9780063056534

Pops a fool for the Lakers. He worshipped Magic and Kareem back in
the day. He made sure I was a fan. “Fa’sho. I’m gon’ get him a jersey
soon.”
“That’s what I’m talking ’bout. They got something special in the
making, I can feel it,” he says. “That boy Kobe gon’ be a force. Mark my
words.”
For a moment, we just father and son, talking basketball. Pops don’t feel
a world away. “You think we’ll get a championship?”
“A couple of championships,” Pops says. “Kobe and Shaq gon’ ball out,
no doubt. How things around the Garden?”
“It’s real calm lately. NNo turf wars or nothing,” I say. “The Garden
Disciples ain’t tripping.”
“Good. Shawn, Dre, and them looking out for you?”
I guess that’s what Dre call that stunt he pulled. “Yeah. Sometimes they
do it too much.”
“NNo such thing. Be glad somebody got your back. You may not always
be so lucky.”
I got a feeling Dre gon’ always be a pain in my ass.
“Well, look, man, my time’s up,” Pops says. “Make sure you tell Faye I
came down real hard on you regarding this baby business, a’ight?”
I laugh. She gon’ know I’m lying. “Yeah, a’ight. We’ll see you soon.”
“Looking forward to it,” he says, and I can hear his smile. “Love you,
Mav Man.”
“Love you too, Pops.”
I hang up, and my pops is a world away again.
The doorbell ring. I hop up real fast ’cause I don’t want it to wake up
Li’l Man. I peek out the front window first like Ma do. It’s King.
I greet him with a palm slap. “Damn, man. Didn’t expect you to roll
through.”
He slide in past me. “Phone call’s a waste of time. I was around the
corner with a customer and figured I’d stop by. What’s up?”
What ain’t up? Part of me don’t know how to start any of this
conversation. I stick my hands in my pockets. “Iesha holla’ed at you yet?”
King plop down on my couch and prop his feet on the table. Mi casa
always been his casa. “Yeah, she told me. Where your Sega controller? I’m
tryna play some Mortal Kombat.”