“What’s good, bruh?”
“Shit. What time you heading this way? We startin’ soon, and I ain’t waiting on nobody.”
The time on my phone read 3:45 p.m. The tournament was set to start at four-thirty.
“I’ll be there before time, nigga.”
“Aight, cool. Who you pullin’ up wit’?”
“Riding solo,”I said, reaching for my Creed Aventus cologne and spraying it on.“My partner meeting me there though.”
“Who? You ‘bout to fuck up my day and say Karima, ain’t you?”
I snickered.“Nah, nigga. And that’s your last warning about my lady.”
“Aight,”he let out, unfazed.“Who is it though?
“Shorty from the club, Key.”
“Ohhh, so she into that stalking shit. Okay, cool. At least you bringing somebody willing to lose witchu.”
“Fuck outta here.”I laughed. “She gon’ make sure we leave with the bread and bragging rights.”
“I hear you. I don’t believe you no more than you believe yourself, but I hear you.”
“Yeah, aight. She bringing her cousin too.”
“Her cousin?”
“Now niggas is parakeets.”I chuckled.“Yeah, her cousin.”
“If it ain’t female, then ain’t no entry. It’s gon’ be too many niggas out here as it is.”
“Yeah, it’s a female.”
“Copy. She single?”
“Yeah. And her blood type is O negative. Nigga, I don’t fuckin’ know. Ask when she get there.”
“Nah. I gotta see if she fine first. I ain’t got too much kick it if she ain’t.”
I laughed louder.“Nigga, get off my phone. You dead wrong.”
“Shit, I ain’t dead wrong. I’m honest.”
I shook my head and checked the mirror, making sure my line up was crisp and my fit was on point. In an Off White tee with matching shorts and a pair of Off White sneakers, I was dressed the part for today’s festivities.
“Let me do this last walk through of the tables to make sure we all good.”
“Aight. You need me to bring anything?”
“Yeah… big bills.”
He ended the call, and I smirked.
“That cocky shit gon’ be the reason he lose,” I said out loud as I headed out the door.
I didn’t hold my breath for parking in Harlem but lucked up finding a spot just outside of the park. Harlem was livelier than normal today, and I could hear the music as soon as I turned onto the block. While the spades tournament was on one side of the park, Mav made sure to accommodate the kids that usually occupied the area. I could see a couple bounce houses from the street and kids lined up at the ice cream truck parked right in front of the park.
