the bed and gave him a hug. His embrace was something well overdue and strongly needed. Before we unlocked, I gazed into his eyes and tried to give him a kiss, but he backed away. It was an awkward silence for a few moments until he finally spoke.
“So, how you feelin’?” he finally asked.
“I feel really good,” I lied with a smile.
“Well, you look good?”
“Thanks babe. So, I see you’ve been playing well. I’ve been watching your games. I’m so excited that you all won the other night. It’s actually surprising. The Celtics are a good team.”
“Thanks. I’ve actually been talkin’ to a couple of other teams and might be movin’ when the season is over. It’s really not workin’ for me here.”
“What do you mean it’s not working?” I questioned. In my mind I was asking, what about us?
“I’m not really feelin’ my coach and let’s face it, that shit was pure luck that we won that game. Everybody knows we’re not gonna advance any further. I’m tryin’ to get a ring, and I can’t get that here.”
I wanted to say, ‘nice confidence in your team’, but he was probably right.
“Stay here. I can give you a ring,” I said jokingly, but he knew I was serious. I guess that’s why he didn’t find it funny.
He avoided the question. “So Lisa, how have you been holdin’ up now that Juan’s gone?”
I’m sure that was his way of addressing the elephant in the room. He really wanted to ask me, why I was in a mental institution.
“Cornell, if you really want to know why I’m in here just ask.”
“Okay, why are you in here? First you snortin’ coke, now this? Man, I just don’t get it. When we met you seemed so strong.”
I sat back on the bed. “Cornell, don’t judge me. You have no idea what I’ve been through in my life.”
“I’m not judgin’ you. I’m just bein’ real with you. All I ask is that you do the same.”
“Cornell, after we broke up and Juan died I had a mental break down. I’d experienced so much with Rich that I was on my last straw. I’m in a better place now though.”
“Well, let me just get to the point and cut through the chase. The reason why I came is because I wanted to let you know that I’ve moved on with my life and you can’t keep callin’ me like you have. Reachin’ out to any and everyone to try and get my attention is causin’ issues for me.”
“What do you mean? Don’t try and make me out to be some type of stalker or something!”
height="0" width="48"> “Come on Lisa. I ain’t never in my life had a woman call up to the Wizard’s head office requestin’ to talk to me. Not even a fan. I don’t need the organization in my business gettin’ caught up in your drama.”
“My drama? Are you kidding me?”
“Let me finish Lisa…”
“No, I’m not gonna allow you to paint me as this obsessive…”
“Well, what do you call it? Man, the media is havin’ a field day with me dealin’ with you. Because of you and your husband’s drama, I’ve lost business deals. It’s not worth it to me. What we had I enjoyed, but all this has to stop.”
My heart was full of pain. Me getting dolled up and trying to look the part didn’t matter to him. He obviously had his mind made up, but I wasn’t gonna let him dismiss me that easily. I loved him. My mother and Rich didn’t give a fuck about me anymore, so there was no way I was gonna allow all of the good times we shared just go up in smoke.
“Cornell, I love you, and I’m not trying to destroy your life. I just need a friend. I need you, Cornell. You’re all I have left.”
“Come on Lisa, don’t put that all on me. You have family. If I’m all you have, then I don’t know what else to tell you.”
“How am I supposed to take that? Remember when I didn’t want to give us a chance and kept pushing you away. Now, do you see why? I love hard and I’ve lost everyone that I care about. Both of my children died in one year.”
“And I’m sorry about that,
“So, how you feelin’?” he finally asked.
“I feel really good,” I lied with a smile.
“Well, you look good?”
“Thanks babe. So, I see you’ve been playing well. I’ve been watching your games. I’m so excited that you all won the other night. It’s actually surprising. The Celtics are a good team.”
“Thanks. I’ve actually been talkin’ to a couple of other teams and might be movin’ when the season is over. It’s really not workin’ for me here.”
“What do you mean it’s not working?” I questioned. In my mind I was asking, what about us?
“I’m not really feelin’ my coach and let’s face it, that shit was pure luck that we won that game. Everybody knows we’re not gonna advance any further. I’m tryin’ to get a ring, and I can’t get that here.”
I wanted to say, ‘nice confidence in your team’, but he was probably right.
“Stay here. I can give you a ring,” I said jokingly, but he knew I was serious. I guess that’s why he didn’t find it funny.
He avoided the question. “So Lisa, how have you been holdin’ up now that Juan’s gone?”
I’m sure that was his way of addressing the elephant in the room. He really wanted to ask me, why I was in a mental institution.
“Cornell, if you really want to know why I’m in here just ask.”
“Okay, why are you in here? First you snortin’ coke, now this? Man, I just don’t get it. When we met you seemed so strong.”
I sat back on the bed. “Cornell, don’t judge me. You have no idea what I’ve been through in my life.”
“I’m not judgin’ you. I’m just bein’ real with you. All I ask is that you do the same.”
“Cornell, after we broke up and Juan died I had a mental break down. I’d experienced so much with Rich that I was on my last straw. I’m in a better place now though.”
“Well, let me just get to the point and cut through the chase. The reason why I came is because I wanted to let you know that I’ve moved on with my life and you can’t keep callin’ me like you have. Reachin’ out to any and everyone to try and get my attention is causin’ issues for me.”
“What do you mean? Don’t try and make me out to be some type of stalker or something!”
height="0" width="48"> “Come on Lisa. I ain’t never in my life had a woman call up to the Wizard’s head office requestin’ to talk to me. Not even a fan. I don’t need the organization in my business gettin’ caught up in your drama.”
“My drama? Are you kidding me?”
“Let me finish Lisa…”
“No, I’m not gonna allow you to paint me as this obsessive…”
“Well, what do you call it? Man, the media is havin’ a field day with me dealin’ with you. Because of you and your husband’s drama, I’ve lost business deals. It’s not worth it to me. What we had I enjoyed, but all this has to stop.”
My heart was full of pain. Me getting dolled up and trying to look the part didn’t matter to him. He obviously had his mind made up, but I wasn’t gonna let him dismiss me that easily. I loved him. My mother and Rich didn’t give a fuck about me anymore, so there was no way I was gonna allow all of the good times we shared just go up in smoke.
“Cornell, I love you, and I’m not trying to destroy your life. I just need a friend. I need you, Cornell. You’re all I have left.”
“Come on Lisa, don’t put that all on me. You have family. If I’m all you have, then I don’t know what else to tell you.”
“How am I supposed to take that? Remember when I didn’t want to give us a chance and kept pushing you away. Now, do you see why? I love hard and I’ve lost everyone that I care about. Both of my children died in one year.”
“And I’m sorry about that,
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