Mieke frowned, "Im about to cry."
Keanu burst out laughing, "Whatchu bout to cry for boog?" he asked, still laughing.
"Because the way they treat y'all is so sad. Y'all don't deserve that. All y'all do for them, and they treat y'all like garbage. It's not fair."
Keanu couldn't do anything but laugh, not because he found it amusing, but because Mieke was dead serious about almost crying.
Her eyes were getting teary, and everything. She was always deeply moved by others pain.
One time, when they were in high school, they went out to eat, and Mieke got sad because she saw an old man sitting alone. Her empathy was a defining trait that Keanu couldn't help but appreciate, even if it sometimes left him laughing at the unexpected moments of her emotions.
Keanu chuckled, "Chilllll, be happy I know what's going on." he said reassuringly.
Mieke wiped her eyes. "I hope the others do too."
Keanu shook his head, "They don't. They too caught up in the game, the fame and money that comes with this shit that they don't see the effects it's having on them mentally and physically. They gon let them coaches use them forever and when their bodies give out, they gon get thrown aside but that's what happens when you chase fame and fortune. You lose sight of what matters."
"Your mental health." And Keanu nodded in agreement. She searched his face for a moment before saying "You plan on doing this forever?"
Keanu sighed and reached his hand over to play with Mieke's hair. "I don't know Boog. I love playing but sometimes all the pressure be getting to me. I feel like everybody is counting on me to make things happen, and that it's all on me."
"This shit was my dad's dream. My dream wasn't to make it to the league. He had dreams to be where I'm at right now and he could've had that but he chose to go down the wrong path and lead himself to get killed and shit. It's like I'm doing this shit for him, in my head I gotta continue for him so I could make him proud and shit but in the fans heads, I'm the best player and I love them so I gotta continue for them." He chuckled.
Mieke spoke up "But then there's Skyler. You don't want to keep missing parts of her life. You wanna be there for her since you're the only parent that she has and you don't want to let her down when she's looking up to you so much."
Keanu nodded, agreeing with her. "I gotta figure out the right way to do this."
"Fuck the fans. Do what's best for you. You already made it to the NFL right? Exactly. You've already made your dad's dream come true. You've achieved what he couldn't. Now, it's time to put yourself first. You've already made the fans happy. Youve already done it all. You achieved what they wanted you to achieve. But at the end of the day, you're the only person who needs to be happy. You can't let the fans dictate your life, Smooches. You have to do what's right for you."
Keanu listened to Mieke's words, considering them. He nodded slowly. "You right."
Mieke smiled. "When you're ready, you can quit or take a break and put yourself first. Make yourself happy and make Skyler happy. She needs you, and you deserve to feel fulfilled and content." She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Whatever decision you make, you know I'll be there with you, every step of the way."
chapter thirty.
Start from the beginning
