Keep Your Girl Out of My Shoe Cabinet, Your Wife

When Viviane went to the office the next day she found the red light of the answering machine blinking brightly. With no deeper thought she pressed play and waited for the message to start. A strangely familiar voice greeted her. Not that she had ever met the person but she knew the voice from TV.

“Hello Mrs. Crosby, this is LeBron James. I read online that Sidney is out of town these days so I thought it would be the right time to call. I’d like to meet you to tell you certain things I think you should know about. I’m in town to visit some friends so text me my number is…..”

Viviane was slightly confused but took her Blackberry and texted him when she could meet him where. He told her that he was okay with it and looking forward to meeting her.

Two hours later she parked the Land Rover in front of the restaurant she had told him. When she got out she already saw him wrapped in a thick jacket a black toque and a scarf with his hands in his pockets pacing in front of his car.

“Hey there” she greeted him and put on her sunglasses to block out the rays of the low sun after closing her fairly thin pea coat.

“Hello, it’s a pleasure meeting you. Why is it so cold here?”

“You’re just spoiled from the nice floridian weather.”

“May be true… right Cleveland was cold as shit. Would you mind talking a walk through the park? Wouldn’t want people in the restaurant overhear anything.”

“Sure sounds perfect. Let’s get a drink at Starbucks so you won’t freeze.”

“Good call.”

Viviane led him to the closest Starbucks after ordering they walked through the park.

“So…” she was a little nervous “You wanted to tell me something.”

“Right. I think you know a person called Rebecca Dillard

“Yeah. She kept Sidney company for quite some time when we were apart. We had a pretty open relationship since we’d sometimes not see each others for like 10 months a piece since everyone has needs we settled it that way at some points because he had it rather that the other one was with one person we knew about and had the summers together, than constant hook ups what felt more like cheating.” Viviane lied without turning red.

“WOW that’s an interesting relationship you guys had. Anyways I met her a little more than a year ago and honestly she never told me about Crosby. I found out about it through her half sister Katie. In this time I flew her to Miami almost every week now when I look back she always was in Miami when Sid was on the road and she was in Pittsburgh when I was away. However when she came to Miami for good about 4 months ago I was estatic. I really thought she was the one you know? After some time I first found out about Sidney, then my friends told me that she had tried to hook up with them and I know for fact that when we were in Cleveland late last season she indeed hocked up with one of the guys. Three weeks I threw her out and through Katie I know she thought about moving back to Pittsburgh. I know you and Sidney are happy and that you are expecting a baby. I’d like to congratulate about it by the way, but I know guys and I’ve also seen guys with family being unfaithful. I just want to warn you that she may be back in town and that you might have to take care of your husband.”

By the time he finished, they sat down on a bench an she had turned towards him.

“Are you kidding me?” were the only words she could answer.

“I’m sorry?” LeBron couldn’t quite follow her.

“When Sidney proposed she got really jealous and threatened me, but that’s nothing to worry about.”

“Oh… well I hope it will work out fine for you. It took me quite some time to figure out what a horrible person she was and without her half sister I may never have realized it. If you want I can give you her number. She’s an awesome girl and hates her sister. Katie lives in England and has no contact to Rebecca. Still she gets all her information through their father.” He offered and she accepted gladly.

“That’s really nice of you. And thanks for the head up…. How can I thank you?”

“You don’t need to thank me. I know Sidney since a long time and regard it as a friend helping a friend. I saw you on tv and I rarely saw him this happy off the ice so I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him happy and I don’t want that skank to destroy the beautiful thing you have. There rarely are high school sweetheart marriages among celebrities. Now come here you look like you’d need a hug after all this.”
He smiled at her and opened his giant arms. Happily she let him engulf her and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Thank you. I really needed this. Who would’ve thought that you actually are a nice person.” She laughed.

After talking a little more about life, the baby and the weather he announced that he had to head back to his friends place for an early dinner.

The next morning Viviane was twirling through the kitchen, throwing random fruits, oatmeal and a yogurt into the blender for a nice smoothie when her phone went off. The screen said “Vero” so she cheered happily when she answered.

“Madam Fleury ca va? How’s the time off?”

But instead of the cheerful answer she expected Vero’s voice was stern and sounded disappointed.
“Good morning Viviane. What the hell were you thinking?”

Viviane was confused.
“What are you talking about?”

“Yesterday? In the park? LeBron James? Coffe? Heart-to-heart? Cuddling?”

“Whut? How do you know?”

“It’s all over TV. Someone took pictures of you guys. Why did you meet up with him? What’s that about? And why is Sidney so weird? He stared at the TV for two seconds, then put on his running shoes and is yet to be seen again.”

‘They have lions here. Maybe they thought he’d be a delicious snack’ Marc-André yelled in the background.

“Oh my… LeBron was in town to visit some friends and he was just telling me some stories about him and Sidney and a mutual ex-girlfriend who’s back in town, so nothing to worry about and Sidney… I don’t know. Maybe he’s gotten his period. Tell Flower that if I was a lion I wouldn’t have eaten Sid. Stress makes the muscles hard and he had no spices with him so totally not delicious. I’ll call him and see what I can do.”

The girls chatted a little longer and Vero told her all about the resort the team was in until Marc-André told her to hang up because they had to go to the golf course.

Viviane tried to call Sidney four times but always was send straight to the voice mail.
It was frustrating so she send him a text message and told him to call her as soon as he turned the phone back on.

After this episode the day was slow. She had her breakfast, cleaned the living room and vacuum cleaned the cinema, sat around waiting for the call but nothing happened.
She went to the dining room and swept the floor, her phone always on the table but it never rang.
After two hours she was annoyed and tried to call him again. This time he finally answered.

“What do you want?”

“Oh good morning Viviane? How was your night? Mine was great. I’m sorry for never calling since I left.”

“Don’t be a bitch to me.”

“Oh fine I won’t. what’s your problem?”

“My problem? Maybe that my wife sleeps around behind my back with the guy my ex-girlfriend left me for and doesn’t even have the decency to do it in a hotel or something? No she has to walk with him through a park where dozens of people can see her flirting around while I’m out of town without her on an event she should actually accompany me to. I tell everyone how exhausted you are from the west coast trip and the jet set and you go around town with him and everyone knows. THAT is my problem.”

“Seriously THAT bothers you?”

“Yes it does. He has stolen my girl once why shouldn’t he do it again?”

“Because I fucking married you. I’m pregnant with your child because you couldn’t keep your dick in my pants. He just told me that Rebecca was telling him lies all the time and that he kicked her out and that she most likely back in town.”

“Oh shit.”

“Right OH shit.”

“I’m sorry…”

“For what?... Don’t tell me you knew.”

Sidney didn’t say a word.

“SIDNEY PATRICK CROSBY???”

“Heck I said I’m sorry.”

“UGH…. How could you? Wait till you come home.. we’ll talk about this now go to the golf course cuddle some lions while I try to avoid sudden birth. Fuck you Sidney”

Annoyed Viviane hung up and threw the phone onto the counter