“Ice cweammmm!” Kay cheered, mimicking her, which made her giggle. I shook my head at their antics but chuckled along as well.
When we finally make it inside the stadium, Sera and I wish Kay good luck before heading towards the bleachers to find seats. This particular stadium was located at Miles High School, the same one I attended most of my high school career. It was huge thanks to the amount of money the alumni invested in its championship-winning athletics department. They were one of the two schools the team used as home fields this past year while their new stadium was being built. It was set to be done this time next year, and I knew the members were excited to see it because I was too, and I wasn’t even on the team.
Sera ran ahead as we reached the section where a bunch of the other players’ family and friends usually sat. I spoke to them as I took an empty spot in the first row. I didn’t like being up too high because Sera liked to run around, and I’d rather have her run around down here instead of trying to go up and down the stairs. She was still a little wobbly on her feet sometimes, and I didn’t want her to misstep and tumble like Jack and Jill.
“Aww, look at this cutie!” one of my good friends, Whitney, says as I help Sera onto the seat between us. She was the wife of Kay’s friend, Peanut, and we’d gotten so close over the years to the point where even she and Kenisha were good friends. She had a couple of kids around Sera’s age who sometimes came to the games when theyweren’t with their grandparents. Today seemed like one of those days. “Hey, Zee. I love this little jersey. Did you make it yourself?”
“Hi,” I say, giving her a quick hug. “No, actually, my sister made it. You know she’s in her shirt-making bag at the moment. I know she’s gonna have a different hobby in a couple of months, so I’m taking advantage of her interests while I can.”
“I know that’s right,” she chuckled. “How is your sister, by the way? Still trying to take her mind off…you know who?”
I sigh, nodding as I think about my younger sister. She’d been going through a really messy divorce these last few weeks. After catching her husband of seven years cheating on her with one of his co-workers, she packed her and her kids' stuff and moved out while he was at work the next day. Since then, he’d been giving her a hard time, saying that he wasn’t about to divorce her. Even though he’d been the one to cheat, he was constantly trying to gaslight her into believing that his cheating wasn’t that bad and that he hadn’t done it more than once.
I had to roll my eyes at that part when she told me, because anyone could see that he was a lying asshole. I was glad that my sister was moving on and doing what was best for her and my niece and nephews. They were currently staying back at the house with my dad. We planned to go over after the game and check on them. Depending on how late it was, we might just crash there and head home tomorrow.
“I’ll be happy when all of this is settled, and she and her kids can be free of that bastard,” I say, shaking my head. “I never trusted him, but you can’t really talk people out ofgetting married when they’re in love. I know from experience, unfortunately.”
“You and me both, friend,” she sighs. “Before Peanut, I was trapped in a loveless marriage because I was so convinced that my ex would love me again like he did back in high school. It wasn’t until he put his hands on me that I finally realized that that wasn’t the type of love I needed. It wasn’t the type of love that my kids needed. I’m glad Zaiyre didn’t have to deal with that.”
I nodded, because so was I. I don’t even know how I would’ve reacted if I’d found out that that bastard of a husband was putting his hands on my sister or her kids. Thankfully, he had never, but she admitted that he’d been aggressive and emotionally abusive at times. When I heard that, I was on my way out the door to find him and then slash every tire on his car, but she stopped me. One thing I didn’t play about was my family. He’s lucky I haven’t seen his dumb ass yet, because the first time I did, I was gonna pop him in his shit for playing with my sister.
“Deep breaths, Zee,” Whitney chuckled, patting my shoulders. She always knew how I got when I thought about that bastard. “He’s not here, and your sister has it handled. But trust, if he ever shows up while I’m around, I’m gonna help you jump his ass.”
“See, and that’s why you’re my girl,” I laugh, high-fiving her. “You and Kenisha are ride or dies for real.”
“Oooh, what’s she been up to? I miss having her loud ass around here,” she jokes, and I nod in agreement.
“You know she’s busy living out her dream with her husband and kids,” I say, pulling out my phone to show her pictures.
We continue to catch up as I keep a close eye on Sera, who is playing with one of her dolls on the row right behind us. Before long, the stands start to fill up, so I help her sit in the spot between Whitney and me. A few people speak to us before moving on to their chosen spots. When the stands are decently filled, the announcer gets on the mic and announces both teams, and then it’s kick-off time.
The game was a good one, even though all I was doing was splitting my attention between Sera’s hyperactivity and watching Kay play. She was amazingly talented at dodging the other team, and it never ceased to amaze me how light she was on her feet. Every time I watched her play, I felt like I was watching someone very skillfully play a video game because her moves were always so precise and clean. If she played tackle football, I already knew that she would be a force to be reckoned with.
Around halftime, Sera let me know that she had to use the bathroom, so I got up to take her. Whitney agreed to watch our things until we got back, and I thanked her before grabbing my purse in one hand and picking Sera up. As we reached the bottom of the stairs, the scent of something grilled caught my attention, making my mouth water and my stomach growl. I was going to have to stop by the concession stand on the way back.
When we made it to the restroom, I put a few seat covers down and helped Sera use the restroom. We were still working on potty training, so her letting me know she had to go, rather than just using her pull-up was definitely progress. After she was done, I quickly relieved myself as well, then flushed and guided her over the sink so we could wash our hands. This was her favorite part, of course. I swear, she hadto be part fish or something, because she loved playing in water.
Or maybe it was just a toddler thing, who knows?
“Okay, Sera, now that we’ve gone to the restroom, how about a little snack?” I ask once we’ve exited. She jumps up and down in excitement.
“Yes, snack! Ice cweam, Mommy!”
“Okay, okay,” I chuckled as we walked over to the concession stand. “You can get one scoop now, and when Mama Kayla is done with her game, we can go get more. Oooh, Pop Pop might have some. You wanna go see him after this?”
“Yes, Pop Pop!” she cheers, and all I could do was smile.
“Hey, Zseyah. How’s it going?” The concession stand worker, Julius, smiled as we walked up. “And look who else I see. Everyone’s favorite cheerleader, Princess Sera. Hi, cutie!”
“Ice cweammmm!” she squeals, and I shake my head.
“Hey, Julius,” I said. “Sera, you have to speak first. Say hey to Mr. Julius.”
“Hey, Mr. Julis,” she waved. “Can I have ice cweam?”
We both laughed at her cuteness. “Can I please get a small cup of strawberry for the princess? And for me, I’d love to get one of those burgers. They smell so good, and my stomach is telling me that it’s long overdue for some nourishment.”
“Coming right up!”
