ALL MINE

two

New York

The sweet aroma of apple cinnamon covered the entire room. The older woman moved around the kitchen gracefully as she rinsed out the glass plate. After washing it off, she dried the plate and slid it on the marble counter.

"Only one slice."

"I'm giving you two slices."

"Big Mama." The young man leaned his head to the side and said, "I can't eat all that."

"It's not in his diet."

"You mind your business." She pointed at the other man. "I can give my grandson two slices of apple pie if I want to. It won't hurt him. You got him going to that damn school, and...he doesn't get home-cooked meals. Especially with Diane being on the road."

"Ma, Grant is in the process of becoming a professional basketball player."

Grant looked over at the man who was speaking for him. His dad, Dominick, was leaning against the island bar, talking to his grandmother, Grant's great-grandmother.

Big Mama. Her name was Eleanor, but she was known as Big Mama. 

She was in her late eighties, but didn't look like it. She had no health issues—at all. Eleanor walked without aid, cared for herself, and still drove around.

The elder didn't seem to care about Dominick's remarks. She pushed the plate to her great-grandson and said, "Here you go. Now, you eat all of it."

Grant accepted the plate and thanked his grandmother. He wasted no time digging into the dessert. The warm apple pie was beautiful to look at, see, and smell. It was cut to perfection, and the flaky crust was designed beautifully with the right amount of browning. The apples were cut nicely, and the filling looked so good. It was paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

"Mm." Grant let out subtle noises that let his grandmother know he liked it. She knew he would, so she didn't have to ask him if it was good.

"Grant, I tried to call you the other day." Big Mama announced as she removed her phone from her apron. It was an iPhone that was covered by a protective case. "But my phone won't call out."

"What are you doing with that phone?" Dominick questioned his grandmother. "I thought you said you wanted to keep that Jitterbug."

"I did, but I like to take pictures, and that flip phone I had wouldn't let me. So, your daughter gave me this." Big Mama explained. "I can't do anything. Dominique said I could FaceTime everyone, but I can't seem to get it to go through."

Grant shook his head. His sister definitely started something. Big Mama was going to call him every thirty minutes. Nevertheless, he wouldn't mind. He was crazy about his great-grandmother.

"Let me see."

Big Mama handed over the iPhone, and Grant showed her what mistake she had made.

"See, you had the cellular data turned off. When it's green, that means it's on. If it's not green, then the data is turned off. You can't do anything on the phone that requires data unless you have your Wi-Fi connected to your phone."

"Oh." Big Mama nodded as she took in the information her grandson gave her. "So, now that it's turned on. I can call and FaceTime you?"

"Yeah, remember to keep it on."

"Alright now." Big Mama replied while grabbing her dish towel to wipe down the counter. "When I call you, you better answer that phone. I know you're going back to college tomorrow and...I want to make sure you're okay."

"It's not like he's going to college out of state. He'll be right here with us." Dominick interjected.

"Diane told me he'll be five hours away." Big Mama responded with calmness in her voice. "That's far."

"Yeah, it's pretty far, but you should be used to it." Dominick continued. "Grant has been going to school for three years now."

"And I'll be glad when he finishes." Big Mama mumbled. "I don't like the whole situation, but...school is important."

"It definitely is." Dominick agreed while placing his attention on his son. "Are you ready for your last year?"

Grant shrugged his shoulders but didn't speak. He wasn't sure if he was ready to graduate. So far, his college experience was great, and he managed to participate in a lot of activities while on campus.

He took his education seriously and made sure to complete his homework, make connections with his professors, and join several school hobbies and groups such as a Greek fraternity, student council, and he played basketball. 

Academics aside, Grant did party a lot. He was always going to house parties and clubs with his friends. Most of his weekends were filled with getting drunk and having fun. He couldn't wait to get back on campus because he had plans to make his senior year of school his best.

His only issue was his dad. Dominick wanted him to focus on basketball and basketball only. He took basketball seriously because it was once his career. Dominick played professional basketball until he was forced to retire.

He started by playing for the Lakers. Dominick resided in California for a few years until the legal issues hit him. He was arrested for aggravated assault and drug trafficking. Of course, his lawyer was able to get the aggravated assault charges dropped, but he still had to face the drug charges.

The drug trafficking case did bring attention to the NBA, which caused the team to drop him. He went to trial and was found not guilty. He paid a few people to clear his name, which seemed to help him out.

It was his father's idea.

Dominick worked with the NBA, and after negotiating, he was picked up by the Brooklyn Nets. He wasn't too happy about it, but Dominick was glad to be closer to home. He played with the team for the rest of his career and eventually retired. Now, the man was surviving on his multiple businesses.

Becoming a professional basketball player was not a goal for Grant, but it was for his dad. Since middle school, he managed to push his son to join a basketball team. He kept Grant in shape by putting him on a strict diet and ensuring he worked out daily. This routine eventually followed Grant throughout his life.

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TO BE CONTINUED