I didn’t want to talk to anyone and I wished that I could disappear and go into someone else’s timeline for a minute. I already had so much shit on my mental from not making it in the playoffs that this was going to be the thing to send me over the edge.
“Hello?”
I’d answered blindly because if it was someone I didn’t want to speak with they’d get cussed out or hung up on. My voice sounded shaky even to me and I knew it was probably worse to whoever was on the other line.
“Money, it’s Billy.” Her voice was firm but held an almost nervous edge to it. I was sure she was worried about how I was doing and I appreciated her for giving a damn. Most agents that players dealt with only saw the dollar signs. Billy and her partner Bryan’s agency was the one I went with because they felt like older siblings who were going to look out for me. They didn’t just talk about money, although they let me know that was a goal. They talked about my finances, spoke with me about finding a good financial planner and ensuring I didn’t make mistakes thatwould leave me broke. I’m sure they regretted adding me to the roster with all the shit I had going on.
“I know your voice, Billy.”
I heard her exhale hard and I knew she was trying to find the right words to say. There just weren’t any. “I’m sure you do but I also know that you’re probably fucked up right now.”
“Did you—”
“We got a copy of it and I need you to talk to me because something about this doesn’t feel right.”
And that was the reason Billy was my agent. She didn’t just take shit at face value, she actually listened to the people that she worked with to see what was going on in their lives.
“How you know I ain’t just lie?”
I heard her scoff as she started to type up something on her computer. Knowing her, she was already trying to draft some type of plan or was already hiring a PI to have this girl tracked and investigated.
“Because you know I wouldn’t have judged you for sleeping with a random and her trapping you. We could’ve been working on a game plan this whole time that differed from the one that we set up so far. You wouldn’t fuck with your name or your money trying to cover up sleeping with that girl or getting her pregnant. We are too good at our jobs for you to lie to us. Besides, it’s not in your character to be sloppy and there’s no NDA with her name on it.”
That was something that Billy insisted I had to cover my ass from groupies who would want to go out and get fame off sleeping with me. I had an NDA with everyone I dealt with. Had the shit saved on my phone so they e-signed it before we linked. Some people thought it was too much but it saved me from situations like this. At least it was supposed to.
“Damn, you know me well don’t you?” I had the smallest smile on my face feeling the knot loosening up in my chest.
“You pay me to. Besides, you’re family. We aren’t about to let some girl drag your name through the mud. Do you think she got the sperm from someone else that you dealt with?”
“Billy, that’s just it. There isn’t anyone else that I can think of. I ain’t trying to have you in my business—”
“Sorry but where you were sticking your dick has become our business—”
I laughed for the first time in what felt like months because she spoke so deadpanned like my links were just business as usual. I mean they kinda were but still.
“I been chilling. I got a couple folks I might hit up but they not the type to be scandalous enough to pass some sperm on to somebody else. If anything, they would want that bag for themselves. And again, I ain’t been doing anything for real. This kid would’ve had to have been conceived during last August or September based on what she’s saying. Just getting out of camp and heading into preseason and the first game, you know how rituals are.”
I never dealt with a woman heavy when the season was going to start. My focus was on work and getting into a good groove with the season so there was no way in hell I would’ve started something up with someone new.
“I do, which is why I’m so confused. And it’s not just the ritual thing. I honestly don’t remember you going out between then and the bye week.”
A lot of us didn’t deal with women at the start of the season too focused on getting our hands back into football mode. It helped cut down on any distractions that might come our way and helped us avoid being tossed into controversy that would mess with the focus of the team as we started the season. Since her husband was the defensive captain I knew she was more than familiar with the weird shit that we did before a seasonstarted. I doubt Murda was abstaining at all with that woman as his wife, though.
“I didn’t. Didn’t even deal with my usuals, which is fucking with me. I was trying to rest up more because I was always so tired. It took me a minute before I felt like I was well rested enough.” At the end of training camp when I got back home I felt great but within weeks I had felt constantly sluggish. I’d gone to Dr. Morrison for him to see if I had anything wrong and he could find nothing. We did a full and extensive physical but it seemed like after the first few weeks, all the symptoms I had completely went away.
“Yeah, you were off your game a bit the first few weeks but you picked it up when it counted.”
“Not really. Otherwise, I’d have another ring to display.” Just as quickly as I started to feel better I was pulled back down again.
“We're not going through that again, Money. This self-flagellation you keep trying to do is gonna piss me off. I don’t represent losers and you’re starting to sound like you think you’re one. Do I need to drop you from the roster?”
I knew she was dead ass so I tightened up. “No, ma’am.”
“Aldrich, I will beat your half-Dominican ass for ma’am-ing me like I’m old!” Her voice elevated like my manners and giving her respect had truly pissed her off.
I was laughing again because she really wasn’t playing with me. But it’s her fault that she put on that mama voice and I reacted naturally. She shouldn’t be channeling one of my elders if she didn’t want to get treated like one. “It’s respect!”
“And now you're calling me dumb. I see how it is.”
