As soon as I started my car and my phone was connected to the Bluetooth, my son’s name appeared on my display. He made good use of the tracking option on our phones. He rarely called me while I was at work unless he really needed something, but as soon as I left, he was on my line.
“Hey, Son.”
“Hey, Ma. Whatchu doin’?”
“Nyeem, you know I just got off work. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. It’s cool. What are you doing for dinner tonight?”
“I hadn’t thought about it yet.”
“Let’s go to Soulful Diner.”
“You have a track meet tomorrow. Shouldn’t you eat something healthier?”
“I’ll have some pasta.”
“You’re not hanging with your friends or that lil girl you call yourself dating?”
He laughed but didn’t address my comment about his girlfriend.
“Nah. I feel like hanging with my mama. Is that cool with you?”
“You know you’re my favorite human, Son. I’ll be home shortly.”
“Cool. Love you.”
“Love you more.”
“How’d this kid manage to slip through their fingers?” I asked Knox, my younger brother and newly appointed receiver coach.
“It says here that he was one of the top recruits in the nation in football, basketball, and track. He chose track,” he responded.
“I know that, nigga. I can read, too, but how many kids you know choose track over football or basketball?”
“Not many, but it probably happens more often than we think. Maybe his love for track is stronger than his love for the other two.”
“Well, I plan to reach out to see if I can change his mind or at least see if he’s interested in doing both.”
“Our wide receivers and defensive backs are weak. Where were you thinking about putting him?”
“That’s a good question. I could see him doing either.”
“You think he’d be successful playing both sides of the ball at this level?” Knox asked.
“The talent is there. If we can get him on the field and put him against the others, we might shake some shit up.”
“Anything is possible. I need to head out. The moving truck should be arriving soon. I’ll be unpacking and getting settled all weekend.”
“Damn. There’s a singles mixer tomorrow, and I meant to ask you when I saw the flyer if you want to roll with me.”
“Shit. That sounds interesting. What time?”
“It’s early, actually. I think it starts at six.”
“Hit me up a few hours before to remind me. I should be ready for a break by then.”
“Cool.”
