Homecourt Advantage (33 page)

“Our money? I’m the one out there workin’ my ass off on the basketball court every night.”

“I’m so tired of hearing that bull. Yes! Yes, our money! My money too, damn it! And our kids’ money! And this one here in my stomach, it belongs to him or her too, and I’m not going to sit back and let you lose it all at the tables or anyplace else for that matter.” Trina was now on her feet, staring Rick down.

“Girl, I don’t know what you been sniffing, but you talking out the wrong side of your mouth. You better stop listening to your crazy aunt Thelma. You gettin’ a little too big for your britches.”

“Shut up, Rick! This is the most sense I’ve made in fourteen years. I’m telling you now, you need to get some help about your gambling problem, and I don’t mean by going to the casino to win back our money. You need to get some professional help,” Trina finished, suddenly feeling empowered for the first time in years.

“You been talking to Coach, haven’t you? Y’all can kiss—”

“Rick, I’m not playing with you,” Trina interrupted him. “We have a family to think about. I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere along the line, you forgot what we’re supposed to mean to each other. Now, I’m telling you this because I love you. You better get some help for your sake and for our family’s.”

“Or what?” Rick challenged.

Trina forced herself to close her eyes and count backward from ten before she responded to Rick. She knew that she’d better be certain about what came out of her mouth next, because the future of her family depended upon it. Trina grasped the four-poster bed to brace herself.

“Rick, I know that this is going to hurt me a whole lot more than it’s going to hurt you, but you’re not welcome back in this house until you take care of your problem. You’re not going to run this family into the ground with your destructive behavior.”

“I’m not welcome in this house! Who you talking to?” Rick said, looking at Trina as if she had lost her mind.

“I’m talking to you, Rick Belleville, and I mean that. So maybe you ought to pack a few extra things before you go,” Trina said, pushing past him as she walked toward the door.

Rick spun around as Trina reached it. “Hey! Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m going to take care of my family and my business,” Trina yelled over her shoulder as she left their bedroom and slammed the door in Rick’s face.

By the time Trina reached the bottom of the stairs, her legs felt like rubber. She did not know where she’d found the strength to tell Rick off, but she’d known she had to do it. Now, she only hoped she had not lost him forever.

Michael Brown flexed his arms and tightened his
stomach muscles as he stood in front of the full-length mirror of the Flyers’ locker room. He had just finished working out, and his pectorals were pumped from the six sets of chest presses. Michael was trying to decide which angles were his best. His contract with Tommy Hilfiger was to lead an advertising campaign for a new line of underwear, and Michael was scheduled to begin shooting as soon as the championship series was over.

As Michael gazed at his reflection in the mirror, he imagined his face and body plastered all over buses, billboards, and magazines. It was a heady feeling for the young rookie. And considering how well he had been playing throughout the entire play-offs, he was a shoo-in to be Rookie of the Year. If they could only win the championship, all of his goals would be met, his business for the year finished. Well, almost.

There was the issue of his fiancée. He and Dawn still had not spoken to each other since she’d popped in on him in Chicago and seen him with Sandi. Well, Dawn had not spoken to him. He had apologized, pleaded, and even bought her a tennis bracelet, but she wouldn’t even acknowledge his presence—and they were living together. Finally he had stopped trying. Dawn was probably waiting for him to say, “Okay, we can get married now,” but that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. He needed all of his energies focused on the play-offs—not trying to win back her affections. That could wait. She was probably just trying to pay him back now by sleeping in the guest bedroom. Thinking about it, though, Michael couldn’t deny that he missed being next to her warm body at night. If she’d just give him some time, until after the championship, then he’d think about marriage—maybe. He had other priorities right now, and marriage was not one of them. Hell, commitment wasn’t either. Michael wished Dawn could learn to accept that. It would certainly make things much easier on him. Well, I’m not about to try and fix my relationship during the rest of the series, Michael thought.

Stepping closer to the mirror, he smiled broadly, exposing all of his perfect white teeth. No, he thought, they probably won’t have me smiling for these pictures. They’ll want me to look sexy, I bet. Michael took a step back and tried his best Tyson imitation pose, trying to look very serious and then breaking back into a huge grin.

“Rehearsing for something?” Coach said, stepping up behind Michael.

Michael’s whole face felt flushed as he saw Coach and Jake.

“You starring in a movie I don’t know about, Michael?” Jake laughed.

“Ahh, no, just … thought I had something stuck in my teeth,” Michael said in a fluster.

“Putting in a little overtime, huh, champ?” Coach asked, taking a seat on one of the locker-room benches.

Michael liked whenever Coach referred to him as “champ.” In fact, every time Coach paid extra attention to Michael, he felt special. Theguys on the team joked that Michael was Coach’s son. Michael scoffed at their remarks, but was secretly flattered that he was one of Coach’s favorites.

“You know me, Coach; just trying to be in shape to win the championship.” Michael grinned.

“Well, don’t wear yourself out, Michael. You need to save some energy for the court and the years you have ahead,” Coach said.

“That’s right, Michael, you don’t want to burn yourself out,” Jake said, leaning against one of the lockers.

“Oh, I’m not. I feel great. I’m ready to school my boy Kobe Bryant tomorrow night,” Michael said confidently.

“Look who’s talking, rookie. Getting a little cocky, huh?” Jake’s chuckle had an edge.

“Naw. I’m not cocky. I just have a job to do, you know; I have to get my head together.”

“Oh, I like cocky,” Coach said pensively. “I like cocky a lot, especially in my future star.”

Michael felt his chest swell with pride. The legendary Mike Mitchell saw him as the future star of the team. Coach did not make comments like that very often to his players. The last guy he probably said that to had to have been Brent Rogers.

“Thanks, Coach. I’m glad you have that much confidence in me,” said Michael quietly, a little humbly, but damn, he wanted to shout!

“So you say you have to get your head together. Everything all right on the home front after the Chicago incident?” Coach asked.

“How did you …”

“I make it my business to know these things,” Coach said.

Man! Coach must have been reading his mind when he came into the locker room. That’s another thing Michael respected about Mitchell. His team was like family. He cared about his players’ personal lives and he knew how private matters could affect performance on the court. Michael knew that a lot of the guys thought he was a control fanatic, but Mike Mitchell was really just a winner. He had a strenuous work ethic and he cared about his players on and off thecourt. It seemed to Michael that most of the other guys did not recognize the side of Coach that Michael saw.

“Pressure at home from the little fiancée after she caught you?” Jake said, stepping forward.

“Well,” Michael began, not sure how much he should discuss with them, “you know how it can be sometimes when …”

“When they’re just dying to walk down that endless aisle of hell,” Jake said, finishing Michael’s sentence.

“Exactly. And Dawn, she’s … she’s not your typical lady … Sometimes she’s just so … so …”

“Headstrong?” Coach suggested.

“Headstrong! Now, that’s a good description, especially since she came to Chicago. Now she’s being so bullheaded, she won’t even speak to me,” Michael said, pointing at Coach in affirmation. He watched as Coach shook his head.

“That’s a shame. Now do you see one of the reasons why I have my strict rules about your women not being allowed on the road?”

“Do I ever.”

“It helps to keep domestic matters separate from … from extracurricular activities on the road,” Jake concurred. “Things run smoother that way. Trust me and Coach on that one.”

“But Dawn surprised me,” Michael protested.

“That’s your responsibility, Michael. You have to learn to keep your woman in check, or have the type of woman you can keep in line,” Jake said.

“But I feel sorry for you, champ, I really do,” Coach said. “You’re under a whole lot of pressure right now. I know having a woman like that has got to be difficult at times, especially with the other … differences between the two of you.”

“You’re telling me. Hell, I live with her,” Michael said, looking at Coach.

“Michael, come on. You know what Coach is saying. Different cultures, different races,” Jake interjected.

“Our problems don’t have anything to do with that,” Michael said.

“Maybe not now, Michael … but in the future, you just neverknow what may come up. May cause some problems down the line,” warned Jake.

“I doubt it, Jake. Aren’t those attitudes kind of old?”

“Depends on who you ask.”

“Hell, half the players in the NBA are married to women outside of their race,” Michael began, looking from Jake to Coach and back again. “I don’t see how that would ever make a difference.”

“Not so fast, Michael. I warned you about live-in arrangements, remember? But you didn’t want to listen to good ole Jake back then. Now you got trouble between you two. I’d never steer you wrong, kiddo, and I’m telling you those other differences will make a difference down the line.”

Michael pulled his hand towel around his neck. “You may have been right about the living-together thing, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. We live together and it’s not really that bad … just when we argue … or don’t speak at all,” Michael said, realizing that was worse.

“So this is a permanent situation?” Coach asked, raising his eyebrows.

“What? Us living together?”

“Yes, you plan on living together forever?” Coach pressed.

“I don’t know. I guess one day maybe I’d like for us to get married,” Michael said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Marriage is a huge step. One of the biggest you’ll ever make in your life. There’s a lot more involved to getting married than you realize. You have to think about your estate planning, your prenuptial agreement; the list goes on and on,” Jake said.

“Prenuptial agreement! If I do marry, I wouldn’t dare ask Dawn or any other woman to sign any contract,” Michael said vehemently.

“Don’t be naive, Michael. What you’re telling me is that you’re willing to share everything you own fifty-fifty just because some woman is telling you she loves you? I thought you were a lot smarter than most of the other guys. Come on, you even went to Stanford, for goodness’ sake!” Jake said, lifting his tortoiseshell glasses from the end of his nose.

“Jake, I’d watch what I say if I were you. You’re treading on some thin ice here,” Michael warned. “Did you have your wife sign any agreement?”

“Listen, Michael,” Jake said, ignoring his client’s question. I just don’t want you to make a big mistake. Things can get real ugly when people’s emotions are on the line, and all I’m saying is that you’ve got to protect yourself up front.”

“Jake, he said he’s not getting married right now; lay off. All this talk is a bit premature, wouldn’t you agree?” Coach said rhetorically. “Michael, you’re young. What are you, twenty-one, twenty-two? All we’re saying is, don’t rush into anything. The only thing you should really be thinking about now is your future as a basketball player.” Coach’s look was intense.

“You have to look at all possible scenarios, Michael,” Jake said. “There is the possibility that the team will be sold and relocated, even if the Flyers do win the championship.”

“But I heard that—”

“Everyone in this organization has heard that the team might not be sold if we win the championship, but Hal hasn’t put anything in writing,” Coach said. “Hell, he could go back on his word for all we know, with everything Hightower is offering. You’ve got to be ready for any possibility, and you have to make smart decisions about where Dawn fits in; that’s what Jake’s saying.” Mitchell’s blunt words intimidated Michael. He had the urge to put his back against the wall so he wouldn’t get jumped, mentally, from behind.

“It’s such a lucrative deal that Hightower is offering, Hal may just want to wash his hands of the team and take the money and run … At least, from what I hear, that could be the case,” Jake said, quickly glancing at Coach.

Michael cast his eyes downward thinking about all the personal implications of the team being sold and moved.

“The almighty dollar, son. The almighty dollar. It makes people do crazy things,” said Coach, patting Michael on the back.

“That, it does,” Jake said almost in unison, approaching Michaeland giving his shoulder a quick squeeze before heading out of the locker room.

“Heads up, Michael,” Coach began. “No matter what happens, you’re still the future of this team if you play your cards right. See you tomorrow, champ.”

Michael stood there, alone. Why did he feel as if he’d just been double-teamed?

“I’m telling you, it’s not ripe,” Phil said, looking at the
tomato in his hand.

“How would you know? You haven’t even felt it,” he said, glancing at Phil sideways.

“Some things you can just tell by looking at them … whether they’re good or not,” Phil said, winking at him.

“Is that from personal experience?”

“I’ll never tell.”

“Is that so?” he said, putting the tomato back in the pile.

He and Phil were grocery shopping for their dinner. The time he spent with Phil had a way of eclipsing everything else going on in his life. With the exception of the occasional stares of people who recognized him as well as Phil in Dean & DeLuca, the chichi Greenwich Village shop, he was totally relaxed. Here it was, the night before the second game of the championship, and he felt peaceful, as if he were on summer vacation instead of in the NBA finals.