by Fresh8 on Sat Aug 07, 2010 9:53 pm
Chapter 8
Reshawn Tyson dropped the phone. The words of the nurse echoed through his mind. She was gone and there was nothing he could do about it. And once again in his life, everything that he had achieved and everything that he had meant nothing to him. Nothing was going to bring her back.
“What do I do,” Ty said to himself.
The news was so shocking that he couldn’t even force himself to cry even though he really wanted to. For years, he had held out for a miracle that his high school sweetheart would wake up. But the hope was very slim and Ty knew this day was coming. Now that it had hit, he did not know where to go next. Then the tears started to roll down his cheeks. The guilt started to swell up in him and the rage was starting to build.
“It’s my fault...” Ty stammered as he got out of bed.
“It’s my fault!” he screamed as he threw an empty glass into his bathroom mirror.
He cowered and fell in a heap at the entrance to his bathroom. He lied back against the wall and began to break down. If it wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t be gone, he kept thinking to himself.
* * *
“You’ve got to be joking!”
Sit was pissed off, “I already told you I don’t want him on my team!”
He was pacing the length of his office with the loudspeaker on. George Karl, Rasheed Wallace and Jason Kidd were listening in on the conversation.
“No, no no! I already told you that this is the most load of crap I have ever heard!”
It was the general manager on the phone, “Will, we know that you’re upset but I’ve made the decision already. Can we please stop arguing?”
“No, what about you go fuck yourself?”
“Come on, he’s not that bad!”
“Washed up. He’s washed up! He doesn’t have much time left in the league. What are we going to get out of him? Like two more seasons and a lot of headaches! He’s going to screw up the team dynamics, my rotation. And you’re taking away quality team players for this to happen,” Sit argued.
“This is going to boost the team’s popularity.”
“Not if we’re losing,” Sit debated.
The GM cut him off, “We’re doing the trade whether you like it or not.”
“I’m quitting if you do this,” Sit threatened, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice – the only semi-light hearted moment of the phone call.
The GM laughed, “I think it’s a pretty safe bet you won’t be.”
And with that the call was over and Sit sat down in his chair.
“At least we get a veteran player who’s going to help us win games,” Coach Karl said.
“I don’t think he can win games for us. He’s going to lose them,” Sit stated.
“He’s not that bad. I know him pretty well and he is a good person and player,” Karl argued.
Kidd spoke up, “I have to say that the move probably isn’t half bad. We’re definitely going to look a lot better on paper.”
Sheed was playing on his iPhone and yelled, “Yes! I broke my record!”
Everyone looked at him and Sheed gave them a huge grin, “I win!”
* * *
Ty was trying to keep his gaze focused on the road but he found it difficult. His eyelids were feeling heavy and he couldn’t help but feel that the world was spinning in his head. He pushed his foot harder onto the accelerator and could feel the car speed up; he had to be speeding. Ty looked to his right at the passenger seat and smiled. She was sound asleep. Suddenly, Ty’s eyes were wide open; he must have passed out for a few seconds. A bright set of lights blinded him and he tried to swerve to one side.
“Man…” Ty groaned as he regained consciousness.
Blood dripped down the side of his head and he could feel that he was lying sideways. The cold pavement was all he could feel on the side of his face.
***
With shades hiding his eyes, Ty hopped out of the back of the black SUV. He took a deep breath as he took in the view of the church that was down the road from his high school. It had been a while since he had come home. The last few times he had been back because of bad news and this time was no different. So many memories, happy and bad, that went through his brain as he stood there on the footpath. He looked around and spotted a modest group of people standing outside the small church. Mrs Newman, Maria’s mother, was thanking guests for coming as some started to file into the church. Guilt-ridden Ty walked up to her and pledged his condolences.
“I’m so sorry.”
Mrs Newman tried her best to console him even though she blamed him for everything, “Don’t be too harsh on yourself.”
She had never liked the fact that her daughter had at one stage wanted to run away with the high school basketball star. Most of them high school ballers ended up as drug addicts and she only had one daughter. She shook his hand and strolled over to greet other guests.
After the service, Ty would join a few of Maria’s friends for a small gathering. He remembered all of them from high school. They all laughed and reminisced about the times that they shared with her. Then they all talked about what they were up to now.
“So you’re a big star now,” Jerry said to Ty, “We watch you on TV a lot. It’s a big deal.”
“Really?” Ty forced a smile, “I thought everyone around here only cared about the Knicks.”
“The Knicks suck,” Gloria yelled from the other side of the room as she rummaged through the fridge for a drink, “Iverson and Odom. They’re both old. Ever since Vince Carter left, they have been terrible.”
Jerry agreed, “The Nets are better than the Knicks but even they aren’t doing that good this season.”
“So what’s it like being a star?” Gloria sat down next to Janet.
Ty saw everyone gaze at him and admitted, “It’s not as good as people say. You get home sick and sometimes it’s just really tiring.”
“What’s playing Kevin Durant like?” Jerry questioned.
Ty wasn’t going to divulge any information on that topic, “Let’s not talk about him.”
Ty got up and walked outside onto the balcony as the small group of people continued to chat. Maria’s best friend, Emma, followed him.
“Are you ok?” she asked him.
Ty turned and nodded, “Yeah. I been through this before.”
She remembered him from classes since they were freshmen, “You shouldn’t take it so hard. It wasn’t your fault.”
Ty lied, “I’m fine. Really, I am.”
Emma knew she was speaking to a brick wall, she had heard stories from her best friend about how stubborn Ty was, “You should come home more often. Maybe you should play in New York.”
Ty didn’t lie that he had actually considered that, “I could. It’s a possibility.”
“A lot of people are worried about you. My folks are always asking. We might not know you too well Reshawn but we do share your pain.”
Emma patted him on the back and returned inside. Ty looked up at the night sky. There was no place like home.
Ty was on his way to the airport. He had agreed with Coach Sit that he would be on the next flight to Dallas for a game against the Mavericks. He would rendezvous with the Stealth just before the game. A familiar voice called out to him as he prepared to hop into the car arranged to take him to his flight. He turned and grinned as soon as he saw who it was.
“Ty! Buddy!”
“Hey coach!” Ty laughed and gave his high school coach a high five.
“I heard that you were back son,” coach said, “My condolences. I’m just glad I could see you before you flew out.”
Coach looked at Ty and nodded, “I’m proud of you. Big NBA star and all. You did me proud. You and Rock. Tell him I say hello will you?”
“Sure will,” Ty promised.
“One thing,” coach continued, “I noticed that you’re not playing like you should be. You’ve got to play harder boy. Take charge on this team. They can’t win without you.”