Prime Choice

  “Everybody’s called. Even the teams you weren’t going to go with. They were just calling to check on you. Reporters have been ringing the phones like crazy. The number-one player in the state goes down, and they wanna know if he can get back up.”

  “Well, I saw in the papers that Lance Shadrach is the number-one player in the state,” I muttered, having a pity party.

  “Come on, Son, don’t be beating yourself up, okay? Lance is riding off the fact that he won the championship. If you had won that game, it’d be a totally different story.”

  “Do I still have as many offers as I had before going into game?” I asked my father, trying to sit up a little.

  He came over and helped me slide up on a pillow. “Your mom’s got you all hooked up. Cold drink, pillows stacked high. You all comfy?”

  “Come on, Dad. It’s not that good, huh?”

  My dad spoke caringly: “Okay, Son, you wanna hear it? Most of the guys that called were worried about the injury. The offers aren’t off the table, but some schools let me know they might have to go to the number-two receiver on their list. A couple of schools I haven’t heard from yet, and a few coaches told me that they tried for a while to get through. You know the phones have been ringing off the hook, and I’m sure I haven’t talked to everybody. We’ll find the right school for you, Son. We just want you to get better first, and then everything else will fall into place.”

  All of a sudden, a calm came over my spirit. It was like God was speaking to me at that very moment.

  I just blurted out: “Dad, don’t be down. This is a good thing. We get to see what teams really want me. You’re right. I’ve done all I could do. I’ve proven myself to the fullest these last couple of seasons. If colleges wanna back down on me, then that’s not where I should’ve gone, anyway. I really didn’t know how I was going to make my decision. Maybe this was supposed to happen to me.”

  “Dang, Perry. You’re making me see it a better way, and I’ve been praying all day. Mom’s sure worried about you. I think God just spoke through you. I hope your team will step up soon.”

  “Ain’t no doubt about it, Dad. The pain in my leg is subsiding. I’m trusting God to hear my needs and I’m gonna trust Him to place me in the school that’s right for me. I was mad at first, but I’m getting a better perspective. Learning to trust Him with the good and bad and knowing that He can help me with both.”

  My dad came over to me, laid his hand on my bed and prayed.

  “Lord, thank You for giving me a son who knows You. Keep my boy strong during this. Carry his burden. I’m so proud of him, Lord. And I’m so thankful that You allowed me a second chance with him. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “No, Son, thank you.”

  There wasn’t really anything else to be said even though there were still uncertainties about many things in my life. I was cool with that because I had given it all to God. If He could make me and my dad start talking again, then I was convinced that God could do anything.

  Two weeks had passed, and we were finally out for Christmas break. I hadn’t gone too many places, just to school and back. My knee still wasn’t that strong but I wasn’t letting it keep me down. Justin had been taking me to school and bringing me home. Being in my condition, I wasn’t able to drive.

  “Where we going? I’m tired, man. Take me home,” I said to Justin after school on Friday.

  “I just gotta pick up something at my crib. It ain’t gon’ take long!” When we got to his house, he insisted I come in. “This might take a minute.”

  “Boy, you said it wouldn’t take long.”

  “You want something to drink? You ain’t gotta go to the bathroom?”

  “Naw, I’m cool. Hurry.”

  “I’m just saying. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay cramped up in a car all day. You need to stretch it and stuff.”

  “All right, all right,” I said, since I figured he wasn’t gon’ let me chill.

  When we stepped into his house a lot of friends popped out from everywhere, yelling, “Surprise, Perry!” or “Get Well!” I was stunned. My boys weren’t there but a lot of the football players were, even Marlon. I knew he didn’t care ’bout me none, and I didn’t know what the catch was until I saw Tori come around the corner.

  So many people came up to me asking what they could do to help me feel better. Many asked if I felt okay. I couldn’t be annoyed ’cause folks cared. Then the door opened and Damarius and Cole walked in. The three of us just looked at each other. I didn’t know how to respond.

  Cole walked over to me and said, “You know you still my boy, right?”

  Deep down I was hoping they would come. Damarius and I just slapped hands and that was enough. Right now, I knew neither of us was ready to open up. That was the way some guys handled their mess. Everything didn’t have to be serious all the time. Some stuff you just had to let go.

  “Yeah, we’re straight, Cole,” I said, as my boys checked out my leg.

  “Yo mama had you all on lockdown and stuff when we called. Said you were sleeping,” Damarius said jokingly.

  I missed the both of them, a lot. I’d only hoped that they’d change their lifestyle. I didn’t think casual sex was cool, but I couldn’t judge or condemn them. I learned I just needed to pray and ask God to help.

  The party, like my birthday party, came unexpected. I had to give it to Justin, though. Cars weren’t all along the streets or in front of his house, and he had a spread that was out of this world.

  “Man, how did you pull this off?” I asked him as I dug into some chicken wings.

  “Actually, your girl Tori hooked up the food. I just had to provide the place and tell people about it.”

  Damarius had got the music going while people gathered around him. “Okay, okay, okay, everybody. Thank y’all for coming to show Perry that y’all care ’bout his injury. We know that he can overcome it, and eventually he’ll get those millions. When he does, he better not forget his friends! But enough with the greetings. Let’s get the party jumping! Where’s the party at?”

  People yelled back, “Over here!”

  That boy was so crazy. As the party continued, I hobbled to the bathroom. I was disappointed to find it locked. Then I heard a scream and what sounded like a scuffle. When I leaned closer, I heard a familiar voice.

  “You’ve already done this. Quit holding out on me!” It was Marlon.

  “I don’t wanna do this with you anymore,” Tori said. “Stop!”

  I banged on the door hard. “Tori! It’s me, open up.”

  Marlon shouted back, “Perry, man, this ain’t none of your business. You need to take your crippled self and go sit down. I got this. She’s mine now!”

  “Marlon, stop. Get off me!” I heard Tori say from behind the door.

  “Marlon, man, open up the door now! I ain’t playing.” Finally he did. Tori rushed into my arms, and Marlon came up to my face.

  “What? Tori, you wanna give him my leftovers now? Fine, have her.”

  “Stand right here,” I told Tori. Before he could get out of the doorway, I grabbed his collar and brought his face straight to mine. “Don’t you ever force yourself on her again!”

  “Or what you gon’ do?”

  I pushed him hard against the wall and said, “Boo!” The stupid boy jumped like a little girl. “Yeah. I thought so. Now force yourself on me.”

  “Man, whatever.” And he was gone.

  As soon as he left, Tori dropped herself into my arms.

  “It’s okay,” I said as I stroked her long brown hair.

  “You just don’t understand. I did mess up, Perry. I did. I know he’s a dog, but he hurt me.”

  “He won’t put his hands on you no more.”

  “He was grabbing my waist and he wouldn’t let me go,” she said as the tears fell from her eyes.

  “You’re okay. You’re safe now.”

  “Thanks to you. I was just praying and hopin
g for relief.”

  15

  Loving the Outcome

  “You’re okay now, Tori,” I said to my ex again as I comforted her. “You don’t have to worry about him messing with you anymore.”

  She wasn’t letting go of me, and her body was still shaking. I didn’t want her to be terrified, so I held her tight. I repeatedly tried to convince her that she was safe.

  Then she pulled back and said, “Perry, I was so wrong.”

  “It’s okay, Tori. I gave you reason not to trust me.”

  “But you tried to tell me nothing happened with you and Amandi, and I didn’t believe you. And then all those rumors came about you having sex with her, I just couldn’t take it. Of course that was after I hooked up with Marlon, and realized I wanted to be with you.”

  “You don’t have to tell me all this,” I told her.

  “I guess what I’m trying to say is I wish that we could have another chance. Tell me it’s not too late for us.”

  I didn’t even know how to respond to Tori. She had shown me some things about herself that I wasn’t cool with. The whole suicide-attempt thing was a turnoff, not to mention she just up and gave it to some dude that said what she wanted to hear. I didn’t know ... I wasn’t too fond of her judgment. The Tori I liked being with was stronger. Even though she was a grade younger than me in school, she always acted way more mature than me.

  Now that I felt different, I didn’t know how to find a way to tell her without destroying her or putting me in a bind. I wanted us to stay friends, so I chose my words carefully.

  My lips caressed her forehead and I whispered, “You know you’ll always gon’ be special to me.”

  “So that’s a no?”

  I grabbed both of her hands, stepped back and gazed into her eyes. I wanted her to see that I cared. I wanted her to feel my grasp of sincerity. I wanted her to know I didn’t have to be her man for us to be buddies.

  She pleasantly surprised me when she said, “I get it. You don’t have to answer right now.”

  “I’m sorry, but you’re right. That’s all I got. I don’t know how deep I want us to go, but I do know I want us to be cool. If you have any problems or need anything, I’m here for you.”

  She came into my arms and hugged me tight. This time she felt surer and more comfortable. When we stepped out of the bathroom arm in arm, a whole bunch of our peers were yelling, standing right in front of us waiting to get in.

  “Dang! What y’all doing in there?” Damarius asked.

  “Boy, you so stupid.”

  “Give ’em room, everybody. Step back!” he said.

  “Oh, my goodness, Tori, y’all back together,” Ciara said as she and Briana came up to us.

  But as soon as we let go of our embrace, Tori said some reversed news to her girls. “We got a special friendship.”

  “All right, well that’s something to build on,” Briana said. Damarius punched me in the back.

  “Man, what you doing?”

  “Come with me, man. We need to talk.”

  We ended up in Justin’s dining room, where I had had dinner with his family not too long ago.

  “What’s up?”

  “I took your advice and told Ciara what was up with me.”

  “Well, what happened? What she say? She mad?”

  “Don’t stress yourself, man. She can never be mad at me. She was sorta ticked off, though, but we worked it out. I told her I was going to be faithful from now on.”

  “So what you gon’ do about your lil’ problem?” He looked at me weird. “I’m just saying.”

  “I know, I know. You looking out for both of us. I got some pills I have to take when I’m feeling weird down there. The doctor told me the times when I could hook up with somebody, so I’ve been educating myself on it. I wanna thank you for being a real friend. I do plan to change my habits before I end up with another disease. I really wanted to tell you to mind your own business, but thanks to you pushing me I got a free ride to Fort Valley.”

  “What!” I was fired up for my boy.

  “I gotta be committed and still do well on the SAT. I gotta get rid of that F I got in government. For the most part, Coach Pugh thinks he can get me in. And he wants me to start.”

  “Dang, man. That’s real good, D,” I said to my boy.

  I wouldn’t want anybody else coming down on him or passing judgment. I couldn’t. I realized if me and Amandi would’ve got down in the car a while back, ain’t no telling what I would’ve gotten from that wild girl. But I knew I was telling Damarius what I honestly thought. I was watching out for him and Cole. I didn’t have no brothers, so they filled the spot.

  And speaking of Cole, I was even more excited for what God was doing ’cause Cole had apologized, too. “My girl had the abortion. She is having nightmares and stuff about people saying she killed a kid. I feel bad knowing I went through with it, too. Maybe we should have thought about adoption or tried to raise the kid ourselves. But we were selfish and tried to be tough. That’s why I brought you over there. Now she saying she don’t wanna have sex with me, and you know how much I love it. God found a way to punish me. I should have listened to you, Perry. Sorry man.”

  All three of us just laughed.

  “Y’all so crazy.”

  Cole asked, “How’s that leg, though? You know everybody been asking ’bout you.”

  “I’m gon’ get it back straight, you know me. I’ll be able to work out hard pretty soon. It will get strong again.”

  “Dang, boy. You gotta get better for real,” Damarius said.

  “As mad as we were at each other, God done worked that out. I’m sure he can do some miracles on this leg. I can see the two of y’all pushing me in the gym.”

  “Oh, yeah. We definitely gon’ do that,” Cole said.

  “What about schools, though, Perry?”

  “Their interest has been falling off.”

  “Don’t stress about that, man. Their loss,” Damarius told me.

  “I just gotta make sure I do my part and a school and will come along,” I said.

  Damarius and I slapped hands. I was so glad that they were going to reevaluate their crazy lifestyles. Tori and I found a way to really be what we needed to be to each other and that was friends. Damarius was right, I did have big faith. I was proving we could do anything but fail if we trusted God.

  Justin dropped me off at my house. I was totally shocked to walk in and see my parents on the couch, all into each other. My mom was all rested in my dad’s arms. My dad’s legs were up with his feet on the coffee table. One of his hands was rubbing her cheek and his other hand was rubbing her thigh.

  I joked. “I must be in the wrong house.”

  “Boy, come on in here,” my dad teased. “Your mom and I have been trying to work out our problems.”

  My mom stood up and came over to me. “Sit down.”

  I plopped down in the recliner. She rubbed my forehead and replied, “Your dad told me you walked in on him.”

  My eyes opened wide.

  “Yes, I told her,” my pops announced. “I told her everything about my life and how I’ve not been right. I need to straighten up some things, and to do that I needed to get right with the Lord.”

  “You done with all that, Dad?” I looked at my dad. “I’m sorry, Mom, I just need to know.”

  “It’s okay, Son, that’s a fair question. Clarissa’s gone.”

  “What do you mean she’s gone?”

  He said, “I mean, not only did I end the relationship, but I also let her go.”

  I looked down and shook my head. My dad knew I had more questions.

  “Ask what you want, Son. Talk to me, Junior.”

  “All right, cool,” I said as my dad pushed me to share my feelings. “How we know that this is the only situation you got? Was there anybody else we don’t know about? Was this lady the only one you dipped out with? I mean, because I don’t know. My mom didn’t deserve to be treated like that.”

  M
y mom didn’t do anything when my dad dogged her like that. Okay, she might not look the way she did when they first hooked up. But then I noticed that my dad wasn’t looking all that good, either. I know he didn’t have those rolls in his gut twentysomething years ago that he has now.

  Yeah, he had some money in his pockets. But he needed to give me more answers. I wanted to know why he did it. I wanna understand and move past it, like my mother obviously had.

  “Why did you do it, Dad?”

  “Honey, let me answer that,” my mom said to him. “Perry, your mom hasn’t done her job. I didn’t have another man, but I wasn’t taking care of the one I had. You’re old enough to know now what I’m saying.”

  “Ye ah, I know.”

  “You know,” she said as she looked at my dad. I could sorta tell they wondered if I was still pure. “You should’ve seen the way I used to pull away from your father since your sister’s been gone. I don’t know. It’s like my body has been doing some weird things: my oldest baby is gone, and I’ve been reserved. I’ve been a little down. I haven’t really wanted to express myself to my husband the way I’m supposed to. So if he is saying that I pushed him into the arms of another, then I’m not saying I didn’t.”

  I couldn’t look at either of them at the moment. This was a lot. I only hoped they could work it out.

  “We don’t know what’s going to happen to us in the near future, Son, but your dad and I are willing to try hard to keep our family together. We wanna be with each other.”

  My dad turned and kissed my mom. I had never seen my parents show affection. To see them kiss passionately was moving.

  Then a key turned in the door and my sister walked in and dropped her bags on the floor. She was home from college.

  “I thought this was going to be a horrible Christmas. Thank you, Lord!” she said, as she raised her hands toward the sky.

  I was glad the family was happy. We ordered pizza and watched a movie. Life was coming together, and I was loving it. After the movie, the phone rang and my dad answered it.

  My dad said, “Hey, Coach, how’s the team doing down there at Georgia Tech?” At that point, the movie was watching itself. My mom, sister and I turned our eyes toward my dad. “Yeah, he’s doing much better. Yeah, we know you guys really want him. He really is a good kid, and he’ll recover 100 percent from his injury, I’ll assure that. Hold on a sec.”