Sunday afternoons had become a three-man show for Walter, Gigolo,
and Calorie since Allen, Cupid and Charles had decided to seek out the
missing link in their lives.
Though the six-man show had changed,
Sunday afternoons continued to visit the fellas like unwanted Jehovah
witness on an early Saturday morning.
Walter was to be the host for the
tip off of the 2000-2001 NBA season.
The Los Angeles Lakers were
inviting the Portland Trailblazers into their home at the Staples Center.
The Trailblazers were hoping to erase the coaching mishap that cost
them the championship the previous year.
Gigolo and Calorie both
phoned to let Walter know that they were on their way. Walter prepared
a fruit medley to start breakfast off.
To accompany the fruit he made
Belgium waffles topped with strawberries and whip cream.
The fellas
arrived moments after tip off to find Walter nibbling on the fruit that he
placed in a salad bowl in the center of the table.
"I guess we still running on CP time huh?" Walter said as he stood up
to embrace Gigolo and Calorie.
"What's the haps?" Gigolo said as he removed his jacket and laid it
across the back of his chair.
"You know niggas can't get out of bed early when we got a free day to
just chill." Calorie said as he reached for a bowl.
"Who's winning?" Gigolo asked.
"I think Portland, but you know how them mutha fuckas give up
leads." Walter said.
"Man you still bitter over the way my Lakers came back and tapped
that ass last year? Bruh get over that shit. It's over, just like the
blazers. They're over." Gigolo said as he and Calorie gave one another a
high five from across the table.
"Yeah whatever. Just watch how we gon' put our foot in that ass
today." Walter said as he attempted to defend the honor of his team.
The fellas ate and talked about the game as they watched it. Through
the commercials they had small talk about the things that were going on
with their day-to-day business. They discussed each other at length.
Calorie talked about the downsizing that was going on at his job.
He mentioned that his job had laid off more that seventy-five people and
their goal was to lay off more than one hundred and fifty total. Calorie
was sure that his position was secure because he was the only
programmer with his knowledge and he was the only African-American.
He felt like they had to meet their quota of token Negroes. Walter told
him that affirmative action had been voted out. The only thing that was
going to keep his job was the fact that he was a very responsible
employee who knew his shit front and back.