THE GAME OF LOVE

“Yo! Who you coming to see?”

Lolly chose to pick up the pace of his walk.

“Yo! You hear me talking to you!”

Lolly knew he’d better keep walking because if he stops to answer that dreaded question he would be emitting signals of vulnerability. Much like predators zeroing in on wounded prey, the hungry pack of neighborhood wolves can pick up your scent a mile away. But if you keep moving and say nothing they may or may not see it as a sign of disrespect and at best you’d have a fifty-fifty chance of making it to your destination. It is without question a rough place to visit and certainly you wouldn’t want to live here but for some people there is no other option.

But what do you do when the one you love lives here? You know her. The beautiful one with the natural curves that feels so good when you caress her.  She says all the right things at the right time and is there for you when everyone else does an about face.  Would you go through hell to get to her?

Of course you would.

You know deep down inside that you were meant to be together despite what others think. For hours upon hours you spend talking, rehearsing and trying to better your relationship with her until it gets to the level of being “as one”. Sometimes jealousy leads you to the brink because you see her conversating with others but in your mind she is damaging your relationship by fraternizing with the enemy – especially when you are monogamous.

Lolly is infatuated with her. He eats, sleeps and breathes her. He knows that even if he has to take a beating now in order to see her one more time it is well worth it. Deep down he knows she loves him too. She just has a funny way of showing it. See, she is a lot older than Lolly and she has been around the block a few times.

BeBe is what everyone calls her. Sometimes she uses other aliases when dealing with strangers but for the most part she is widely recognized as such. Is Lolly too enamored with BeBe? Is she leading him astray? Remember, BeBe tells him what he wants to hear – especially when they are alone. His buddies sure think he’s wasting his time and they make it a point to tell him often but it falls on deaf ears.

Lolly keeps moving. He hears voices getting closer. He knows that the chances of making it to BeBe without a scuffle are dwindling fast. Using his peripheral vision he can see that the wolf pack has grown. He reaches down for his weapon in his shorts but he has no pockets. He increases to a slight jog but the race is a marathon not a sprint. His heart rate is now up to 88 beats per minute. Folks sitting quietly on the bench stare as he passes by. Do they know what is about to occur? Would someone please dial 911 he thinks to himself.

In the distance he faintly hears BeBe talking. He knows he’s close. He begins to run towards her voice. The thought of them together fluttered his soul and strengthened his legs. The burst of wind from the sudden sprint removes the hood from over his head. He is sweating profusely and his heart is racing like that of a thief with cops in pursuit. He notices a bright light ahead and takes a peak backwards to see if the pack is still chasing. They are and running at full speed but now it seems their numbers have doubled.

As the light gets brighter and brighter to his eyes, he realizes that BeBe is entertaining others. Could she be “loose” while he’s away? He runs faster. Is she two-timing him with another?

Faster!

He jumps over the park bench as opposed to walking around it. The route to BeBe is direct. As he lands from his jump he is surrounded by the mob. He is completely out of breath and this particular beating would have to happen in front of an audience. He is then grabbed by the hand and helped to his feet. He raises his head and sees BeBe waiting for him.

“He’s here!” shouts someone from the crowd. Everybody has been waiting for him. The buzzer has just sounded to end the first contest and they had one minute remaining until the next tip off. Lolly also sees his teammates. “Hurry Lolly! Check in at the scorer’s table. Here is your jersey. Take a couple shots so you can catch your rhythm. You already worked up a sweat.”

At that very moment he got a chance to reunite with BeBe. He touched her ever so gently and caressed her round black and orange body. He turned his hand over and she hit the ground. She was evidently happy to see him too because she returned to sit in his hand again.

Swish!

All net.

Lolly had made it to the game on time. The mob was sitting in the stands rooting for the home team. What he thought were gangsters and thugs were really fans trying to make it to the court in time to see the game. As the game began he notices a change in BeBe’s behavior.  She wasn’t going through the hoop as they had rehearsed. She was acting weird tonight. She was acting like the other basketballs in the neighborhood.

The beating Lolly was bracing for did occur that evening. Not from an uncontrollable mob but from the play of the home team. And as for BeBe…she left the basketball court without Lolly because she became fond of another player.

His name was Mister Game MVP.