Page 19 of Loving the Legend
“I get that.” I imagine with his popularity, his phone is always blowing up.
He falls silent, and for a second, I think the call got disconnected. Then he clears his throat. “So, any chance you’re free tomorrow and want to celebrate Christmas with me? It’ll be a chill affair, just me, my mom, my cousin, and a family friend. Both of them are like brothers to me. I usually have a game on Christmas, so we keep it low-key. By some stroke of luck, I’m off this year.”
Whoa. Just like that, I’m invited into the private world of one of the most famous men on earth. I lean against the doorof my car. Can’t say I expected that at all. He loosely extended an invitation to celebrate the holidays with his family during our interview, but I didn’t think he was for real. I really need sleep, but if the current jitters in my stomach are anything to go by, spending the day with Sid sounds pretty dope.
“Wow, uh, it’s really nice of you to, uh, extend an invite.”
“Oh, and your uncle is invited too. Adam is his name, right? The plane has more than enough room.”
“Yeah, Adam's his—wait—you have a private plane? Who are you, Jay-Z?”
He chuckles. "My pilot, Nat’s, on standby, ready to meet you at LAX.”
“Honestly, I was planning to sleep through it this year since Adam has to work. I’d be honored.”
He lets out a deep sigh. “Man, that ain’t right. We can’t have you sleeping through the best day of the year. I’m shooting you a text right now with the details. What time should the plane aim for?”
“Tonight? But Christmas is tomorrow.”
“Bruh, Christmas starts at midnight. My mom has dinner on now, and the pies will be ready in a few hours. I just got back from picking up a tree. We’re about to decorate it.”
I grin. “Kinda late to buy a tree, isn’t it?”
“Mad late. It was slim pickings, but Gladys will be the envy of the neighborhood when I’m done decorating her and the—”
“You named your tree Gladys?” I interject, grinning like a fool.
“Of course! It’s part of the family now. The rest of the decorations were put up weeks ago, but I get way too much joy out of picking and decorating the tree to delegate it to anyone else. The last few weeks have been hectic between road games and publicity stuff.”
“I always imagined it’s busy business being you. Uh, what time is it?” I check the time on the phone. “I can be at LAX in four-ish hours. Cool?”
“Hold on a sec. I’ll text Nat to leave now. It’ll take her roughly five hours to get to you.”
“That’s perfect.” I throw my bag in the back seat before climbing in. The call transfers to my car’s speakers.
“Done. I’ll text you the hangar details once I have them,” he says.
While I am stoked to not spend another holiday alone, something is gnawing at me about the invite.
“Wait, Sid?”
“Yeah?”
“Why me? I mean, why are you inviting me?”
“We’re friends, remember?”
“Seriously. I’m sure you have lots of friends.”
The line goes silent.
“Are you there?” I ask.
I hear a deep sigh. “Yeah. I’m here,” he says, voice low before the line goes silent again.
I’m about to tell him to forget I asked when he pipes up. “Listen, I love my teammates, but they’re, uh, I don’t know, kind of basic at times. I enjoyed our interview and your…vibe. I can’t tell you the last time I had such an enjoyable conversation that wasn’t centered on basketball, cars, or women. I also had a feeling that you might be spending the day alone.”
My shoulders drop as I release a long breath. The truth is, I think about Sid and our interview every day. I’ve never met anyone who can both lower my guard and throw my body completely out of whack. I fidget in my seat as another question burns on my tongue. I’d like to know if any part of the invite was extended because of sympathy towards me because of my parents. I don’t want his pity.
