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I sent the text message that I needed to send to Jashae, and I waved Jabari off. He was right, but I still waved his ass off.
9:45 P.M.
“I think that’s her car right there. Ima park next to her,” I said to Jabari as we entered the parking lot and I saw the brand-new Lexus truck that Jashae had.
The lights were on inside the car, and I could see movement, so I figured that she and Mahogany hadn’t got out yet. I felt like a fuckin’ kid inside the candy store to see that Jashae hadn’t stood a nigga up, and she actually came. I just knew that once ten o’clock came and the fight was getting ready to start, she was going to be on some bullshit, talking about she had a headache or some shit. Basically, just looking for any excuse not to come out tonight.
I parked my car next to hers, and Jabari and I quickly got out. I smelled Chanel No. 5 perfume, and I knew that it belonged to Jashae because I had learned that fragrance was like her signature scent. She looked beautiful tonight. Niggas definitely were going to think shorty and I were on a date because she matched me with her colors. She was in a lime green Shane Justin dress that stopped just a few inches down from the middle of her thighs, and a pair of nudish colored strappy heels were on her beautiful feet that had her looking a few inches taller than what she really was.
She had mentioned on the phone earlier that she was leaving the hair salon, and I could tell that she’d gotten her shit done because her hair was bone straight, floating down her back and making it look like a weave that the bitches I liked to fuck with who long Pocahontas weave tend to wear. I swear shorty didn’t need make-up, and she had to have known that because she didn’t wear any. There was gloss on her lips, though, that I wouldn’t have minded tasting. I was standing next to the most beautiful woman in the world, so I considered myself lucky. I was in all white, but I did have a pair of lime green Yeezy’s on my feet, so our shit looked planned, but it wasn’t.
“Wowwww, Jashae? Really? Why didn’t you tell me that this goofy ass nigga was going to be here? I would have stayed my ass at home,” Mahogany’s loud ass said. She couldn’t stand my cousin.
He pulled down on his beard and looked at Mahogany the same way that I was looking at Jashae. Jashae laughed, showing off that one dimple that she had.
“Because I knew that you wouldn’t have come. Miami, tell your cousin to be good to my friend tonight,” Jashae said, walking over to me and giving me one of those phony ass church people hugs.
Our bodies barely touched as she wrapped one of her arms around me quick as hell and then pulled away.
“Mannnn, ain’t nobody thinking about her ass. You want a nigga to fuck with you. Keep it pushing, shorty,” Jabari called out to Mahogany.
I wouldn’t even blow his cover and tell them how he damn near begged for me to get Mahogany to come out tonight.
“No, sweetheart, it’s actually the other way around. You want a bitch to fuck with you, and seeing that I don’t, it causes you to act out of character and say stupid ass shit out of your mouth to me. Don’t say nothing to me tonight, and I won’t say nothing to your ass,” Mahogany said, and Jabari laughed while throwing his hands up in surrender.
On the way inside, Jashae walked on the side of me, Jabari was behind us, and Mahogany was in the front. Mahogany was heated like a motha fucka about Jabari being there, and the shit was comical as fuck to me because while she was so upset, Jabari couldn’t care less.
The moment we walked inside, the bullshit started. It was no secret that I was Miami the boxer, but when I was in Miami or at a boxing match in general, people treated me like I was Barack Obama around this bitch. I used to love all the attention, but on a night like tonight, when I just wanted to get out and kick it with my people, I wouldn’t necessarily feel like taking a picture with a fan or signing an autograph. Besides, tonight wasn’t about me. It was about Jimbo and his opponent, but you couldn’t tell them that.
Even with the dark shades that I had on my face as I walked into the building, it didn’t stop people from noticing me. I hated the overly aggressive fans who didn’t even ask if they could take a picture. Instead, they would just jump their ass in my face with the camera on both of us, so they could get a selfie. Because I had Jashae so close to me, I placed my hand on the small of her back as we eased our way through the crowd.
It was only a matter of minutes before somebody took a picture or a video of Jashae and me together and this shit hit the shaderoom on Instagram. Before I even asked Jashae to join me tonight, I knew that there was a possibility that this shit could hit the internet, but it was my selfish reasons of wanting to spend some time with her tonight that had me ready to risk it all. We’d finally made it to the first row where all four of our chairs were, and we sat. I sat on the end with Jashae sitting next to me, leaving Mahogany and Jabari to sit next to each other.
“You good, Choc? I know that shit can become overwhelming like a motha fucka. I swear I’m still not used to the shit,” I said.
“I’m fine. Do you miss it? Boxing, I mean. Like, does being here right now have you feeling like you wish you were on the mat about to fight? This has to bring back a ton of memories for you,” she said.
“I miss it sometimes. Something like this was what I used to fight in when I was fresh out of college. I wasn’t selling out venues yet. I fought here once, maybe about eight years ago. My ole girl was sitting right over there.” I said, pointing to a seat where she had sat one night. “I lost a tooth that night. I miss boxing itself, but I swear I don’t miss what came after a match. Every night I would get in bed, feeling like my body had just got run over by a damn 18-wheeler. Black eyes to the point where they would become swollen shut and I could barely see, bruised ribs, all of that shit, but I did it because I loved it. I did it because it put me in a situation where I could take care of my family.
When I lost my ole girl, I wasn’t fighting the same, and I knew it was because I didn’t have my number one support system to sit in the stands and watch me. Yeah, my ole boy would still come, but I turned into that little boy again, where all I needed was my mama. I’d rather be doing what I’m doing right now, though. I’m in a position where I can open centers and give these young boys the shit that they need to follow in my footsteps,” I let her know.
“I remember your mom. She was so beautiful and so nice. She used to tell me all the time, don’t you let having a baby stop you from going to school and following your dreams. She was so motivating, you know? I never told you this, but it was actually because of her that I went to college. After high school, I had every plan to go out and find me a job, so that I could take care of my baby, but maybe a few months before graduation, she saw me outside with Vonte, and she asked me my plans after high school. Once she didn’t hear college somewhere in my plans, she got on me and told me that I better enroll in somebody’s college, even if it’s just a community one and I did just that. If I liked her, I can only imagine the way that you loved her,” she let me know.
All I could do was shake my head because I wasn’t trying to be out and shut down in the middle of a boxing match. The match had already started, and between Jabari and Mahogany arguing every two seconds and Jashae asking all these damn questions about the fight, I could hardly watch the shit in peace. You know how you have those dedicated, Sunday night football fans who like to sit in front of the television in peace? That’s how I was when it came to boxing.
“I’m about to go out in the lobby before I kill this nigga,” Mahogany said, standing up from her chair.
“Get a drink too, with your uptight ass. A nigga not even bothering your stupid ass. I was just trying to make conversation,” Jabari barked back to her.
She crossed over Jashae and me and left out. She was gone for almost twenty minutes before Jabari got up and he excused himself as well. It left just me and Jashae alone, who was still asking questions every two minutes.
“Choc, one day when you not busy, Ima teach you the rule book, so the next time we can watch the
shit in peace,” I joked but was dead ass serious.
“I won’t ask any more after this, but can they even do that? Oh my God, look how he’s punching on him,” she screeched, watching Jimbo beat the fuck out of his opponent.
I was clapping hard in the stands because he was doing what he was supposed to do. Jashae was just being a typical woman.
