“No? Then what?” her phone blared.
“Mo has had folks swindle him for most of his career. Telling him things that sound good but end up being lies. I think he’d appreciate it if we kept it real with him, you know? No bullshit.”
Antonio watched as Jackie seemed to ponder his words. She closed her laptop and waved at him to continue.
“We represent superstars. We’ve turned around careers. Your roster is deep, and so is mine. Yet, the main difference between us and the competition is that we give a damn about our clients and their futures. It’s not just a paycheck for us at the end of the day. I mean, no doubt the money is good. But this is a job we’d do if we weren’t getting paid, because we love it.”
Jackie raised a brow.
“Okay,” chuckled Antonio. “Maybe that was taking it too far. I’ve seen your stilettos, ma. You’ve got mad expensive taste.”
Jackie nodded and swiveled her neck. Antonio knew that was the Black woman’s universal answer ofYou damn right.
The flight attendant brought over their drinks. Antonio held his scotch up toward Jackie for a toast. “To landing Mo!”
Jackie tapped her glass and took a huge sip…then began to cough violently.
Antonio shook his head. “See, trying to hang with the big dogs. I knew it.”
What did Antonio say that for? Jackie, of course, took that as both a threat and a challenge. She looked him squarely in the eye and downed the rest of the cool brown liquid, slamming the cup on the tray table. Her chest heaved as she attempted to straighten her back. The flight attendant, hearing Jackie’s coughing, quickly rushed over to bring her a bottle of water, which she downed in seconds. Antonio watched as her face went from relieved to queasy.
“Yo, if you need to throw up, the bag is right in front of you.” He pointed to the seat pocket.
Jackie picked up her phone to type a response but frowned. She pressed SPEAK a few times with no result, then dropped her phone down in frustration.
“We are sorry, folks; our Wi-Fi and entertainment are down,” a voice spoke from the intercom. “We just got word that there is some sort of glitch in the network. We apologize and will be by with extra snacks and drinks for those who’d like it.”
“Well, Lucky,” Antonio mused. “Guess you’re going to have to find another way to talk to me. Let’s take it old school.” He reached into his Telfar duffle carry-on and produced a leather-clad portfolio and a couple of pens. He slid them onto Jackie’s tray table. “Here, you can write.”
Jackie reluctantly opened the portfolio and began to write on the legal pad. She slid it back over to him. Antonio read.
Why are you always trying to fix things!
Antonio furrowed his brow. “Why are you too proud to ask for help?”
He watched as Jackie wrote furiously. She had really nice penmanship. He was impressed. That was one of his strange, non-sexual turn-ons. When she stopped writing, he leaned over to read.
That’s the thing. No one is asking you for help! You just do it. Just like with PJ! Now with me! I don’t need your help. I don’t need you to sign Mo. I can do it.
Antonio knew PJ would come up sooner or later. He sighed. “PJ is…a special kid to me. I see a lot of myself in him. And I can’t help it. I guess I like feeling useful.”
Jackie wrote,Sounds like something you need to work out in therapy.
Antonio chuckled. “I’ll take that. You might be right. I guess I get it from my parents. Being helpful. Their whole lives have been dedicated to helping people. Being of service.” He paused as he stared at Jackie, who was listening. “They’re retired public school principals.”
That’s cool, she wrote.
“What did your parents do?” asked Antonio. “You probably told me years ago, but I can’t remember.”
Jackie wrote this reply slowly.My dad was a high school teacher and coach. My mom wasn’t really in my life. She paused so long Antonio thought she was finished, but then she put the pen back to paper.Before you ask, my dad’s dead. My mom is dead to me.
Antonio nodded. “I get it.”
Jackie nodded back, sadness in her eyes. Antonio thought it best to change the subject.
“So, howdidyou land PJ as a client?” he asked. “When you signed him, man, everyone was upset you snagged him.”
Jackie smiled as she wrote.Marilyn was impressed that I asked about PJ’s future. I told them both there had to be a plan for life with and without ball.
