“Daddy somebody’s at the door!” Jalen yelled running down the hall making himself slide in his socks.
“Jalen…stop running in the house son.”
“Okay daddy!” Jalen ran the opposite direction. Mike went to the door and looked out.
“Whatchu doing here man?” He said as he opened the door.
“Man…nuttin…just driving by.”
“UNCLE JJ!” Sixty-five pounds of energy was hurled at him…right in the gut.
“Umph. What’s up Jalen my buddy? I heard you placed second in the science fair. Congrats. I’m proud of you.”
“Yeah, well next year I’m going to win first place! The only reason why I didn’t this time was because Jonathon stole my first idea cuz I told him about it last year. Next time I’m never telling anyone my ideas.” He charged up the stairs.
“That’s a good plan Jalen.” JJ yelled after him.
Mike was looking at him questioningly.
“What?”
Mike shrugged. “Nothing.” He walked down the stairs to his man cave. Grabbed a wireless control to Playstation 3 and tossed the other one to JJ. “Wanna get some Madden on?”
“Fo sho.”
JJ sat in one of the media recliners while Mike powered on everything using a remote that looked more like the motherboard on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
They chose their teams and started playing. After about fifteen minutes into the game, Mike, while still playing said, “So whatchu doing here man?”
“Playing Madden.”
“No shit Sherlock. I thought tonight was the night?”
“Well, it’s not.” His right shoulder lifted and he clenched his lips together as he was maneuvering one of his defensive players furiously with his thumbs. His left left was outstretched as he leaned into the control.
“Why not? What happened?”
“Man…shit. I don’t feel like talking about this right now. Lemme concentrate on whupping your butt right quick first.”
“Well, I hope you brought a big azz stick with you cuz that ain’t happening on this here game here. But hey…I need to pause right quick. Jalen’s too quiet. My lil nutty professor be done blew up the house and Sharon will kill me when she get’s home.”
“Where is Sharon?”
“She’s at that supper club, book club, men dumb, women smart thingy.”
JJ laughed as Mike went to check on Jalen. He leaned into the chair and thought about the fight with Mia and wondered what she was doing. What she was thinking. He’d never done anything like that before but he was just so SICK of Gina and her silly shit. Why in the hell she gotta keep calling his damn phone? He’d already told her he was done. Finished. WHY SHE GOTTA KEEP CALLING? He wanted to strangle her ass for causing problems with Mia.
A phone rang in the background.
Mike walked back into the room on the phone. “Baby…I don’t know…he hasn’t said yet. No….Yes…I asked. But…no….wait. Okay.” He handed the phone to JJ. “Here man. You in trouble.”
JJ tried to move so Mike couldn’t give him the phone. Mike dropped it in his lap and backed away with his hands in the air. “Man I don’t want no trouble. You brought this on yourself.”
He picked up the phone and put it to his ear saying nothing.
“JJ I know you’re on the phone. I can hear you breathing.”
He sighed. “Sup Sharon.”
“Don’t ‘sup Sharon’ me. What in the hell are you doing at my house playing video games with Mike?”
“I can’t come by when I want to? I thought yall were family?” he laughed hollowly.
“JJ…don’t be obtuse…it’s so unbecoming. What are you doing at MY house when you’re SUPPOSED to be at “The Inn at Little Washington” proposing to Mia?”
