Got to Be Love

by Vanessa Miller

  “My man.” Bill raised his glass of ice-tea in salute, he laughed a bit, took a sip of his tea. “No wonder you told me I should keep my pants on, you been doing it now for two years. I’m impressed.”

  “Well, don’t be. It’s just my personal conviction. But you know what, I think it’s helped me. Since I stopped focusing so much on what woman I could get in bed, I was able to focus on my career. I finished culinary school and opened two restaurants. God has been good.”

  “Maybe I need to try being celibate or something. Maybe I’d be able to focus on my next move. Because I’m running out of dough.”

  David nodded. “That was a bad break with the NFL making you pay part of that signing bonus. I mean, it’s their fault you couldn’t perform on that field anymore.”

  “Thank you!” Bill blurted out the words so loud that a few customers turned and stared. He waved at the pretty olive complexion woman two tables over, then winked at her.

  “See, you haven’t learned nothing. Have a baby with that one and see what happens.”

  “Shut up, man, I was just flirting. Besides, I’m not trying to have no more kids. I’m a retired man... and even that still burns me. The only reason I retired was because my team was about to cut me while I was on injured reserve. After all the years I spent in the league, I earned the respect of retiring rather than being cut, like I hadn’t given nothing to this game. But the minute I retired they came after my money. That ain’t right.”

  All David could do was shake his head. Because he had retired at the end of his contract, so the league didn’t come after him for any of his money. He had been able to reset his life by opening the restaurants, but Bill has endured one problem after the next. A lot of guys go broke within a few years of leaving the NFL. Mostly due to the reckless way they live when the money is pouring in like rain. Nobody ever expects the rain to stop. And when it does, the mortgage is still due, the kids still need new shoes and the women are still coming after that money. “Have you thought about what you can do to bring in some more money?” His friend had never spoken of any other interests outside of football.

  “Man, I’ve been racking my brain on that one. My family never encouraged me to do nothing but tackle the guy in front of me. They told me football would save me. But look at me now. I’m just glad I had sense enough to pay off my mama’s house and put it in her name. At least I’ve got a place to lay my head if all else fails.”

  “I hear you, man, and I’ll be praying for you.” Bill didn’t respond to that. But David got the feeling that he wasn’t much interested in prayers. His friend just didn’t know that it was a prayer that changed everything for him. One simple prayer and a man named Jesus. David prayed that he would soon be able to truly introduce that man to his friend.

  10

  PUBLICITY OPPORTUNITIES were rolling in. David was the bad boy who’d picked himself up and done well. People were suckers for those kinds of stories. The Alzheimer angle was good also. Because it showed that even though he had been a big-time superstar football player, he still cared about others. Gina had booked him on Good Morning America so he could chat it up with Michael Strahan about the good old days of football and then show off his cooking skills with Robin Roberts.

  He was a guest on the Steve Harvey Morning Radio show, which is run out of Los Angeles. David did not want to fly to LA so Gina was able to get a call-in for him. The woman had been doing an awesome job and he couldn’t be happier that he hired her. She had been booking national tv spots and syndicated radio for him. If he did a local event, she always made sure that he received social media and news coverage. Now she was trying to convince him to do an event for Alzheimer's.

  It wasn’t like he hadn’t wanted to do something to raise awareness and bring funds into the organization, but he’d been hesitant to talk about Alzheimer's. Naming it as his charity, was one thing, but opening up and letting people know about his real-life situation was something altogether different.

  Before making the decision to do the event, he drove to Detroit to meet with Gina. He needed her to understand why he was hesitant. He knocked on her door and waited. When she opened the door, he held up the white bags he had in both hands.

  “Is that food from the restaurant?” She rubbed her hands together.

  “Girl, you greedy.” He stepped inside her apartment.

  “You’re the one who keeps feeding me. What you want me to do? Turn down good food. Not in this lifetime.” She reached for one of the bags.

  He held onto it as he glanced around the room. “You moving?” She had boxes stacked in the living room.

  She turned and looked at the boxes. “Oh yeah, I’m making steady progress. We can sit in the kitchen and talk if it’s too cluttered in here for you.”

  He followed her to the kitchen. He put the bags on the counter. “Whatcha got?” Gina asked as she helped him empty the bags.

  “Sandwiches and Gumbo. I’m trying out a recipe that I want to name after my father.”

  “So why is this gumbo being named after your dad?”

  “His people are from New Orleans. So it’s kind of my way of respecting those roots.”

  As they sat down to eat, Gina got down to business, discussing the upcoming Alzheimer events that she planned for him in Dallas. She also asked about his hesitancy to do the events.

  That’s when he confided in her, “I never thought that I would have to put either of my parents in a home. But my mom said that he kept running off, and she was terrified that he would harm himself.”

  “So, you did what was best for your father, right?” Gina asked.

  “Yes, of course, my mother loves my father. It breaks her heart that he can’t be at home with her. And if I didn’t travel and work so much, I would have him with me.”

  “Again, you did what was best for your father, right?”

  An eyebrow went up. “Why do you keep asking me that?”

  “Because I want you to get it through your head that you have nothing to be ashamed of. Don’t you dare blame yourself for something that happened to your dad that you had no control over.”

  “I know I had no control over it. I didn’t do this to him, football did it as far as I’m concerned.” David voiced raised, then he lowered it.

  “But you still blame yourself. I hear it in the way you talk about it,” Gina wasn’t letting up.

  “I wouldn’t say I blame myself. I just feel bad that I can’t take care of him the way he always took care of me.”

  She leaned closer to him and put a hand on his arm. “You love your father; I know that and anyone who talks to you will know that. Be at peace with your decision and stop beating yourself up.”

  That hand of Gina’s had magic powers or something because he instantly felt like heat radiated up his arm and through his entire body when she touched him. Her mere presence brought him comfort. “How are you able to do that?”

  “What did I do?”

  “You help me to look at things so differently. There’s no other way to explain how I feel except to say I feel comforted around you.”

  Smiling, she said, “Since you and I are going to be working together for a little while, I’m glad to know you’re comforted by my presence. Especially since you didn’t even want me around in the beginning.”

  “That’s because you run that mouth too much sometimes,” he told her good naturedly.

  Gina shoved him. “I do not run my mouth. I speak up when something needs to be said. That’s called being assertive.”

  “No, that’s called being a pain in the neck,” But for all his bluster, he knew she was right. And in truth, his mother simply couldn’t keep his father at the house any longer. The whole family had worked out a plan and had agreed that the best thing for him was to be in a facility where he could receive round the clock care. And David made sure his father was in the best facility and that quality people were caring for him.

  He visited his father at least once, sometimes twice a month. D
avid told her that the visits went well when his father remembered him, but when he didn’t, the rest of the week was all bad for David. He hated seeing his father like this. Football had given so much to him over the years but it had also taken from him. Although his father never played pro-ball, he had played football since he was six years old, then played in high school. He suffered a concussion. Played in college, suffered several concussions and a broken leg. So, he never made it to the pros, but he made sure that his son went all the way. It was just sad now that his father couldn’t even remember any of it most of the time.

  They traveled to Dallas to do the events that Gina had on his schedule. David’s mom had made it out to the Alzheimer’s Walk-a-Thon, and she and David partnered up for the walk to earn money for Alzheimer's. The event was posted on Twitter, Instagram and his Facebook page. People were invited to donate to the Alzheimer’s organization with a link to make the donation. At the end of the walk, David and his mom sat down with a local newspaper and a local news station for an interview.

  David felt that some good had been done for the cause of Alzheimer's that day. He was in such a good mood that when the event was over, he called a 5-star seafood restaurant in the area and made reservations. Then he walked over to where Gina and his mother stood, positioned himself in-between them and then put an arm around both women. “How about I take my two best girls to get some seafood?”

  GINA WAS CAUGHT OFF guard by David saying that she and his mother were his two best girls. His mother gave her the side-eye like she was some fortune hunter scheming her way into David's pockets.

  Gina extracted herself from David’s arm. “You go with your mother. I’m sure the two of you have a lot to talk about. I can grab a bite and catch an Uber to the hotel.”

  “No way, Gina, we aren’t letting you pick up some fast food sandwich and eat by yourself while we dine on seafood. You’re the reason we’re here anyway.”

  Gina shook her head. “I don’t want to intrude. Your mother hasn’t been able to spend much time with you today because we’ve been so busy.”

  David turned to his mother, “Mama, will you please tell Gina that she is more than welcome to have dinner with us?”

  Mary turned to Gina, the look on her face was pleasant as she said, “David is right, Dear. You flew all the way to Dallas to help us with this event, it wouldn’t be right for us to let you go off by yourself. If my son hadn’t made reservations already, I would have taken you home and fed you.”

  Gina wasn’t sure if Mary really meant what she was saying or if she didn’t want to be rude. But there was no way she’d be able to decline now “Mrs. Mary, you are so sweet. I’d love to have dinner with you and your son. Thank you.”

  “No need to thank me, my son is paying. And if I know him, this restaurant is going to be top-notch. But you deserve it. I really think we did some good for our cause today,” Mary told her.

  “We did. At the next event, I’d love to have your husband join us if that’s alright with you,” she broached the subject as gently as possible with Mary, hoping that the woman wouldn’t object.

  “That would be lovely. Thank you for including my Davie.” She hugged Gina before getting in David’s car. “I had a good feeling about you when we met this morning. You’ve got a good heart, Gina.”

  “Thank you for saying that, Mrs. Mary.”

  “Stop calling me Mrs. Mary. I’m just Mary.”

  “Okay.” Gina got in the back seat while Mary sat in the front next to her son.

  “Now, Gina, what are you planning to do with the photos and videos that were taken today?” Mary asked.

  “I’m creating a package to send to The Grind. They will use as much or as little of it as they see fit. I’ll have video editors working on the final product because we want to make sure that we send the show really good footage.”

  “I’m not going to be edited out, am I? I love that show, and a lot of my friends on the Mother’s board at church watch it, so if I tell them I’ll be on it, I don’t want to look like a liar.”

  “I will do my best to make sure you don’t get edited out, Mary. I promise.”

  “Gina’s good at her job, Mama. So, don’t worry. She’ll find a way to work you in.”

  “She better. Because I don’t want to look like a fool spouting off about The Grind and how I’m making a cameo appearance, and once again, it’s just my famous son. I mean, no offense Junior, but your mug has been seen all over the place. It’s time for mama to shine.”

  “Mama, you shine all the time,” David told her.

  Mary turned toward the back and addressed Gina. “I’m not just being some prima donna either. Junior has owed me this for ten years, and he knows it.”

  “Not that again, Mama. Will you please give it a rest.” David pulled up to the valet area. He hopped out of the car and handed the valet his keys, then opened the door for Gina while the valet opened the door for his mother. Ladies, shall we?” He put an arm out for his mother and Gina to loop their arms into, then they walked into the restaurant arm and arm.

  Gina was mesmerized the moment they walked into the restaurant. This was no ordinary seafood place. It was dimly lit with chandeliers hanging above most of the tables, the waiters wore tailored suits and the hostess wore a designer dress that most waitresses would have to save two months worth of salary for. She felt uncomfortable as the three of them waited to be seated in their walk-a-thon t-shirt. Gina thought the hostess would for sure tell David he needed a jacket on. It was that kind of place.

  But after David gave them his name and she made a note of his reservation, she was very pleasant as she showed them to their table. When the waiter brought the menus, Gina opened hers, she wanted to close it shut, run out of this place and go find a Captain D’s for some fish and chips because that’s the kind of budget she was dealing with. She told David, “This place is too expensive. I wouldn’t feel right having you pay for my meal in here.”

  David shook his head. “You are too much, Gina Melson.”

  “No,” she pointed at the menu. “This place is too much. I bet you a glass of water is twenty dollars.”

  Mary opened her menu. “You’re wrong, Gina. The water is twenty-five dollars.”

  Mary and Gina giggled.

  “Will you two stop, you’re making me look bad. And trust me, I’m not going to go broke after picking up the tab for dinner tonight. So, please order whatever you like. It’s on me, and I’m happy to do it.”

  “Okay, if you say so.” Gina started examining her menu again. The shrimp scampi looked good, but the pasta sounded good also. She didn’t want to deal with crab legs because that just took too much energy. Oh, but she did love crab cakes and they had them on the menu. She was putting her menu down as she had found what she wanted when a woman dressed in a form-fitting sweater dress with the most fabulous white boots Gina had ever seen. The boots strapped all the way up to the knee, with white fur covering the top of the boot and rhinestones cascaded down the front of the boot.

  “Hey, handsome,” the woman said as she approached the table.

  David had a silly grin on his face as he turned toward the woman. Once recognizing her, he stood and pulled her into an embrace. “Sheila Maddox, I thought you fell off the face of the earth. How you’ve been?” David glanced around the room. “And where’s that husband of yours?”

  Sheila scrunched her nose as if the mention of her husband caused her to smell something foul. “We aren’t together anymore, I let that loser go.”

  “Phil Maddox was one of the finest men I have ever had the privilege of playing pro-ball with. He is far from a loser,” he told the woman.

  “Yeah, okay, you knew him before he became best friends with Jack Daniels.”

  He turned his shoulder away from her as he said, “Let me introduce you, Sheila.” David pointed toward Mary, “This is my mom, Mary Pittman.” He then pointed toward Gina. “And this is Gina Melson, my publicist.”

  “That’s a bold mo
ve, coming in here all casual like that, Gina.”

  Gina’s eyelashes fluttered several times, but she managed to keep her mouth shut.

  Sheila then turned to David's mom and extended a hand, “Hello Mary, I’m an old friend of David’s.”

  Mary shook the woman’s hand, then added, “It’s Mrs. Pittman, dear.”

  Now Sheila’s eyelashes fluttered. She stepped back as if she’d been slapped.

  David gave his mother the eye and then asked Sheila, “Do you have a number,”

  Quickly reaching into her purse, Sheila said, “I certainly do, Boo.”

  “Where I can contact Phil?”

  Sheila would not be a good poker player. She twirled her hair, sucked her teeth again as she rolled her eyes. “What? You gon’ call and ask him to send my child support? If not, you’re better off calling me.”

  Gina couldn’t take any more of this woman. She leaned over and whispered to Mary. “You want to tell me about the media event that went wrong ten years ago... the reason David owes you for this one?”

  Mary shook her head. “I sound like a diva. I never should have brought it up.”

  Gina could see Sheila handing David a piece of paper out of the periphery of her eye. Ignoring them, she said to Mary, “You’re not being a diva. And if that incident was important to you back then, it will be important to me now.”

  David sat back down as Sheila strutted off. He then butted into their conversation. “I’ll tell you why my mom feels like she’s been ignored by the media.”

  Gina was irritated with David, so she told him, “I’d rather hear it from Mary if you don’t mind.”

  Smirking, as she looked from her son to Gina, Mary said, “Well, what had happened was... I got all dressed up for this media event Junior told me he was doing that would involve the family. I thought we were all going to sit on the sofa and chat about Junior, but the reporter decided to sit three chairs in the middle of the room. He put me in the third chair and let Junior’s daddy sit in the middle. They acted like I wasn’t even there, the reporter only asked questions of my husband and Junior. When the piece aired, they had even cut me out of most of the interview. See, I wasn’t needed since I wasn’t talking.”