor and he pressed nine. When I went to say good-bye, he pulled me back in for a hug and picked me up. He then let me down slowly and went in for a long kiss. His lips nibbled at mine.
“Look, you made me miss my floor.”
“Yes, because we’re not done conversing.”
Once we were in his room, his extra-large hands touched every single part of my body. Suddenly, my dress was up and his long fingers were forcefully inside of me twisting side to side. I felt a rush of pleasure. I grabbed his dick, which extended like a long snake down the side of his leg. When he took off his pants and unleashed his massive dick, I almost fainted. I didn’t actually think my body could accommodate him. He slowly pushed his way in, breaking down layer after layer. I moaned, enjoying the pain and the pleasure. Once he got all the way in, he moved in a way that made my insides climax numerous times. He knew exactly what he was doing and I was receiving what had been missing for so long. It became a competition who could satisfy the other more. He kept whispering I was amazing in my ear, but he was the one who was putting it down. In the moment it was great, but after we were done, I became petrified.
“Are you okay? Do you want something to drink?” Dele asked.
“No, I’m fine,” I said shyly. He had just seen me naked, but suddenly I felt like I needed to pull the sheets over my body. What did I just do?
“Okay, so let me just say this. If I see you at a game, you don’t know me.”
“Why do you say that? Is it your husband?”
“No, I’m not married. It’s my son. Let’s just pretend none of this happened.”
“I don’t think that is possible. I will tell him myself your mother is amazing.”
“You can’t.”
“I’m only kidding. Don’t worry, I’m not going to say anything. So relax. We are adults and both have long flights tomorrow. Let’s make the most of tonight. And tonight will be tonight and tomorrow is another day.” He got back in the bed and wrapped his warm, long arms around me. He fell asleep and I left the room.
* * *
I snuck back in the room just before CeCe awoke and I got right in the shower. When I came out, she was sitting up. “What are you doing up?” she asked, perplexed.
“I wanted to hurry up and take a shower, so we wouldn’t be late for our flight. You better hurry and get in the shower.” I sat on the bed and began reminiscing about my night with Dele.
“What are you over there smiling about?”
“No reason, I’m just feeling really blessed. Look how amazing life is. We were able to just get up and go and fly to another country. People can’t do that.”
“That’s true. Miss blessed, hurry up and get your clothes on.”
“I will.”
I never really knew how to keep a secret. CeCe knew everything that ever happened to me, but my night with Ayodele I had to keep to myself.
CHAPTER 22
Zakiya
Today was the first official event we were attending with the new team. The Hornets were sponsoring a Carnival for Cancer shoot-around. I was very nervous because Jabril was nervous. It was the first time he had to suit up. I already told myself during the ride over to the arena that I was going to be polite, but not too friendly to any of the wives I met.
I picked up my tickets from the will call office and I gave the young woman my name and ID.
“Ma’am, your identification says Zakiya Lee. The tickets are for Mrs. Z. Smith.”
“Oh, I didn’t change my last name yet . . .” I began to dig in my bag to search for proof that I was the wife of Jabril Smith.
“You don’t have to look. I believe you. I see that ring. It’s huge. You have to get your license updated.”
“Okay, yeah,” I said, looking down at the gigantic stone in my new wedding ring set.
It was early, and I saw children playing on the court. I didn’t see Bril yet. I looked over my shoulder and noticed a tall, thick woman who had a waist-length auburn weave dipped with blond at the tips approaching me. I tried my best to ignore her existence, but then she tapped my shoulder. I turned around and mustered a smile. “Yes?”
“Hi. Dawn Franklin. Your husband was the trade, right?”
“Yes, Jabril was traded here.” I was offended by the way she was referring to my baby as the trade, like he didn’t have a name.
“Not like that. I heard he is good.”
“Yeah, he is. He averages five rebounds, ten points, and six assists a game.”
“That’s good. We need a point guard. I contacted you on Facebook. My husband is Thaddeus Franklin, the team captain.”
“Oh, you did? I don’t really get on there,” I lied.
“So, you two are from up north, right? Philly?”
“Well, I’m from Philly. Jabril is from Jersey.”
“My husband is from Baltimore, and I’m from D.C. So, how do you like Charlotte so far?”
“It’s okay,” I said.
“A little slow, though, right?”
“No, not compared to Oklahoma. That was slow.”
“Let’s exchange numbers. When they’re on the road, I like to get out every once in a while. I don’t do it often because Thaddeus and I have seven kids.”
“Seven kids?”
“Yes, I already had two before we met, he had three, and now we had two together.”
“Wow, what a big family . . .”
“Yeah, we make it work. Only four are here with us. The other two are in Las Vegas and Tallahassee. You know, he was out there when he was young, and I was married and in the military. I can still go out, though. Have you been to any of the clubs here? My favorite is Estate.”
I didn’t want to be rude. I enjoyed her conversation, but how could I be clear that I had enough friends and was too busy to go out?
“I don’t really go out.”
“We can do lunch then.”
“Yeah, lunch. I have to see. I’ll take your number,” I said, hoping she would get the hint. She gave me her number, and I saved it in my phone. That was harmless. I just wouldn’t call her.
That’s what I promised myself: no new friends. But by the time the charity game ended, I hated myself for breaking my promise.
Dawn and I shared chicken fingers and juicy stories about the crazy fans and things we had seen being at games. She invited Jabrilah and me to her daughter’s birthday party the following week. There was something likable about Dawn, and the more we talked, the more I realized we had a lot of things in common. We were the same age—literally, down to the month—and our daughters’ names both began with the letter J. I noticed she wasn’t anything like all the other toxic wives I had met over the years.
Everything was calm and peaceful until a woman came and stood in front of us blocking our view to the court.
“Girl, look at her, can you believe some people. This is an event for sick kids, not the strip club. She could have put on a pair of jeans or something. At least some tights.”
I looked to see who she was talking about. She was pointing to a woman in a tiny black shirt dress who definitely needed a pair of pants on.
“Whose wife is that?” I asked.
“She has got to be a groupie, looking that cheap. Look at that white sticker on the bottom of her cheap shoes while she has the nerve to be carrying a two-thousand-dollar bag.” I couldn’t help but laugh. Dawn was right, the woman looked a mess. We were giggling hard and were oblivious that the woman we were talking about could hear us. She walked over and stood in front of us.
“When you talk about people, you should be a little more discreet. My dress is short, but I’m not deaf and maybe if you could, you would wear a dress like this. But you can’t, so mind your business.” We both were shocked at the lady’s boldness. I was speechless and didn’t say a word. But that didn’t stop the woman from coming to me and calling me out. She stood over me and put her hands in my face and said, “And just to let you know. I’m no groupie. Kadir Hall is my son and the reason this team will start winning some games.”
Dawn stood up, taking the attention off of me and said, “Well, I don’t know where you’re from, but we don’t dress like that down here. You might want to change into something more appropriate as the mother of a player.”
The woman looked around, and then said, “How about you might want to hit the gym. But if you really have an issue with me or the way I’m dressed, we can talk in the parking lot.”
Dawn walked closer to her and said, “We don’t have to go outside.” Then she lunged for the mom. I grabbed Dawn before she could swing. But the lady was still coming over toward her. Luckily, security came over and pulled her away. Dawn straightened her clothes and thanked me for holding her back.
“Girl, Thaddeus would have killed me if I would have fought at a game, but that lady better watch herself.”
“I don’t even know what just happened, but thank you for taking up for me. She was all in my face.”
I wasn’t even at my first game and already I had witnessed some drama. I left before the end of the event and all I could think was: different city, same shit.
CHAPTER 23
Adrienne
L.A. had several sides to it. The beautiful, glamorous wanna-be-actor, just-waiting-tables-’til-I-get-my-big-break side, and then there was also the poor, skid-row, gang-infested side. I lived in the second side of L.A., and I hated it. Every night, I blocked the door with the sofa and slept very lightly. During the day, I got up and went out early. Gang members need their rest, too, and usually aren’t up at six a.m., when I left. Then, by the time I returned, around seven, they were just hitting the streets.
I spent most days in North Hollywood, nicknamed NoHo. There were many theaters, and it was the artsy district of L.A. I met a lot of people, but not one who could help me. And I needed some help badly. I was beginning to second-guess myself and my choices. I had to go home successful, and I wasn’t sure if that was going to happen. At this point, I would have sold that damn script for two thousand dollars. I just needed money. Whenever I got down, I called and spoke with Asia. Hearing her voice made me know that I had to keep going, because she needed me to make it and I needed her home.
“Mommy, I can read books.”
“That’s great, Asia girl! Mommy misses you.”
“I miss you, too, and my daddy said you can visit whenever you like.”
“I can visit? You will be coming ho
me soon, Asia. This is not forever.” I heard DeCarious in the background, telling Asia to tell me she didn’t want to leave. I started to tell her to put him on the phone. Then I decided that wasn’t a good idea, because I knew I would say something that I would later regret—or that could be used against me in court.
After speaking with Asia, I called my tenant. She still hadn’t paid the rent. If I was home, I would have gone to the house and put her and all her belongings on the curb.
“Miss Adrienne. I’m sending the money today. My boyfriend is going to go cash his check.”
“Okay, you must send the money this time.” I had to stress that I wasn’t playing with her anymore.
“No, I understand. You can go to the MoneyGram around six.”
“That’s three my time.”
“Yes, I promise it will be there.”
At 2:45, I was outside of the MoneyGram. I waited until 3:15 to go in. I gave my name and identification, only to be told there wasn’t any money waiting for me. I called Talene back, frustrated.
“Ms. Adrienne. So he thought he was going to get his first full check, but he only got one week, and then so we didn’t send the full two thousand. I felt bad, so I sent you what I had.”
“And how much was that?” I asked, annoyed.
“Three hundred dollars.” I hung up on her. If I didn’t need her to send the rest of that money, I would have cussed her out.
I came home from picking up the money and saw an argument going on in front of my apartment complex. Rico was arguing with another guy. Something told me to stay in the car. I watched as Rico stood in the middle of the street, looking around to see if anyone was coming. When he didn’t think anyone was watching, he repeatedly bashed the guy in the back of his head with a gun. Blood poured from out of the man’s head. He attempted to run, but Rico pointed a gun to the side of his head and ordered him to sit in his car. I ducked down. I didn’t want to be a witness to anything. They were probably going to kill him, but I wasn’t going to wait to find out. They pulled off, and I ran into my apartment and grabbed all my possessions. I couldn’t live there anymore. I had had enough.
The rain kept awakening me and the wind shook the car. Who knew L.A. got this cold and windy at night. I pulled my jacket out of the backseat and placed it over my body. I was reduced to sleeping in my car. I could have gotten a hotel room, but I had to hold on to all the money that I had left. I couldn’t believe how hard I had fallen.
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