Anthony's Story by MELODY DUPREE (first ebook reader .txt) 📕

It was another normal guys night out. Without our captain to ruin things and tell us what to do, we headed to the newest strip club in town. Apparently a dancer from out of town had come to visit and was there to entertain the new men that flocked the club. I had just parked the car containing Pierce, Ray, Flacco and I when there was a knock on my window. I rolled down my window and saw Randy Moss staring in at me.

“What Moss,” I snapped as I noticed a brown haired girl get out of his car. Her hair was in a French braid and my immediate thought was to drive off, but when she turned around I saw a younger version of my team captain.

“Mel has a daughter and she’s supposed to meet you here,” I guessed and he nodded.

“She’s my pride and joy and here comes Mel,” he said straightening up and causing all of us to groan in disappointment.

“Melinda,” Mel called and the girl ran over to her tears in her eyes.

“Roll up the window,” Ray hissed as Melinda started giving us away.

“Momma four of your teammates are in that car daddy’s standing next to,” she said in a singsong voice.

“Oh really; I remember very clearly telling my team that they could not come to the strip club and anyone of my team that disobeyed me would not like the consequences,” she said and I looked back at Flacco.

“What I didn’t think she was serious,” he said and I let out a sigh.

“Yeah well we’re busted now,” Ray said and Pierce shook his head.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Three of my wide receivers and one of my linebackers disobeying me. Let’s see what I can come up with for punishments,” Mel said and my head snapped up.

I flashed my eyes up to the rearview mirror to look at Ray and I knew I had to protect him.

“Captain please,” I whispered and she turned her attention to me.

“Please what,” she snapped and the guys shrunk back in their seats.

“It wasn’t their idea to come to the strip club and disobey you. We were sitting in my car when I decided to suddenly pull out of my driveway. It was a stupid move and I take full responsibility for disobeying you,” I said and she wrenched open my car door, forcefully yanking me out as she did so.

 I knew it was never going to stop until she got my son as retribution for the death of her son, which happened while he was in my care, but still I never give in that easily and I'll be damned before I turn my son over to a monster like her.

Captain pushed me up against the car and breathed, “Why do I suddenly regret letting you off the hook when you disobeyed me last week.” Out loud she said, “Randy let’s meet again tomorrow night because I have something I need to take care of right now.”

Randy nodded and left with Melinda in tow and Mel waited until they were out of sight before she knocked me to the ground with her fist. I heard a car door slam shut and suddenly Mel was being lured away from me by someone I couldn’t see but I knew it had to be Joe Flacco. I was yanked up by my other two teammates who had come to my rescue as well.

“You guys didn’t need to yank me up that roughly,” I said and they immediately apologized.

“Get Flacco and let’s go,” I said and got in the car.

“Flacco let’s go,” Ray called and I looked back to see Flacco get knocked to the ground as he turned towards the car to get in.

“Ray let’s go! We got to go. We can’t help him now let’s go,” I shouted and Ray jumped in the car.

We pulled out of the parking lot leaving Flacco at the mercy of our team captain. 

I turned at the sound of Ray’s voice only to get knocked to the ground by my team captain. I heard voices shouting, the sound of a car door slamming shut, and a car pulling out of the parking lot. I scrambled backwards as my team captain came over to me with an angry look in her eyes.

“Get up, right now,” she snapped and I immediately scrambled to get to my feet.

I stood there in front of her with my head down and realized I was about to find out what happened to Anquan every time he was called in to her office even when he hadn’t had the chance to piss her off.

“Come on let’s get you home Joe,” Mel whispered and walked away towards her car.

“Wait I’m not in trouble with you for coming to the strip club with the guys,” I asked and she shook her head.

“No but the guys are in trouble with me for leaving you behind. What’s my number one rule when on the field,” she asked looking over at me.

“Stick together and leave no man or in your case woman behind,” I replied and she nodded.

“Get in the car and let’s get you home,” she said and I went home immediately throwing myself into my bed headfirst.

“Joe tell me who Anquan was protecting. When he looked up at the rearview mirror it looked like he was looking at you. But if he had been protecting you I don’t think you would have come so close to me tonight. I want you to tell me who he was protecting,” Mel whispered in my ear while running her hands down my back.

“If I do then what: Anquan gets hurt for protecting one of the team,” I whispered tears running down my face.

“All I want to know is who Anquan was protecting so badly. Trust me you would not like the kind of punishment Anquan receives if it was coming to you Joe. So make it easier on yourself and tell me who he was protecting,” she whispered, dragging her fingers through my over grown hair.

‘Damn, I need a haircut again,’ I thought as I panicked about what to do in this situation I was now in.

She got to the base of my skull and gently tugged on my hair but from what Anquan had told me it wouldn’t be gentle for long.

“He was protecting Ray. It was all Ray’s idea to disobey you and Captain, I am personally sorry for going along with the deception and not notifying you about his plan to disobey you. I will take whatever punishment you have to give me for disobeying you,” I whispered and buried my face in my pillow so she couldn’t see the tears streaming down my face.

“I’ll decide your punishment later because right now I have to deal with Anquan,” Mel said and left.

The front door slammed shut and with that I fell into a fitful sleep.

I was back at home but I knew it wasn’t safe as my team captain had a key to my house.

“Thank God Anthony isn’t home and that he had enough sense to go to Jamie’s house for the night,” I thought as the front door suddenly slammed open.

I ran for my room in a panic but just as I reached the threshold my captain slammed into me sending me to the floor of my hallway with her fist. I curled into a ball on my side carefully and discreetly putting my back against the wall of the hallway. But luck was not on my side today as she yanked me into a standing position and threw me head first into my bedroom where I crumpled to the floor in a sobbing heap of skin and clothes. I looked up at her fear the present emotion on my face and tried to scramble away from her as she walked over to me. Still, I had no luck as she knelt down and started to run her fingers through my braids. When she got to the end of my braids she gently tugged on one of the braids and I maneuvered myself into a kneeling position so she could do what she came to do. But what happened next was a complete surprise for me.

“Why did you lie to me Anquan? What did I ever do to deserve the disrespect I got from you boys tonight,” she asked and I carefully turned my head to look at her face.

She was upset, that much was clear but I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be punished tonight. Then suddenly it dawned on me: she was here to get my son and he wasn’t here. Once again I thanked God for giving me a son that had a brain under all that pretty hair on his head.

“Anthony’s not here Mel. He’s at Jamie’s house for the night with the rest of the team. I’ll bring him to you tomorrow so you can stop trying to force me to give him to you. Okay,” I said and hung my head ashamed that I had just showed that kind of weakness in my resolve.

“Don’t bother to bring him to me. Pack his things and I’ll go pick him up now,” Mel said and got up.

She waited for me to stand and then walked towards the only other occupied room in the house. I slowly grabbed the duffel bags that Anthony kept under his bed and packed his clothes in one; his shoes in another; and all his posters in another. I waited to see what she was going to say about his electronics and she answered my unspoken question.

“He can bring his laptop, his IPod, and his cellphone. Nothing else do you hear me,” she said and I nodded.

I took the bags out to her car and went back inside to pack his laptop in its case; put the iPod in the case along with his cellphone and finally I put in the chargers. I took the bag out to her and she put it on the passenger side seat next to her.

“Tell him I said goodbye and that I love him,” I begged and she nodded.

“I will,” she promised and left without a backwards glance at me.