I had been in the Chi for three days and I hadn't seen Kristin. Mostly because she had class and was tired when she got home, but she promised we'd get together for the weekend. I couldn't wait. I worked out with Doc's son, Kerry on yesterday. He reminded me of a younger version of Doc. The way he walked, talked, everything. He's a nice guy. He used to be a boxer until he was forced to retire due to some retinal damage. If he had continued fighting, he could have possibly gone blind. He was only 29 when his career ended three years ago. He was a going to challenge Antonio Margarito for the Welterweight title, but never got his chance. He doesn't seem too bitter about it though. He has a wife and two little girls that he gets to see everyday. Maybe I'll experience happiness like that.
I was sitting in the condo I rented on Michigan Avenue waiting for the phone to ring. It was after 5:30 and Kristin said she'd be here at 5. I decided to call her cell phone instead.
“I'm getting on the elevator, Vince.”
“Just checking. The game starts at 7.”
When I opened the door, I felt as if the wind was knocked out of me. I know it had only been about six weeks since I saw her last, but it felt like taking a drink after water after walking though the desert. I hated Erwin Berry. He didn't deserve her.
“Are you going to just stand there or can I come in?”
“Uh, right. Come in, come in. My bad.”
I gave her a quick tour of the condo and we were on our way out the door to check out Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls in a preseason match against the Washington Wizards.
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The game was great, Chicago beat Washington 93-70. I really wanted to see Derrick Rose, but he was having problems with his ankle so he didn't play. Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah looked good though. They really got after it. Tyrus dropped nineteen points on the Wizards and Joakim had a double-double, thirteen points and sixteen boards. They may advance past the first round this year in the playoffs.
After the game, we went to the Navy Pier and had dinner at Riva. The night was going great. We were walking along the pier listening to music and I was giving her an update on my boxing injury when I decided it was time to give her the necklace that I bought for her birthday. It looked great on her.
“This is really beautiful. Thanks.” She gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“You're welcome. Just a belated birthday gift.” Just then, John Legend's “Save Room” was coming through the speakers on the pier.
“ Hey, you still owe me that dance.”
“You want to dance now?”
“Sure, what better time than the present.”
Dancing with Kristin was everything I thought it would be. We were about to end our embrace when India.Arie's “Ready for Love” began to play. I pulled her back to me and we danced some more. As the song was ending, I decided to lean in for a kiss.
When she didn't pull back, I held her tighter. It was every bit as great as I imagined. I felt like fireworks were exploding all around us. To my surprise, it turned out that it was only the fall fireworks display and they were exploding around everyone. But that kiss was still awesome. I could tell she felt something too because she would have pushed me away if she didn't.
“Uh, I never got a chance to see your apartment.”
“Well, let's do that now.”
Was this really about to happen, I thought to myself as things started to heat up in the backseat of the town car that I rented for the evening. Things were moving faster than I expected, but I wasn't going to complain about it.
Damn, can this car go any faster?
06-14-2010, 06:49 PM
