“You want to play hooky with your ol’ man today, D?”
He needed his son’s energy. He needed to feel a love that didn’t come with pressure. Charlie came with unspoken pressure because his soul called to her. Lauren came with the pressure of obligation. DJ gave the purest form of love, unconditional, and Demi wanted to soak that up.
“What about Mom? She’ll get mad,” DJ said.
“I’ll handle your mama, boy. Roll with me for the day, bet?” he asked.
“Bet,” DJ nodded
Demi looked down at the football in DJ’s hands. “You remember we used to toss that around at Gundry park?”
DJ smiled wide and nodded his head as Demi rustled his son’s head. “Yup, remember you taught me how to spiral? Now, I’m colder than you.”
“You ain’t got no heat on that arm, boy,” Demi said, snickering.
“Dad, you crazy!”
Demi made his way to the same park he taught his son how to play catch.
“Come on,” Demi said as he climbed out of his car. It was too early in the morning for anyone else to be out, so Demi and DJ had the park to themselves. “Leave ya backpack.”
DJ shed the school bag and ran after Demi toward the open field.
“Go long, ain’t no short passes,” Demi said, tossing the ball up like he was still a 16-year-old football star. DJ went running and caught the ball effortlessly.
DJ ran it back toward Demi, who was guarding him, blocking his path.
“I’m finna juke you, Dad!” DJ said, faking left but going right, only for Demi to scoop DJ into the air and over his shoulder, yelling and growling. He didn’t think twice about touching his son and normally he would have. Things were changing. Charlie was changing him.
“If you gon’ fake out on a nigga, better quit calling your plays. Never let ‘em see you coming. You hear me?” he said, flipping his son completely over his shoulder and slamming him to the ground. Demi was rough with everybody, but it only made DJ rougher. He climbed up instantly, hitting Demi with a punch to the gut before taking off because he knew Demi was out for get back.
Demi picked up the football and launched it, forcing DJ’s legs to work overtime. He dove for it but missed the ball by a fingertip’s length.
“Dang, Dad!” he shouted in frustration.
Demi chuckled and made his way to a bench, taking a seat, leaning over onto his knees.
DJ walked toward Demi, throwing the football in the air.
“You tired already, old man?!” DJ teased.
Demi laughed. “Yeah, man, I ain’t young like you. You got your whole life ahead of you, baby boy, Daddy got to put it on cruise control,” he admitted. His son was his spitting image. He washis greatest accomplishment. He didn’t know love until he had laid eyes on his seed. It was a bond he cherished, one he prayed over because Demi just didn’t want to fail his son. He wondered if by failing Lauren, he was inevitably failing DJ too. “Come over here, let me talk to you for a minute.”
DJ sat next to Demi.
“You good? Everything going good for you at school, champ?” Demi asked.
“Yup,” DJ replied.
“That kid still fucking with you? I had a talk with his old man, you shouldn’t be having no more problems,” Demi said.
“Mommy said you beat him up. I heard her talking on the phone with grandma about how you can’t pick me up no more because you not allowed on school grounds,” DJ said.
“Man, ya mama need to stop yapping on that phone in front of you and ain’t nobody do nothing to that scary-ass nigga,” Demi said, mouth pulling in a smirk of amusement. Demi had barely touched that little boy’s father. He had just broke one of his fingers as a warning for what would happen if his boy touched DJ again. He hadn’t even intended to do that, but the little boy’s dad had dismissed Demi. Trying to be a tough guy in the barbershop had gotten him punished. Demi had hemmed the man up in the barber’s chair in broad daylight.
“What if I got you and your ma a fly new spot?” he asked, tiptoeing because he didn’t know how to have this conversation.
“Would you come to?” DJ asked.
