“I didn’t know he was in here.”
“Regardless, you should’ve apologized. He came in to tell me he’d decided not to play football.”
“Why would I apologize for my opinion? If he can’t take a little constructive criticism, he did the right thing by quitting.”
“It didn’t sound like you were about to say shit constructive, my nigga. The way he mugged you makes me wonder if you’re the reason he quit?”
“How would I be the reason?”
“He was about to give me some excuse about football being too demanding when you interrupted. His whole energy changed when I said your name.”
He shrugged. “I can’t help it if I wasn’t impressed with his film. We’ll be all right without him.”
He turned to leave, and I didn’t bother to stop him. Something was up, and I was determined to get to the bottom of it. I looked at my watch and saw it was approaching four o’clock, which meant it was seven in Atlanta.
I went to my phone and found Levi Moore’s contact info. He, Ambrose, and I played together for three years before I graduated. Levi and I didn’t talk often, but we were cool. After selecting his name, I got up and closed my office door. He picked up after the first ring.
“Long time no hear. Is he already causing trouble?” he answered.
“If you suspected he might cause trouble, why didn’t you warn me?”
“You offered him a great opportunity. He has a family, and I’d never interfere with a man’s livelihood. Wassup, though?”
“Do you remember Nyomi Kurrie?”
“Shit, yeah. She ran track and was easily the finest girl on campus.”
“I believe that shit. She’s still fine as fuck.”
“Oh yeah? Is she still in Black Elm?”
“This is her hometown. Do you know anything about her and Ward being a thing?”
“I never saw them together, but he told every nigga who showed interest in her that she was off-limits. He claimed she was like a little sister to him, but I had my suspicions. Why? Wassup?”
“I don’t want to say because it’s not my place to, but that information is very helpful.”
“No problem, man. I hope this works out for him. He’ll always be my boy, but we will never work together again.”
“Damn. It’s like that?”
“Unfortunately, it is. Hit me up if you need anything else, though. I was thinking about getting a few of our teammates together to come out for a game or two and show our support.”
“That would be dope. Let me know if you’re serious, and I can have something set up for y’all on this end.”
“Bet. I’ll be in touch soon.”
When that call ended, I found Nyeem’s contact. I had no idea what I would say, but I wanted to check on him and let him know there were no hard feelings. The phone rang several times before going to voicemail, but I didn’t leave a message, opting to send a text instead.
Me:
If you need to talk, I’m here.
I waited a few minutes to see if he’d respond, but when I got nothing, I gathered my belongings and headed to my car. A few minutes later, I parked in the parking lot closest to the university library, hoping Nyomi hadn’t left for the day. Once inside, I went to what looked like a help desk and asked if she was available.
“Can I have your name, sir?” the woman asked.
“Kilo.”
