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Authors: Stephanie Perry Moore

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BOOK: Prime Choice
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“Well, honey, he's not going to school to major in football. What if he gets hurt? I mean, let's be realistic here. Most of those boys who are recruited in high school do not go on to maintain professional careers in their sport. I want our son to have something else to fall back on. Actually, not something to fall back on, but something that is his top priority. And
he
needs to make this decision.
You
chose where you wanted to go to school.”
“That boy don't know what he's doing. He definitely needs his father in this process. And it's clear to me that his mama don't need to have nothing to do with it,” my father boasted. “He doesn't need to go to a school where they don't even have business as a major. You know I want him to take over the dealership one day.”
That was news to me. Payton always wanted that job. And my dad made her feel like it was hers. Now he was saying he wanted me to take up the family buisness. Wonder when he was going to ask me?
He continued, “You're not even acknowledging that he's a great football player. The top player in the state right now, Patricia. He needs to ride the football thing until the ride ends. You're trying to make him get off of it before it stops. Believe in your son.”
My mom put her hand up in front of my dad. I guess she wanted him to hush up. He grabbed her arm harshly. It was something about the way he grabbed it that made me snap. I dashed inside the kitchen area and pushed my father back with hard force. I'd never used that on him before. It was like defending a free safety or something.
“Boy, have you lost your mind?” my dad yelled as he turned and grabbed me by the collar. “I wasn't gon' hurt your mama. We're just in here talking.”
His lil' grip wasn't bothering me at all. I just didn't want my dad to think that I was scared of him. I know what I saw, and I know what I heard. And my mom's reaction showed she was very uncomfortable.
“Let him go, Junior! You two stop that,” my mother ordered.
I didn't know why my mama was telling me to stop. I wasn't doing anything. I was just standing there boldly while my dad had my shirt shriveled all up in his hand. I hated the fact that I was named after my father in times like these.
Only around my parents did I not get to be who I normally was, and that was Perry. I had to answer to Junior, and he got to hold the name. I didn't know why my father and I were drifting apart so, but when I looked at him I could only pray, “
Lord, help us.”
“Son, let me tell you. The next time you come at me like a man, I'm gon' take off my belt and show you that you're still a boy. You understand me?”
I said nothing. I wasn't trying to disrespect him, but at this time I felt he didn't deserve my respect. So I said nothing. I mean, what was he gon' do? Really take off his belt and make me say something? I just looked at him. He came over toward me, and my mom got in his way.
“Let him go,” my mother said. “Son, go on to your room now. Go, go!”
I had no problem following that order. I still couldn't believe what had just occurred. Breathing deeply, I retreated to my room and wished things were different.
 
For the next two days my father and I avoided each other. Monday morning when I was ready to head to school in my car, I noticed I didn't have my keys. My dad had talked about taking the car, but I didn't pay it no mind since I'd driven it yesterday. Why was he trippin'?
“Mom, where are my keys?”
All of a sudden, my dad walked into the room jingling the keys. Guess he called himself trying to teach me a lesson.
“Dad, I need my keys or I'm gonna be late for school!” I said without thinking.
“Guess you better call one of your boys to come get you or tell your mom to take you. You won't be driving this car for a week.”
“All my friends are probably off to school, Dad. Why didn't you tell me last night that you were taking my car?”
“I told you when you came in late Friday night that I was taking your car.”
“Why you doing this? I don't need my mom taking me to school; I'm not in kindergarten. Come on, Dad. I just won't be late for curfew anymore.”
“That's not all it's about, Junior. You've been acting mighty grown around here lately. You might be good on the football field, but you stepped incorrectly to me the other day. I haven't heard any apology from you yet.”
“I thought you was messing with my moms. You're the one who taught me to defend her and my sister, no matter who it was.”
“And I see you trying to be a smart aleck again. You better find you a way to school, and, Patricia, don't you dare take him. He thinks it's beneath him to get a ride from a parent, let him figure it out on his own. Everything he's got and everything on his back, our money bought for him. And, what? He gon' challenge me? I'm tired of fussing with the boy.”
“Honey, I hear you but school is important, so I'm taking him to school.”
“No, I
said
don't take him.”
“No! I'm taking him to school. Junior, let's go.”
I was smiling on the inside. By the look on my father's face, he wasn't pleased, though. He started talking some more mess, and I blocked it all out because my mom was taking me to school. In my mind, I had won.
But as we got in the car and drove in silence I realized maybe I hadn't won at all. Maybe I had just driven a bigger wedge between my parents. I felt worse than if I'd been hit by a Mack truck.
I, too, was tired of arguing with my father, but that was just our life now. He thought he ruled everything, but he didn't rule me. If I had to be uncomfortable or make my mom uncomfortable, then so be it. Taking my car and my keys for a week, my dad was crazy. But even though I didn't agree with him, he still was the one calling all the shots. Shoot! I wasn't walking, but I wasn't driving, either. I was riding in the car with my moms to school. A senior. Captain of the football team. A guy being recruited by several schools. A guy most girls in my school want to get with, and I had to get a ride with my moms. Wasn't that a trip!
 
“Let's ride over to Paine College,” Damarius said as Cole drove around Augusta after football practice.
“Yo, I'm tired. Take me home,” I said to the two of them.
“Boy, when you ain't drivin', you don't get to decide where to go, last time I checked,” Damarius said from the passenger side.
I retorted, “Last time I checked, you weren't drivin', either.”
“Aww, come on, man. You gotta roll with us over to Paine so we can hit up those freshmen girls D and I met last night,” Cole said, revealing the real plan.
“Heck, naw! I ain't going to see no girls on campus—what ? I just got my flow back together with Tori, and I ain't tryin' to add no drama to the situation. Just take me home.”
“You a punk, man,” Damarius said as he turned around to me.
From the backseat, I sat up and squeezed his neck. “What the heck you say?”
“Come on, y'all,” Cole said as he started swerving the car. “Let him go, Perry, man! Let him go.”
“No!”
Cole took the car onto the side of the road. We barely missed hitting two cars, thanks to his driving. He slammed on his brakes, stopped the car and pulled my hands from his pal's trembling body.
Damarius started coughing. “I don't know what's gotten into you, man,” he turned around and said to me.
“I'm sick and tired of people telling me what I need to do with my life. I wanna go home. I'm not tryin' to chase no skirt. You know I'm on punishment. Besides, I'm surprised none of y'all negroes ain't got one of these girls pregnant or caught a disease, as much as y'all try to get with every girl y'all see. I got other stuff on my mind than trying to add more girl problems to the list.”
Damarius rubbed his neck. “Take him home, then, Cole, if it's like that.”
I made sure they both knew I wasn't with their games. “It's like that.”
 
Being at home doing my homework was hard. I was used to having my own car: go where I wanted to go and do what I wanted to do. But now I had to get a ride with my friends. I could've called Tori, but ... I don't know. Guess I was just tired of arguing. I could've begged my dad for my keys back and apologized, told him I'd learned my lesson. Naw, that wasn't too appealing, either.
Just when I thought my night was going to be boring, there was a knock on the door. It was Damarius and Cole. I really did regret the car brawl. I deeply hoped we could work it out.
“I figured since we got all these recruiting meets coming up, there was no need to keep this stress between us,” Cole said as I opened the door.
“No, I'm glad y'all here. D, I shouldn't have grabbed your neck like that, man.”
Damarius responded, “No, I shouldn't have called you a punk. I pushed you too far.”
It was cool that the two of us could relate, but I had to drop a bomb on them. I told them they couldn't keep going with me to recruiting visits. That was another thing my father had made clear over the last couple of days. The meetings were limited to me and my family only. Since Cole had already committed to South Carolina, I didn't think that he would be too broken up about it, which turned out to be the case. But Damarius went off on me.
“See, man, you making everything personal. We came over here to apologize, you grabbed my neck, and now you wanna tell me I can't come along for the ride to try and get schools interested in me! I know once I show the coaches what I got, the stuff on film, they will wanna sign me on the spot. And now you taking that chance away from me. That ain't cool, Perry. That ain't cool.”
“What you talking 'bout? This don't have anything to do with me,” I told him.
I was sick and tired of having to carry the two of them. Yeah, they were my boys and all, but dang! Cole had found his way. Why couldn't Damarius let it go and find his? If he had shown enough on film himself and had better grades, he'd have opportunities.
I said, “Call up the coaches, then. Give them your case personally.”
“Like anybody is going to answer my phone calls.”
“I didn't make the rules. Me and my dad are having some issues right now. I'm not rocking the boat more, D,” I said.
“All you need to do is tell your dad it doesn't matter what the school says. If you come with twenty people, and they want you bad enough, they will accommodate and give you twenty game tickets. The schools will let your guests eat the food, tour the campus, anything. The red carpet is gon' be laid out for you and anyone you want to bring.”
“My father didn't want me to push schools like that. He and I, as I just said, are having issues and I don't want to force this. Cole is already straight. You may not get to go to a Division 1 school. It ain't like the world's going to end.”
Damarius got up close to me with watery eyes. “Easy for you to say. You got a ton of 'em you can choose from, but now my choices are limited 'cause you won't stand up for your boy. Come on, Cole, man, I don't even know why we came over here.”
“Hey, you just showing me your true colors. Why would I want to stand up for somebody that gets mad when I can't give them what they want?”
“It's just my future, Perry,” Damarius said with passion.
“So, then show it on the football field. We got eight or nine more games! I can't get you into a college; you gotta do it for yourself.”
“You could try.”
“I took you to South Carolina, man. You were loud, rude, chasing skirts—you were a little embarrassing.”
“Oh, so now I'm embarrassing? Cole, let's go, man. Let's go!” Damarius shouted at our friend.
“So, you think I'm wrong, too, Cole?” I asked as he went to the door.
“Hey, I'm out of this. I just know you two need to see each other's side. I can understand and appreciate both of them.”
Damarius went on down the driveway, talking loud, obnoxious stuff. I didn't hear half of what he was saying. In his own weird way, he was telling me off. But you know where he was saying it—not in my face.
 
I had no problems walking in the hallways alone. This year Tori's classes were way on the other side of the school, so we agreed to just see each other at lunch and after practice. Most mornings she found me, and I gave her a peck. However, for the most part I walked alone. Today, though, my friend Justin came up next to me.
“Yo, man, why you been avoiding me?” Justin questioned.
“What you talkin' about?” I asked.
Justin explained. “We get out of one class together and then when we head to the next together, you leave so fast like you embarrassed to be seen with me or somethin'. I thought we cleared all that mess up about you was gon' let me hang out with you a little more so I can feel the hint of popularity. You reneging on that promise?”
BOOK: Prime Choice
6.24Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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