BALLER WIVES CLUB

“THE GAME CHANGER”

Desiree

Today made week number four of the season and this week’s game was at home. Things had begin to settle down I became more comfortable with my new life. We were in the skybox and I was now seated with the rest of the wives in what would more than likely be my “usual” seat. It was right behind Gabrielle and Taji with Prissy and Celeste up front looking like flawless television characters, I called us this collective group “The Dynasty Crew”. Prissy and I had become better acquainted and I found her to be truly cool. At first she had an unapproachable exterior but I learned differently over an invite to lunch and shopping just this week. I crossed my legs and admired the banging neon blue and black lace Steve McQueen heels she put me up on. I found her to be more like a big sister that didn’t want you to know she actually liked you but spending time with her revealed another side of her. Celeste on the other hand was something different; she’s keeping up her Krystal Carrington version of a baller’s wife without fail. She stays reserved and unrevealing, except with Prissy, she seems closest to her of all the wives and with her the most comfortable. To each his own though.

I heard my ringtone sounding off in my purse, I reached down to grab my phone looking at the screen first to see who it was because everyone knew it was a game today and everyone knew I was in attendance. I grabbed my phone and smiled when I saw my own reflection staring back at me on the screen. It was my sister Cashmere, my twin. Now she would be the only one who would not have a clue on who played what sports on any given day, she was oblivious to it all.

“Cash!” I greeted zealously and I noticed Celeste shifting in her seat

“Hi Dez!” she was smiling just as I was I could tell

“What’s up? What are you doing calling me in the middle of the evening?”

“It’s only 9 a.m. over here”

“Why aren’t you at the hospital saving some handsome British man’s life?”

“Because, I have the night off and for the past three nights I’ve only serviced babies with colds and marbles stuck in their noses, pregnant women and one very obese man with a jammed finger. No handsome Brits came my way so I thought it safe that I enjoy my day off without worry”

We both giggled with laughter and Taji turned and looked at me. So I got up and walked outside the skybox and stood outside the door.

“Guess what?” Cash asked

“What?” I was excited

“I’m leaving London and coming to Miami”

My mouth dropped open “What? What about your Residency?”

“The head doctor over the residence is from Miami and is moving back home and asked me and another doctor to study under him in Florida and I said yes. I’ll be there in two weeks”

“Yes!” I jumped up and down in my twenty seven hundred dollar pumps

“I found a nice small apartment in Coconut Grove that’s affordable and----”

“Excuse me?” I cut her off mid sentence “You found a what? For what Cash, you can live with me and Jasper while you’re still studying. We have that big ole house and it’s only the two of us. We have five spare bedrooms and three with bathrooms included you can take your pick.”

“I don’t want to live with you and Jasper. You guys have your own life together, I’ll move into the apartment I found”

“But Cash, it’s been five years since you’ve been in London studying and we’ve hardly spent any time together. I want my sister to be in the same house as me like when we were little. I miss that and Jasper could care less. He would be thrilled to have something occupy my attention other than asking him questions all day” I said light heartedly but knew it was the true.

“Dez” she said then I hit her with my secret weapon

“Pllleeeaaassseee Calico Kitty” her secret childhood name that I gave her. Mine was Star Kitty Crunch, we gave each other the names at five years old when we thought that we’d grow up to be twin crime fighting Superheros. The other line fell silent and I knew I had her, my big sister by two minutes caved in.

“Okay, I’ll think about it but you must speak with Jasper first because I know you. You won’t tell him I’m coming until I ring the doorbell” I laughed because she knew me well, she also knew that Jasper was going to agree with her living with us because he knew how much it would mean to me.

“Deal” I said with an accomplished smile.

“I love you and I’ll call you next week” she said in her simplistic way

“I love you too” I responded and hung up the phone.

It was the very best news that I could ask for, my twin sister and very best friend was coming back home and I couldn’t wait for her to get here. I turned and walked back into the skybox and as I reclaimed my seat among the “The Dynatsy Crew”, Reid Gabrielle’s husband missed a tackle and allowed an interception that was now turning into a touchdown right before our eyes. A collective gasp came from the crowd and it was loud enough to shake the core of your soul. I relaxed in my seat and kept my eyes on the field. I don’t know what was going on with Reid but to be honest for the past two games he has not been at his best, he’s missing tackles and causing game jeopardizing turnovers. It was by the grace of God that we won last week’s game with a last minute “Hail Mary” touchdown because another missed tackle by Reid had caused the Gladiators to score in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter. I just hope everything is okay with them.  

Gabriella

“Oh my goodness baby, Get Him! Get Him! F***!!!” I screamed in my head as Reid missed the tackle and allowed the interception to turn into a touchdown. Coach Moynahan called him to the sidelines and I knew he was angry, last week he was so disappointed in himself that it took him the rest of the evening to get over it. The Jumbotron caught the image of his face and it was hard to watch, I knew him he was pissed. The players on the sidelines all encouraged him with pats on the backs and slaps on his ass as they walked past but I knew my husband, no amount of encouragement would reverse the judgement he was piling onto himself. I kept my eyes on the field as did everyone else in the room, they were gracious enough to not let me see or feel their disappointment in my husband. These were the tough moments that no one ever sees and each woman has them; this game, this season maybe your man’s worst one and you have to learn to go with the flow of things. You must be able to take the good with the bad and all that comes in between. The same fans that cheer will boo, the same ones that praise you, will hate you. They’ll buy a jersey baring your name then burn it name side up. It’s a fickle business but we the women must remain unmoved and supportive no matter which way the wind blows.

By the end of the fourth quarter we were the winners, the Sharks did it again! We were on our way out to

disperse into our post game routes and routines when standing right outside the doors was Mr. Red Aires

the team’s owner and his new wife Priscilla. They were engaged in a conversation with Bobby the General Manager. Though Mr. Aires was not an arrogant man he still didn’t see fit to move his conversation out of the way of us filing out of the skybox, everyone has to go around them so I was stuck standing at the door waiting for my opportunity to move past them and onto the elevator to go and meet Reid. I noticed Priscilla looking at me, she was really beautiful and much younger than Mr. Aires of course, he was old enough to be her father but I was told that she is as hard-nosed as he is when it came to business. Her family is the well known Warhouses of the elite hotel chain of Tifton Grand Hotels, they are worldwide. I tried to make my way past them when out of nowhere and for no one else Priscilla moved and a small space opened up for me. With everyone still trying to slide by without interrupting Mr. Aires the people passing behind me pushed me closer into her and I almost lost my balance. She lifted her hand to steady me grabbing me by my waist and looking me directly in my eyes. Before I could even apologize she smiled.

“It’s okay” she spoke softly

It was then and only when someone came in too close to his wife that he realized that he and his conversation were causing a traffic jam.

“Oh, maybe we should move over a bit and get out of these folks way, ya think?” he chuckled past his rich Texan accent. The moved and the crowd spilled forward like fluid water. I walked over to the elevator and stepped on, when I turned I saw Priscilla whispering into the ear of a man that was with them but standing closer to her than to Mr. Aires. The man looked back at me with a light smirk as the doors were closing. I thought nothing of it continued onto the locker rooms to meet my husband.

It wasn’t until later in the evening that Reid was able to let it go.

“Relax baby” I said “Next week will be better” I encouraged I hugged my husband and kissed his head. My phone’s text message alert chimed.

“You are very beautiful, can I see all of you?”….. I scrolled down assuming that this was an error a wrong number then I read the signature “P.A.”.