All Or Nothing (21 page)

This tender moment was interrupted by Mrs. Wright.

“Ronald, it’s a little chilly out there. Do you think you should come out of that air before you catch a cold, or the flu?” she called out.

“Alright, Mother. I’ll be right there,.” he yelled. “Coming!”

Ronald turned just in time to see his mother retreat back inside the house. He sighed aloud once she was out of earshot. Even her act was wearing thin with him.

“Get home safely,” he told Shantell. “Be careful on your way back home; there are lots of deer running through these woods this time of night. Text me as soon as you get home, so I’ll know you made it home safely.”

Shantell placed the key inside the ignition and cranked her car up. In seconds she disappeared back down the long, spiraling road. She thought to herself that this was it. Her relationship with Ronald was over. Surely his mother was going to poison her against him; she would bet her life on it.

‘Hey, that’s his loss.’ She thought. ‘And the next man’s gain. Oh, well!’

In her rearview mirror she took one last look at Ronald’s house. Shantell was almost certain that she would never see it again.

It’s a small world

Entering the Bobcat Arena, Shantell looked up into the sky and smiled. Seemingly she was thanking her lucky stars. She was feeling much better these days. It was Dorothy Wright who was the one that was hurting. Over the past few weeks the two women had engaged in a tug-of-war over Ronald. Ultimately, it was Shantell who emerged victorious.

Shantell and Ronald were now an item despite all the nonsense his mother had fed him about Shantell. For once in his life, he stood up to his mother and went against her wishes. Ronald had chosen Shantell and he had caught hell for it. It wasn’t easy for Ronald to defy his mother, especially for the first time. Somehow, he summoned enough courage to do so.

Now Shantell could laugh while remembering some of the late-night calls she had received from Ronald. Somehow she found all the negative comments about her so funny now. ”She’s a gold digger! All she wants is your money. How could you settle for a hoochie like her? I brought you up better than that. You make me ashamed to say you’re my son,” Dorothy Wright would say.

In the midst of all this confusion, Shantell was his Rock of Gibraltar, unwavering in her support. Shantell was the one who helped Ronald through this tough period in his life. She taught Ronald how to man up. She showed him how to express himself to his mother without being disrespectful. She made him realize it was okay to agree to disagree. She made him see that this may have been their first disagreement but surely it wouldn’t be their last. Ronald was like a bird Shantell was teaching to spread his wings and fly the coop.

In turn, he appreciated everything she did for him. Ronald began showing his appreciation in the form of lavish gifts, shopping sprees and weekend getaways. One day, out of the blue, he gave Shantell a four-carat, diamond friendship ring. His true gratitude went way beyond anything of significance that he could purchase for her. Ronald was thankful that Shantell had come into his life when she had. She was a welcomed addition.

Despite her newfound celebrity and her status as Ronald’s girlfriend, Shantell didn’t act entitled. She didn’t change because she was in now. She didn’t suddenly become greedy. She took whatever Ronald gave her and never asked for anything. This kind of behavior made Ronald feel that she was there for him and not for the lifestyle he could provide, as his mother had once claimed.

“Ticket, ma’am,” an usher called out.

“Wait a minute, please!” she replied. “I gotta find it.”

Reaching into her clutch bag, Shantell produced her ticket. The usher scanned it and Shantell was allowed admittance into the arena. Ronald had provided her with season tickets, courtside seats, whenever the team was in town. She was front row and center, cheering them on.

All of a sudden it seemed like the Charlotte Bobcat’s game was the hottest ticket in town. The team had gotten off to a good start, winning seven out of its first ten games. Around town there was even talk of making the playoffs. Finally, the team was being taken seriously by the league and the fans. It was no longer a laughingstock expansion team. The Bobcats were no longer pushovers. They weren’t an easy win on someone’s schedule any more. The perception of the team had undergone a drastic overhaul; they went from pretenders to contenders. Every night rabid fans packed the arena. The arena was sold out for every game.

All of the hoopla that had engulfed the city was partly due to Ronald Wright. His play was part of the reason the

Bobcats were off to such a good start. The rookie had taken the league by storm. He had served notice to the veterans that he was a force to be reckoned with. Though Ronald may have been a rookie, he played like anything but. He alone was worth the cost of admission.

Sitting down in her courtside seat, Shantell watched the pre-game festivities. About a dozen or so cheerleaders went through a high-energy dance routine. When they were finished, the two teams came onto the court for the pre-game shoot around. Tonight’s opponents were the New York Knicks. Several times Ronald and Shantell made eye contact. After the warm ups, Ronald had a habit of totally ignoring her. He didn’t allow anything to distract him from the game.

When it came to playing basketball, Ronald was superstitious. Before arriving at the arena he liked to have a pre-game meal of homemade hamburgers and French fries. He washed that down with a Coke. At his locker, while he dressed for the game, he liked to listen to some rap music on his iPod, usually some tunes by Kanye West. Music relaxed him, but at the same time it got his focused. He never deviated from this routine.

“Would everyone please stand for the national anthem?” the announcer solemnly asked.

A local gospel artist took center court and sung a soulful rendition of the national anthem. The game was almost set to begin.

“Ladies and gentlemen make some noise for your Charlotte Bobcats!” the announcer yelled.

The enthusiastic crowd roared for the home team. The team was given a standing ovation. There was electricity in the air; truly this had the making of special season.

“Starting at shooting guard from Duke University, number twenty-three, Ronald Wright!”

Shantell was ecstatic; she had no idea that Ronald was going to be inserted into tonight’s starting lineup. She clapped long and extra hard for him. Shantell was behind him 110 %.

From the tip-off, the game was like a track meet. Ronald made his presence felt. He scored eight points in the first three minutes, using a variety of ways. He scored on dunks, jump shots and free throws. He took whatever scoring opportunities the defense gave him.

Meanwhile, Shantell would be seen and heard cheering him on wildly. During the second quarter, Ronald was fouled particularly hard by the opposing team, but there was no foul called. Shantell was livid. As he laid there on the floor momentarily shaken up. Shantell got up out of her seat and began to give the referee an earful.

“Hey, ref, where’s the fuckin’ foul!” she shouted. “Stevie Wonder could have seen that! I thought this was basketball, not football!”

The cameraman’s timing couldn’t have been better. He captured Shantell as she ripped into the referee for the blown foul call. Instantly her image flashed across every screen in the arena. The crowd applauded her efforts.

Out of the tens of thousands of people in attendance, there was one person didn’t find her so entertaining. That person was Mike. He was seething in his seat. The sight of Shantell made him mad all over again.

Time and time again, he had reached out to Shantell by leaving messages on her home and cellular phones. He even dropped by her house a few times. Whatever he tried, it didn’t seem to work. Either Shantell didn’t return his calls or she wasn’t around to see him. No matter what way Mike chose to look at it, he felt neglected and ignored. He was about to put an end to that feeling right now.

“Yo, wait right here. I’ll be right back,” he explained. “I’m goin’ to go say hi to a friend.”

“Alright,” his friend replied. “Could you bring me back some chips and something to drink?”

“A’ight!” Mike walked down the stairs and marched directly toward Shantell. She was too involved in the game to even see him coming.

“Pssss! Pssss! Excuse me, miss.”

Shantell turned in response to the catcall. When she saw Mike, her heart dropped. To her, it wasn’t the time or place to be seen with Mike. What if Ronald saw them together? What would he think? At this point, Shantell’s guilty conscience was getting the better of her.

“Damn, you all dat now?” Mike said aloud. “You can’t even return a nigger’s calls no more? Wow!”

Shantell didn’t like the undertone of his conversation. Mike’s presence alone made her feel uneasy. Still, there was nothing she could say in her defense, so Shantell remained silent.

He continued, “Yo, take a walk wit’ me to the concession stand. Lemmie holla at ya for minute.”

Before leaving her seat, Shantell nervously looked over at the Bobcat’s bench to see what Ronald was doing. He was being attended to by the personal trainer, who blocked his view.

Quickly, Shantell followed Mike and they headed up the stairs to the concession stand. As soon as they reach the corridor, Mike stopped dead in his tracks.

“What the fuck is up wit’ you? You really tryin’ to play a nigger, huh? You got wit’ this nigger and you actin’ all brand new,” Mike spat. “Bitch, don’t forget I made you. I copped you that whip, I put you up in that crib. This is how you pay me back? You know what? You an ungrateful ass- hoe. I shoulda left yo’ ass right where I found you! ”

Through all his hooting and hollering, Mike had to admit that Shantell looked better than ever. He couldn’t take his eye off her. How he wished for old times again.

Normally Shantell would have met his aggression with some of her own. She would have cursed Mike out. But this wasn’t the same girl from the hood. Truth be told, this was what .Mike was expecting. He wanted to make a scene in public. Shantell didn’t even feed into his rhetoric. She thought it went deeper than that. His mouth was saying one thing and his body yet another. Still, she let him get it off his chest. When he was finished she spoke.

“Look, I don’t see what you’re so mad at?” Shantell stated. “You got somebody, don’t you? You go home to yo’ girlfriend every night, so how can you be mad at anything I do? You do your thing, why can’t I do mine?”

Secretly, Shantell suspected it wasn’t an issue of what she was doing. Rather, it was who she was doing it with. Ronald was a serious upgrade over Mike. And Mike knew it, too. The fact that Shantell was doing good without him was a hurting feeling. To her, Mike had to deal with it. Mike was the one who laid down the ground rules in the first place. It was supposed to be a just-be-good-to-me type of relationship. A seeyou -when-I-see-you thing.

Mike totally ignored everything Shantell had to say, despite how right she may have been. Her words went in one ear and out the other. They had no effect on his temperament. He was furious.

“Bitch, if we weren’t here, at the arena, I swear I’d knock you the fuck out!”

“What? Listen to you. You know how you sound?” Shantell stated.

“Ho, I don’t give a fuck how I sound!” he barked. “Say one more word and I will slap the shit out of you.”

At this point Shantell began to cautiously back away from Mike. She was trying to get out of arms reach just in case he made good on his threat.

“Look, I don’t know why you even taken’ it there. But since you feel like that, do me a favor and come get that shit up outta my house. That way, you ain’t never gotta deal wit’ me ever in life.”

“I will be over there when I get there. You leave that shit right where it’s at!” Mike said.

Shantell warned, “Look, I’m not askin’ you, I’m tellin’ you. Come get yo’ shit. It ain’t like that no more!”

“You heard what I said!” Mike growled.

“No, you heard what I said. Don’t have me call the muthafuckin’ cops. Come get yo’ shit.”

Threatening Mike with the police definitely caught his attention. He didn’t play those types of games. If looks could kill, Shantell would be dead right now.

Instantly she realized the mistake she had made. Still, she couldn’t retract her words. What was said couldn’t be unsaid. Shantell was merely trying to express to Mike how badly she wanted the drugs out of her house and how badly she wanted him out of her life. Too bad she picked the wrong choice of words. Now she had to live with the consequences.

Quickly Mike came to his senses and he backed off Shantell. His tough guy stance disappeared because he didn’t want any problems with the law.

“Aright! You got that. I’ll be over after the game.” He announced.

Immediately after that they went there separate ways. Shantell went back to her seat to enjoy the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Mike returned to his seat to stew in his own anger.

Shantell wasn’t a fool; she had to know that Mike wouldn’t tolerate her threat. She felt threatened by him; she didn’t know exactly what he would do. Still, Shantell felt he would do something. She just didn’t know what. She knew something was coming; the question was, could she handle it?

Shantell arrived home later that night after waiting for Ronald to shower and dress. She decided to leave Jordan at the babysitter’s. She would pick her up early the next morning. Cautiously she entered her complex; Shantell was still mindful of the spat she had with Mike earlier that day. She sat in her car a few minutes, carefully surveying the landscape, when she was sure the cost was clear. Shantell exited the car and entered the house. When Shantell flicked on the lights, she couldn’t believe what she saw.

Her house was wrecked. It looked like a tornado had swept through there. Everything of value was broken or destroyed. Her big screen television had a hole kicked in it. Food was thrown all over the kitchen. Her daughter’s room was even vandalized. All of Shantell’s clothes, as well as Jordan’s, were stolen or destroyed.

Shantell broke down, falling to the floor in the middle of the wreckage and cried her eyes out. Not so much for herself, but for Jordan. There were irreplaceable personal items that were damaged, stolen or destroyed.