Someone To Love. Karen White-Owens

started with Amir when he began to take the advice of his high school buddies over J.D.’s. His friends kept telling Amir that he should be able to step straight from the high school basketball court to the pros. Like most children, Amir refused to acknowledge how the system worked. Instead he wanted everything now and believed he could skip the hard work that led to a successful career.

      As they began to work together, J.D. realized that although Amir possessed an abundance of talent, he lacked discipline. Most kids played college ball after graduation. They accepted college scholarships while waiting for the call of the NBA draft. Amir had balked at the idea of college. The young man fought J.D. on every issue. Amir believed that he didn’t need to do the college thing because his future rested with the pros.

      J.D. leaned into the soft leather as he rubbed his fingers across his forehead, trying to erase a headache. The kid hadn’t showed his face and it was getting close to the time for J.D. to pick up Shae. Heading for his bedroom, he grabbed a pair of sneakers and white tube socks. Moving purposefully through the condominium, J.D. returned to the sofa, shoved his feet inside the socks and reached for a shoe.

      Shae. He halted with a shoe in his hand, seeing her smiling face in his mind. She was a wonderful, exciting addition to his life.

      J.D.’s pleasant reverie was rudely interrupted by the doorbell chimes. He dropped the shoe and padded across the wood floor to the intercom and video monitor located near the front door. Amir stood on his doorstep. “Damn!” J.D. shook his head, instantly deciding to make this the quickest meeting on record. He buzzed the young man into the building, opened the door and waited in the entrance for his guest to climb the two flights of stairs.

      “Hey,” Amir grunted. The lanky 6’5” basketball player’s ebony face wore a permanent snarl. A red dorag controlled his thick, shoulder-length braids. Baggy, wide-leg denims covered a pair of red silk drawers that hung outside his denims. His long, skinny legs poked out from white ankle socks trimmed in blue. His size fifteen feet looked like boats in his Michael Jordan sneakers.

      Arms folded, J.D. demanded, “Where have you been?”

      Amir strolled into the tiny hallway, a cell phone glued to his ear in one hand, while using the other hand to hold up his pants. “Got held up with some stuff.”

      “We had a three o’clock appointment.”

      The young man shrugged, then added belligently, “Yeah and? I got held up. I’m here now, so let’s get to it.”

      J.D.’s hands clinched into fists at his side. “Look. You have got to do better. How can I pitch you to anyone when I can’t depend on you to be on time and make the best impression?”

      “If it’s important, I’ll be there. You never have anything good to tell me, so why should I rush? All we’re going to do is talk about what you plan to do. You still haven’t done what I want you to do.”

      J.D. shut the door and started down the narrow passageway. “Let’s go into the living room.”

      Amir followed without comment. When they entered the living area, the young man flopped down on the sofa and glared spitefully at J.D.

      “Can I get you anything?”

      “Beer.”

      “Nope.” J.D. answered, snagging the chair near the sofa. He removed a sheet of paper from the file sitting on the coffee table. “I told you that you can’t go pro yet. We have a lot of work to do before that happens.”

      “Talk. Talk. Talk.” Amir flipped J.D. off with a wave of his hand. “That’s all you give me. My boys think you’re just trying to hold me back. You don’t want me to go pro.”

      J.D. seethed angrily underneath, but maintained an outwardly composed demeanor. “Why wouldn’t I? That puts more money in my pocket. Amir, you have talent and, if you can grow and learn, you’ll have a fabulous professional career and the life that you crave. But not yet. There’s still a lot of work ahead of you.”

      Amir scoffed and turned his attention to his cell phone.

      “What happened to your mother?”

      The young man’s face scrunched into a snarling mask. “I don’t know. What happened to her?”

      “Why isn’t she here with you?”

      “I imagine she’s where she lives,” he quipped, crossing one bony leg over the opposite knee.

      “I specifically asked to see both of you.”

      The young man glowered at the older man. “I’m grown. I don’t need her up in my business.”

      J.D. gritted his teeth to keep from saying something that would set them both off. Amir’s ’tude was getting old really fast. J.D. understood how important it was for Amir to handle himself like a tough guy in front of his friends, but his friends weren’t here.

      “That’s not going to happen. You’re only nineteen and there are concerns about your grades.” He passed a copy of Amir’s fall report card to the young man. “As you can see, and probably already know, you’re on academic probation. Unless you bring up your grades and go to summer school to make up the classes you failed, you’ll lose your free ride. If that happens, your chances for the NBA fly away with it.”

      Amir rolled his eyes and propped his feet on the edge of the coffee table. “Come on, man. This is all playtime. It don’t matter what grades I get as long as I keep playing ball.”

      “That’s where you’re wrong. It all matters.” J.D. roughly shoved Amir’s feet off the table. “Young man,” he started. “This isn’t a game. If you want that career, get your crap together.”

      Sulking, Amir crossed his arms and studied the hardwood floor.

      “Young man, look at me,” J.D. voice rang out with authority.

      Instantly, Amir focused on him. A flash of dislike flickered from his round owl’s eyes.

      “I’m going to drop you as a client if you don’t get on track.” This wasn’t true. He’d understood that Amir was still in his teens and had come from a tough home life. His mother had worked hard to provide for him and to raise her son without a father’s influence.

      J.D. made allowances for Amir because J.D. grew up with the benefits of strong, supportive parents and he understood how his upbringing shaped his life. But discipline remained a key factor to Amir’s path to becoming a pro.

      J.D. laced his fingers together. He gave the younger man time to absorb what he’d said. The agent rose from his chair, moved around the coffee table, and sank onto the soft leather of the sofa next to Amir. “There’s still time to finish out this year in the positive column. Just don’t screw up. If you need help, I can get you a tutor or help you myself. But those grades must improve. Period. And as soon as possible. I suggest you go make appointments with your professors, talk with them about extra credit if you need to and find out if there’s anything you can do to improve your grades. Do what needs to be done.”

      Rolling the edge of the jersey between his fingers, Amir thrust out his bottom lip and pouted. “College is supposed to be fun.”

      J.D. tapped a finger against his lips. “Not really. College involves learning and getting an education. If you plan to make it in pro ball, you need to understand how things work.”

      “What you’re saying is that I can’t have any fun.”

      “Not at all. Get your school work done first, then hang out with your friends. Until you get your grades on track, stop the carousing with your buddies and leave the ladies alone. Give it a rest until your grades are in order.” J.D. waved a hand back and forth between them. “Have I made myself clear?”

      Silence followed his question.

      “Are we on the same page on this issue?” J.D. asked a second time.

      Tension filtered into every