Chicago,1990

Chapter 4: When Lori Was Young

So, about ‘chanting scriptures’, guess what? Xiao Luo Li, the guy we’re gonna play ball with, is a fresh rap artist! His first single is already making waves on local radio, and it’s getting some love from big-name DJs in Chicago. People are digging it, from what I hear. Tony spilled the beans that Xiao Luo Li’s first album is just around the corner.

Song Ya hasn’t caught the promo single and has only met Xiao Luo Li once since the whole time-travel thing. But him and the fam, including Aunt Su Xi, are pretty cool with Tony kicking it with Xiao Luo Li. I mean, sure, a lot of rappers are tied up with gangs these days, but that’s still better than actually getting mixed up in a real one, right?

As the rap tune finishes up, the DJ chimes in, “Alright, that was ‘Express Yourself’ by N.W.A.! Now, let’s switch gears, everyone, here comes ‘Man In The Mirror’ by the legendary Michael Jackson!”

As soon as the opening notes play, “Muffler” goes ahead and flips through the stations, turning it this way and that but can’t find anything that hits the spot, and all that comes out of the radio is that earsplitting static.

“Why not just chill with some MJ?”

Michael Jackson’s on top of the world right now, and Song Ya’s been catching his tunes a lot since the whole time-travel thing, really digging them. “Man in the Mirror” has some deep lyrics that really stick with you.

“He totally betrayed us!”

Tony’s voice was filled with passion, “For years, we’ve been there for him, all in, and what do we get? He’s embarrassed by us, by being black!” He points outside, “Check it out! Look at him now, so pale!”

Song Ya looked that way and saw this huge MJ Pepsi ad. That dude’s face, yeah, super pale.

“Turncoat,” ‘Muffler’ threw out the word, finally landing on a station that played some rap he could vibe with.

“You’re yanking my chain, right?”

A Black dude trying to win over whites by getting lighter? That’s just gonna tick off Black folks and make whites look down on him, no? Song Ya’s got a feeling that Tony’s not making much sense.

“But hey, that’s what everyone’s saying.”

Tony kept going, “The white folks are in charge, and they’re doing all this to hit our pride and keep us as their slaves. Plastic surgery, you know what I’m talking about? They can change their whole face, so whitening up isn’t a big deal for them.”

“Area 51,” ‘Muffler’ threw in another word.

“Yup! The white folks have already caught aliens, but they’re keeping all that alien tech under wraps, not doing anything for the people with it. No, they’re using it to fight a world war against the USSR!” Tony’s theories were getting pretty wild, “Once they’re done with that, they’ll come for us, making sure blacks stay their slaves.”

“Uh… sure.” Song Ya decided to let it go and not argue anymore.

Tony seemed to have more on his mind, “And that Mike guy, he’s not great either. I heard, I heard some big shots in the Southside are out to get him!”

“Jordan?”

Song Ya was surprised. Michael Jordan was the Bulls’ star player, loved by everyone in Chicago.

“No, not Michael, Mike! Mike Tyson!” Tony corrected him.

“Yeah, I’ve heard about that.”

Just the other day, Champ Tyson got a surprise loss at 42-to-1 odds. Song Ya heard that a lot of big shots in the gangs lost a bunch of cash on that one.

It wasn’t a long drive to where they were meeting up with Xiao Luo Li. They got there just after a couple of tunes. The spot was a public basketball court, fenced off with wire, right next to a little park. The neighborhood was way nicer than around Song Ya’s place, close to a busy shopping street and with big apartment buildings all around. Cops were buzzing by the intersection pretty often, and the folks playing ball inside were looking sharp and snazzy.

Xiao Luo Li was already there, waiting for them. He’s about the same age as Tony, a bit shorter than Song Ya, and really slim. He’s got a pretty rare, good-looking face for a Black guy, with cool dreads on his head. He was chilling with headphones on, dribbling the ball to warm up while listening to his tunes. Nearby the hoop, there were two other Black guys just shooting the breeze. One looked like he was in his mid-twenties, and the other seemed a bit older, maybe in his thirties.

They found a spot and parked the car. Tony was the first one out, calling out with a big smile, “Hey! Bro~”

“Hey!”

Luo Li took off his headphones and strolled over with a smile, locking into a cool fist-bump sequence with Tony and ‘Muffler.’

When it was Song Ya’s turn, they started off on the right foot but got a bit mixed up with the follow-through. They had a good laugh as their fists just missed each other a few times, swirling in the air.

Song Ya brought his fist back, giving a slightly embarrassed but still polite smile.

Luo Li held back his laughter, “It’s okay, no big deal.” He gave Song Ya a playful pat on the shoulder, “Come on, let me introduce you around.”

The two dudes by the hoop came over. The younger one, part of Luo Li’s band, said his name was Al.

Tony got a kick out of seeing Al, playfully acting like he’s holding a mic, “Bum-chicka-bum-bum…” He did a little bit of wacky beatboxing for fun.

“Yeah…” Al chuckled and then showed off his own skills.

Dude was on another level, man. If Song Ya had just closed his eyes, he might’ve sworn there was a drum set right there with them.

Tony gave him a big thumbs-up, impressed.

The older dude, from the record label, wasn’t as relaxed as Al. “They call me AK.” He gave everyone a cool fist bump.

Now that they were all introduced, Luo Li just tossed his CD player and jacket over to AK, and everyone else did the same, shedding their coats and other junk under the hoop.

For this casual 3-on-3 game, it was obvious that Luo Li’s slim build wasn’t going to cut it against the big football guys like Tony and ‘Muffler.’ Song Ya got why Tony had been so eager to have him join, so he stepped up to cover Tony.

Basically, everyone but Luo Li was just there to chill and have a good time, not really for the basketball. When you’re just there to have fun, you want to make sure the guy you’re with is enjoying himself. So, they all just sort of hung back when Luo Li had the ball, letting him and Song Ya go at it one-on-one.

Luo Li’s got some smooth moves on the court – crossing over, dribbling behind his back, faking out, and quick changes. The guy’s definitely got skills. Last time they played, after Song Ya’s little trip, he got owned. This time, Song Ya’s a bit better, but still, it’s just a bit better.

Time was flying by on the court, with all the shouting and the non-stop thumping of the ball.

I gotta say, this body’s got some serious legs. Song Ya was getting schooled by Luo Li over and over, always a step behind in the dust, but hey, physically? He was golden. Just a bit wiped in the head, that’s all.

“Guess my PE credits might not be a lost cause?” He spaced out for a sec and wham!

Got totally duped, ended up on his rear. Looked back and there’s Luo Li, already nailing the layup and giving the classic Jordan tongue-out gesture.

“Let’s take a quick break, guys.”

Surprisingly, AK was the first to hit the wall, up against ‘Muffler’. ‘Muffler’ doesn’t play it as smooth as Tony; he’s all about that solid contact down low. His running back body just kept pushing AK to the limit. Meanwhile, Al, matched up with Tony, was still looking fresh as ever.

“Hey, AK! I was just getting into it!” Xiao Luo Li said with a frown, really enjoying the back-and-forth with Song Ya.

“I’m beat, I’m beat,” AK said, hands up, taking a step back to the side of the court.

‘Muffler’ was just standing there, laughing like a big ol’ teddy bear.

"Can we join in?"asked three black dudes waiting on the side. “Absolutely,” Xiao Luo Li replied. “Alex!” Tony gave Song Ya a nod.

“You guys go ahead and play.” Song Ya walked off the court with Tony, leaving Luo Li, Al, and Muffler to keep the game going.

They hadn’t even been off the court for ten minutes when all hell broke loose. Looks like Xiao Luo Li got all heated up from getting his passes snagged a couple of times and went full steam ahead to get the ball back, only to bash right into the other guy’s elbow, which seemed like it might’ve been dropped on purpose or maybe just by chance. Down he went.

“FXXX!” He got back up, totally ticked off and shoved the guy in frustration.

Didn’t expect the other guy to just brush it off like that. “Can’t handle a loss? Acting all girly?” He started pushing and shoving, throwing out some harsh words.

In no time, all six dudes on the court were bunching up, and the scuffle just kept growing. AK hopped up to lend a hand to his buddies.

Song Ya glanced over and saw Tony jump up like a spooked bunny, but instead of getting into the mix, he raced over to 'Muffler’s Toyota Eagle. After a little while, he zoomed back and dove into the mess, standing guard in front of Xiao Luo Li.

“Hey!”

He flicked up his T-shirt, flashing the black grip of a gun tucked in his waistband. His stare was intense, like Mike Tyson’s, “How big you guys wanna play? NGer!em? How big we taking this?”