Cathy's Creative Corner: 3T - T.I.M., Trey, Thomas (Day T.I.M.)
“Up next,” Timothy shouts as he approaches the basketball court. From down the street, he could tell by all the commotion of loud voices and laughter that the court was packed today. A devilish grin appears on his face because he knows there’s going to be backlash.
“Now, you know you too late for that, T.I.M.! We been up here putting in our time while you, church boy, was talking to the Lord or snoozing on the pew or whatever it is you do in church,” responds Khalil, his closest friend.
“Yeah, I had a little talk with the Lord and he told me to tell you not to quit your day job. Basketball just ain’t your thing, bruh, no matter how much time you put into it.” The other guys laugh and start taking their jabs at Khalil’s basketball skills. Every week somebody gets roasted. Timothy’s glad he got to start it off.
Timothy and Khalil have been friends since kindergarten. Years later, it was Khalil who rebranded Timothy to ‘T.I.M.’. One day he asked Timothy, “Why your parents give you that old timey name? I’m gonna bring you into the 21st century by calling you ‘T.I.M.’. That’s T-period, I-period, M-period. Out here in the streets, don’t even answer if they call you Tim or Timothy. You’ll join the ranks of DMX and TLC. Everybody knows exactly who you talkin’ about with those 3 letters. A lot of times LL Cool J is just referred to as LL. You’ll thank me for this one day,” he smiled as he patted T.I.M. on the back. Timothy liked his shorter, more modern name. It made him take note in history class how two very important presidents were referred to more by their initials than their full names: FDR and JFK.
As Timothy waits to be called into the game, an older player pulls up with a grill on the back of his pickup. “Yo, young blood, how about giving me a hand getting this down?” asks the driver. Timothy jumps to his feet and goes over to help. He doesn’t mind at all. Anytime someone brings the grill, they bring enough eats for everyone. The old heads like to show the young guys that you can be cool, kind, and respectful. As Timothy helps unload the truck, he hears the guys calling him to come in the game. He declines without giving it a second thought. “I’ll take next,” he replies as he goes back to get the charcoal, coolers, grocery bags and containers of pre-prepped food. “Thanks, young blood. I appreciate that. I’ll make sure you’re first in line,” the man tells Timothy. “No problem, man. Glad I could help. Let me know if you need anything else,” he smiles.
Settling back down on the waiting wall, Timothy peers at a group of girls headed towards the court. He wonders if they’re coming there or going to the nearby apartments. He sees a face or two who are unfamiliar. Then he sees Carla. Hurriedly, he turns to an angle where hopefully, she won’t see him. Carla’s cool and all but she’s too hands-on. Always wants to rough a brother up. Timothy’s mom says it’s because she has a crush on him. Whatever the reason, Timothy doesn’t want any unwarranted attention until he finds out about the new faces with Carla.
“Yo, T.I.M., you ready now?” questions Khalil.
“Yeap! Whose place am I takin’?” Perfect timing, thinks Timothy. Carla and her crew head to the waiting wall where some other guys are now sitting. “Game on!” scoffs T.I.M.
