All Or Nothing (19 page)

A small crowd of patrons had gathered outside the restaurant’s main entrance. Ronald excused himself and weaved his way through the crowd as he made his way to the hostess.

“Excuse me, Miss. How long is the wait?” he asked.

“It depends on how many people are in your party, sir,” She retorted.

“Just two.”

“Okay, the wait for a table is approximately a half hour to 45 minutes. Would you like to be placed on our waiting list?”

“Yes.”

“Last name, sir?”

“Wright.”

The hostess then handed him a dark, drink coastershaped pager. Ronald turned and walked back outside to his date. Suddenly Ronald found it difficult to maneuver his way out of the restaurant. People had begun to notice who he was. Fans and groupies alike showered him with accolades and compliments.

“Good game, man!” one person shouted. “That move you put of Kobe was crazy.”

“Damn, that nigger is fine,” a woman called out.

Ronald smiled, shook hands, and even signed a few autographs, for as many people as possible. This was a rare moment for him out in the public eye. He was just starting to see just how much professional athletes were adored in Charlotte.

Finally he made his way back to Shantell. He almost expected her to be mad for taking so long. It surprised him that she wasn’t upset at all.

“Sorry I took so long, but it got kind of crazy in there for a minute.” you aren’t upset with me, are you?”

“Why would I be?” Shantell countered. “I know this comes wit’ the territory. It’s a part of yo’ job.”

Ronald broke out into a huge grin. He was glad that Shantell understood. In college, he had lost numerous girlfriends over the exact same thing. One thing that Ronald observed about many females that he dealt with in the past was that when it came time to demonstrating their understanding, they couldn’t. Most couldn’t handle all the attention that females fans gave him; Shantell, on the other hand, took it like a champ.

“I’m glad you think like that. You know what Shantell? I’m starting to like you more and more each day.”

His comment made Shantell laugh lightly. She appreciated the compliment.

While they waited, the couple made small talk to kill the time. They began to take note of all the people pointing and staring in their direction. They heard all the murmurs and whispers from overexcited fans. It became an inside joke as they silently counted all the people.

“Got one behind you,” Shantell would whisper.

“Incoming!” Ronald spoke softly. “I see another one to your right.”

Outside the restaurant, Ronald and Shantell continued to laugh and joke. Before long their pager began to buzz and soon after they heard Ronald’s last name being announced over the intercom system.

“Wright, party of two. That’s Wright, party of two. Your table is now ready.” the hostess announced.

By now the line to enter the restaurant had slowly diminished; still Ronald and Shantell had to run the gauntlet of well-wishers. They moved through the sea of people as quickly as possible, following the hostess they were seated in a dark booth in the back.

Though Charlotte may have been a big city, it had a small-town feel to it. Everybody knew everybody and sometimes everybody tended to be all up in your business. Shantell drew just as many stares as Ronald did. If she thought that she was some anonymous chick on his arm, she was wrong.

There were people in the restaurant who knew Shantell very well. Some knew her from the neighborhood or school, while many others knew her from the strip club. There were no secrets in Charlotte; a lot of people knew Shantell’s background. Many of them wondered how she had come up on an NBA player.

From the outside looking in, it was hard for a lot of females in attendance to believe that Shantell had anything on

them. The consensus in the restaurant was that she was damaged goods. They didn’t believe that she was the better woman or even the right woman, for that matter, for Ronald Wright. For outsiders, it was much easier to label her a whore.

Unbeknownst to Shantell, sprinkled in with the local haters were a few of Mike’s friends. People that knew of her, but whom she didn’t even know. Immediately they jumped on their cellular phones to deliver the bad news to Mike. Some of the callers actually wanted to joke Mike about it. But for Mike, it wouldn’t be a laughing matter.

Whether Shantell knew it or not, stepping out in public with another guy was a no-no. Even though Mike had a girl at home, Shantell was seen as being his girl too, although she was his side chick. This was total disrespect.

While Mike’s cellular phone was being blown up with messages. Shantell and Ronald settled into their booth and ordered their meal. There was an awkward moment of silence as they quietly admired each other. For Shantell, it was now or never. It was time for her to lay her cards on the table and let the chips fall where they may. All she knew was that there was no way she was going to let this opportunity slip away from her.

“Listen, we been seein’ a lotta each other lately,” she admitted. “I know it started out as a fuck thing. But I’m startin’ to catch feelings for you. I know this is still young, but I wanted you to know everything about me. I wanted to be the first to tell you.”

Ronald listened intently while Shantell ran down her life story. He wore the stern look of a poker player on his face. There was no way for her to detect any emotion either way. When the food was served, they completely ignored it. Shantell continued to talk and Ronald opted to listen.

It was like therapy for Shantell to recount the trial and tribulations of her life. Facing adversity had molded Shantell. It had made her stronger and tougher. It had made her a woman. There was an old saying that went, ‘struggle builds character.’ This was definitely the case with her.

The entire time she spoke, Ronald didn’t interrupt her once. He let her get all of the ill feelings she had pinned up inside her, out into the open. Shantell appreciated his patience; sometimes all she needed was a shoulder to cry on. Sometimes all she needed was to be able to tell the truth and not have to worry about being judged for her straightforwardness. Over the years a lot of people had heard her story, but he was the only one who really listened.

“Wow!” He sighed. “I can’t believe all that happened to you. There are some very sick people in this world.”

Ronald may not have shown it, but initially he was taken aback by the story. He was from a different world, and things like this didn’t happen in his world. Shantell’s story was the kind he read about in the newspaper. Usually only the perpetrator’s picture was shown, never the victim. Now he had a face to attach to the crime.

If Shantell thought that her story would run Ronald away, she was sadly mistaken. He was a very compassionate human being. Instead of taking pity on her, as many people did, he sympathized with her. His heart went out to her. He was touched that she picked him to share her story with. It endeared her to him.

To Ronald, life wasn’t all about what happened to a person during its course but how that person reacted to it. Shantell had rolled with life’s punches. She was a survivor and he respected that. She could have easily given up on life, and taken her own life along time ago but she was still here. She was still alive, living to fight another day. That boded well with his competitive spirit. Ronald didn’t like a weak woman.

Although Shantell had poured out her heart to him, telling him everything about her life, the paternity issue surrounding her daughter, her mother’s on and off again drug habit and her brutal rape; she wisely omitted the presence of Mike in her life. She didn’t think that Ronald was that understanding. She knew that men were easily threatened by other men. She knew that one man couldn’t stand the fact that another might be

sleeping with his woman. That thought alone could get a woman killed. Besides that, in her mind, she and Mike were a done deal.

Even in a restaurant full of people, Shantell and Ronald felt alone. For a brief moment they were the only ones that existed. Leave it to an overzealous fan to bring them back to reality.

“Oh, my God!” the woman cried. “It’s Ronald Wright! My son loves you. He’s your biggest fan. He wears the same number as you and everything. Could you please be so kind and sign an autograph for him?”

The woman thrust a pen and paper in his face. She waited patiently for him to accept her request as if it were a given. She stood there as if she knew he was going to sign an autograph to her son, like he had to.

This was the part of his celebrity that Ronald detested. He couldn’t even enjoy his meal in peace, like normal people do. People could be so rude at times. They imposed on him at the wrong times. The situation was a catch-22. He was damned if he didn’t and damned if he did. Ronald was caught up in trying to please everybody. He hadn’t realized yet, that he never would.

What’s you son’s name, ma’am?” he inquired.

“Oh?” She sighed. “David Martin. And could you write something nice and inspirational? He really looks up to you.”

Shantell rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth in response to her demands. She was ready to tell the woman off but she didn’t, only because it would look bad on Ronald, especially if the press got hold of the story. It was for that reason alone that she bit her tongue.

After he finished signing that autograph, the woman shoved another piece of paper in his face. She claimed this one was for her nephew. She was really testing his patience right now. Still, Ronald never let on. He remained cool and calm; once again doing as he was told.

Ronald had started something. Before he knew it, his date turned into an autograph session. Quickly a line had formed from the bar to his table. People were taking pictures of him with camera phones. It got real crazy inside the restaurant and pretty soon, Ronald and Shantell had to leave. He was as nice as could be while exiting the restaurant. Still, he heard more than his fair share of criticism.

Someone yelled, “Oh, that’s messed up, you signed hers and you didn’t sign mine!”

“You ain’t all that, anyway!” another person stated.

“I ain’t neva goin’ to another Bobcats game,” someone else claimed.

Together Ronald and Shantell jumped in his car and quickly fled the scene. He didn’t like the vibe inside the restaurant. It was situations like this that had him thinking about getting bodyguards. That way he could let his security play the role of the bad guy.

“Yo, I don’t know how you put up wit’ that shit, day in and day out,” Shantell stated. “You see how ignorant people can get?”

“You don’t have to tell me, I already know. It’s something I gotta deal with. They pay me well to do it.”

“I heard that. But me, personally, I couldn’t have kept my cool. Everyday ain’t a good day for me! Sometimes I wake up on the wrong side of the bed.”

He retorted, “Well, I can’t afford to wake up on the wrong side of the bed.”

In silence Ronald drove towards Shantell’s apartment complex. It was clear that he was drained from all the excitement. Right then, he just wanted some sleep. He wanted to forget about that madhouse known as TGI Friday’s.

“Guess what?”

“What?”

“My mother wants to me you. I told her about you,” Ronald admitted.

“Why?”

“My mother wanted to know where I was going tonight. So I told her I was going on a date with Shantell Bryant.”

“Damn, you told her my whole name, huh?”

“Sure did,” he nonchalantly replied.

Shantell had long ago suspected that Ronald was a little momma’s boy. Now she knew.

“Alright, whatever! Just let me know when she wanna meet me, and we’ll meet.” Inwardly Shantell smiled to herself. This was big. She knew that guys in general, especially guys of Ronald Wright’s caliber, didn’t just take any old body to meet their parents. So to her, that was a good sign.

Shantell’s mind raced from the time Ronald told her, till the time she went to sleep that night. She wondered what Ronald’s mother was like. She hoped the woman like her. If she didn’t, Shantell felt she didn’t stand a chance with Ronald.

The platinum Range Rover whipped into TGI Friday’s parking lot. Mike hopped out of his car and walked swiftly towards the entrance. He hoped he was in time to catch Shantell in the restaurant with the ball player. Prior to him coming there, he had turned his phone off. He was spending some quality time with his lady at home. But every so often he would check his cellular phone for messages. When he got the word about Shantell, he quickly got dressed and flew to the restaurant. To be honest, Mike’s pride was hurt. He couldn’t believe that she would disrespect him like that. He had to see it for himself.

When Mike walked through the door, he didn’t really pay attention to anyone. His mind was focused on Shantell. When he did look in different directions all he saw was a bunch of chicks he had already had.

“Yo, Mike!” came a voice from the bar area. “C’mere!”

When Mike got over there the guy could see he wasn’t in a joking mood, but he didn’t care. Mike had, on more than

one occasion, clowned him about women that he perceived as playing him. Now he was just returning the favor.

“Is that yo’ chick, why she all on his dick…is that yo’ chick?” He mocked a popular rap song by Jay-Z. “Yo, son, you just missed her. She was all up in here wit’ this tall, basketballplayin’ muthafucka…ummm, ummm, what’s his name… Ronald sumthin.’ Oh yeah, that rookie nigger Ronald Wright.”

The man’s words stung Mike; he heard all he needed to know. Inside his gut there was this sickening feeling of jealousy. Still, he didn’t want to give off the appearance that he really cared for some hoe. The fact that he was there was admission enough. Mike resisted the urge to leaving the restaurant and head straight for Shantell’s house. That would only lead to his associates clowning him some more. So he stayed and became the butt of their jokes, acting like everything was ok, although inside it was killing him.

Mike had to save face somehow. He knew that there was no way he was going to take this laying down. Pride was a dangerous thing. He wanted to pay back Shantell for her treason in the worst way.