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I turn and catch his pass . My heart feels like the basketball . I feel the weight of my father watching , the Duke scouts , everything leading up to this .
I get the ball , cross player # 7 . Jaden boxes out for me , and I squeeze between two players as I thread my way to the hoop .
“ Seven ... six ... five ... four …” Everyone ’ s counting down . " Three … two ..." All I can think is : DUNK ON EM .
I take flight , returning to Earth in a haze of shock . I drop to my knees : did I just dunk on them for the last point ?
My teammates rush toward me , yanking me from the floor and cheering . Coach picks me up and he ' s shaking me . The rest of the school comes rushing toward me , trying to dap me up or congratulate me . In the distance , I see my dad . People cheering and jumping up and down are all in slow-motion and the sound is muffled . I walk to my dad . We staring eye to eye . “ So did you …” I start to say . He puts out his hand , daps me up , and gives me a hug . What ’ s this ? I forgot what this felt like . I wanted to cry and hold him tighter . But I didn ’ t want to ruin the moment and make him think I ' m weak . He taught me men don ’ t cry . Or at least I had to learn that myself when he left me to raise my younger brother and sister . “ I didn ’ t know you had it like that ," he says . " I ' m proud of you , kid .” I ' ve waited years to hear those words . What made him say them now ?