Long Shot (Hoops 1)

Her audacious chuckle from the other end has me chuckling, too. God, I miss her. I miss this.

“I’ve met Caleb,” Lo says. “I doubt very seriously you’re getting the good dick.”

“Oh my God. You did not just say that.”

“Oh, yes I did, honey. I gets the good dick no matter what is going on. That’s a priority. And I’m not talking about that rich-man dick.”

“Ex … cuse me?” Laughter defies my good intentions and barges out of my mouth.

“I’m just saying I haven’t met a rich man who can really fuck, ya know?”

“Um, no, I don’t know.”

“Well, Caleb is the only man you’ve ever slept with, so you’ve only had rich dick. You don’t have anything to compare it to. Gimme some of that broke dick. That unemployed, still-living-with-his-mama, sleeping-on-her-couch dick.”

I’m laughing uncontrollably now, and it only spurs her on more.

“That phone-just-got-turned-off dick,” Lo continues, warming to her subject. “Gimme a man who grew up on food stamps and never knew where the next meal was coming from. The rich ones fuck like they’re entitled to your pussy. Fuck me like I’m survival. Like your life depends on my shit. That’s some grateful dick, right there.”

“And yet I’ve never known you to date anyone like what you’re describing,” I remind her.

“Date?” Lo asks, her voice indignant. “Who said anything about dating? I’m talking about fucking. I only deal with those dudes between the sheets and for as long as it takes to give him a ride to the check-cashing store the next morning. You don’t fall for broke dick. Honey, you just get it while you can and ride it while it’s good.”

“God, you never change, do you?” I ask, feeling more lighthearted than I have since the last time we spoke.

“I do change.” Some of the humor leaves Lo’s voice. “Actually, a lot is changing. That’s why I’m calling.”

“Oh, yeah?” I ask absently, dumping steamed sweet potatoes and green beans into the food processor. “What’s up?”

“I have the opportunity of a lifetime!” The excitement Lo has been holding back bursts across the line, giving me pause.

“What kind of opportunity?”

“You know I hustle, right?” Lo cackles. “Like, take side jobs to make ends meet? Well, I was on this shoot for a friend who was paying me in pizza, and Jean Pierre Louis, that new designer everyone is raving about? You know him?”

I glance around my gilded cage, the walls of Caleb’s house that basically define my existence. My T-shirt is stained from the peaches and peas Sarai had for breakfast. My hair hasn’t been washed in days, and I smell strongly of spoiled milk.

“I haven’t exactly been keeping up with the latest in fashion,” I reply dryly.

“Oh.” Lo sounds deflated for approximately a quarter of a second before bouncing back to full-force enthusiasm. “Well he’s the bomb, and I didn’t realize it was his shoot. I threw some of MiMi’s French on him, followed instructions like a good little minion, and kept him cracking up the whole time. At the end, he offered me a job in his New York atelier. Can you believe that?”

The information zooms through my mind at warp speed, bits of it clinging to the sides of my brain while some of it doesn’t stick at all.

“But …” I flounder a little. “But you have one more semester left at Spelman. Is this a summer job?”

“No, it starts right away. I can finish school anytime.” Lo’s energy crackles even over the phone. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“It’s a bit of a risk, isn’t it?” I ask tentatively, not wanting to upset her but feeling like I need to offer a level-headed perspective. “I mean, you spend one afternoon with this guy and you uproot your whole life, all your plans, for him?”

“You mean the way you uprooted your whole life and all your plans to follow Caleb?” Her voice comes sharp and pricks me. It’s quiet for a few moments as I find my way in this foreign land where Lo and I may be at odds.

“It’s not the same,” I say quietly. “Our situations are not the same, and you know it.”

“No, they’re not,” Lo fires back. “Because unlike you, I won’t hand my life over to some man. I’m taking this opportunity by the horns and following my dreams. I would never allow myself to end up trapped in somebody else’s plans for me.”

“Trapped?” I cannon back. “What are you saying? I should have had an abortion?”

“You know I love Sarai.” She pauses. “But I would’ve been more careful about what was going in my lady business and made sure he was wrapped up tight.”