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Post this upstairs
To pass the time waiting on this decision I whipped this up tonight. Hope you all enjoy it.
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"Back"
A short story by Culburn
11:11am local time, Bexar County, San Antonio
His cell phone lit. He'd had it on silent, in LOS, making use of a lull in an otherwise hectic morning to keep track of who was left and who was gone on a yellow-legal-pad.
[Buford James]---"What the ?" [Buford James] was Kawhi Leonard's assigned code name while he was employed by the Spurs. Used to bypass protocol and Media. "Who'd you give it to, kid?" He punched it. "What do you want, wiseass?"
"Mr. Popovich."
"Kawhi?"
"Yes, sir."
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"Can I come up? I'm in the parking structure. I'm alone."
He closed his eyes as the blood rushed into his stomach. "Of course, you know the way." There was a staircase, a confidential access to his office. They cut the line.
He clipped the intercom: "Mary, no interruptions, nothing."
"Uhhhhhh, of course, Gre" He cut the intercom, double checked it, locked his office door, unlocked the access door & settled back down.
The cell phone lit again. xxxxx xxxxxx from the Express. "Mother......... er!"
He punched it: "What?"
"What's he doing up there, Pop?"
"Off the record?"
"Off the record."
"I don't know. I just got the call."
"What do you think he wants?"
"Goodbye, xxxxx." He turned the cell phone off.
The soft tap on the access door caused him to stop breathing yet again.
"It's open."
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"Your people know you're here, Kawhi?" No handshake, just a simple nod to the hard back chair in front of his non descript desk.
He eased into the chair. "Sure. They're waiting back at the hotel." He gestured to the closed access door.
"Christ, I ain't had a one-on-one without agents & mouth pieces since God knows when. What, what is it then? Are you wired?"
"No. I swear it." He opened his sports jacket.
"Well, kid, are you going to California, or, staying in Cana..."
Leonard cut him off: "I want to come back."
It wasn't a lark, nor a stunt, Popovich knew the tone, the grip from long and maddening experience. The room began to shrink, the lights to dim.
"I, I, I I can't...I haven't got any, not enough mon..." He tailed off and caught the figure on the yellow-legal-pad---lower right hand corner in No. 2 lead.
"It's not important. Doesn't matter. I want back, coach. I want back."
The hard buzzing in his ears hardened as Popovich would not raise his face from the desk top. Neither would Leonard. Then just a whisper across the space: "Please. coach."
"It's all I got, kid. Lower right hand corner." He turned, squared it and started to slide the yellow-legal-pad under Leonard's face, got a few inches in and felt reverse pressure as the slide halted.
"Doesn't matter, coach. Write it up,,,now. I'll sign it."
"My heart can't take this ." He tersely admonished to himself. "Play it!" Again to himself. "I'd have to call the lawyers."
"I understand. No problem. Call them. I'll sign it."
"Kawhi, c'mon, you need your people here. It's only prop..." He cut him off again...
"No, coach. Call them. It's over. I'll sign. Call them, please."
Popovich started to speak and instead he clipped the intercom. "Call legal, Mary, get the complete set in here. I need the whole bunch...they haven't went to lunch have they? If they have, call them back and tell them "at once." Understand?
"Greg, is everything okay in th..."
"Mary-dear-now. Let me know when they're on their way up. All of 'em, Mary. Now."
"I'm sorry, Kawhi." He extended his hand.
"So am I, coach." The grasp was firm and warm.
---The End---
Post this upstairs
BRO
When do we buy the 2020 Trump hat?
Dale too chicken to post this upstairs.
No. I'm still banned up there. You have my blessings if you'd like to take it up & lodge it, aps. I'd appreciate it.
What's your NFL team, Culburn?
Browns. I'm from Cleveland.
Hope you're not an OSU fan, Dale. Go blue
No, Alabama.Hope you're not an OSU fan, Dale. Go blue
Always loved Hayes though.
Lakers and Bama fan from Cleveland
Don't start in on me this morning, 13. I ain't changed underwear in 3 days because I feel it'd jinx it. I'm raw & ripe. "Dale, this is awful. Now you need to shower and get clean clothes on. This isn't right." - the old lady.Lakers and Bama fan from Cleveland
"I never defend my fandom. It's my religion."Lakers and Bama fan from Cleveland
Probably a St Louis Cardinals fan in baseball as well and a Joey Chestnut stan in eating. Tbh. How does he not like the Patriots?
What a ing front runner you are dale
Surprised the Pats aren’t your football team tbh
FloridaWhat a ing front runner you are dale
Surprised the Pats aren’t your football team tbh
Deflecting from your Chicken front running ways Dale
FloridaDeflecting from your Chicken front running ways Dale
The Answer: Back
The Question: "What is the thing Kobe Bryant rode to his championships?"
Hasn’t he been selling one since the day after he got elected
Kobe: 5
Daddy: 4
You'd have that 1 if Duncan hadn't a tried to hold on to Her. Instead?
Florida
Backs rode:
Daddy: 0
Rapey Mc face: 2
Kobe: 5
Daddy: 4
You thought he was done at 4-3 Daddy. Uh, uh. Not by a jugful. Perkins fell over & Howard showed up at the center court jump. Just like that: 5-4 Kobe.
ha, ha.
Belichick: 6
Kobe: 5
Browns: Goose egg
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