After about an hour, Jeff called back to inform them about the negotiations.

“Jeff says that the negotiations are concluded. Standard contract, 4 years. 6.5 million dollars. Per year, I can earn from 1 to 1.5 million based on incentives. I need to go to Philadelphia to sign the contract. There is to be a physical test before it,” Jeff informed Dave and his mother about the details of the negotiation.

Hearing him say that he would be earning more than a million dollars per year, his mother’s eyes widened in disbelief. She put her hand on her mouth and looked at him wide-eyed. Julius smiled at her without saying anything.

“Damn, you are a millionaire now!” Dave said excitedly.

“Hah, that’s damn right fatty. Make sure you treat me with respect from now on,” Julius jibed.

“Here’s your respect hotshot,” Dave flipped him off rudely.

Julius and Dave laughed hard. His mother sat there stunned, still reeling from the news she heard, and watched their antics without telling them off. Julius saw that she was still in a state of shock and moved over to hug and kiss her cheek, waking her up.

“How about it, ma? Your son’s a millionaire now. You don’t need to wear these old rags from now on. I will buy you all the latest fashion,” Julius said enthusiastically.

“That might work with Evana,” Dave chimed in good-naturedly. “She would love to deck herself in the latest fashion. I’m not sure your mother wants to wear stockings though.”

Julius mock-glared at him, his mother let out a loud chuckle and swatted Dave.

“Dave, you are still young enough to be put on my lap for a beating. Be careful,” she admonished him playfully. “This is a happy news for our family. I can’t wait to celebrate.”

“Not so fast,” Jullus said smiling. “I still have to sign the contract. Even then, they will only advance 50% of the salary at first. Rest will come slowly. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

“Are you kidding me, Jules,” Dave said outraged. “You are a millionaire. Nothing you say will change my mind. Now, you better throw me and the boys a good party.”

“Tch, your mind always wanders there,” Julius mocked him, but still smiled brightly.

“So, what are we to do now?” Dave asked excitedly.

“Hmmm, calm down first. I will travel to Philadelphia with Jeff. I need to undergo a physical test at the 76ers. After that, I will sign the contract two days from now. Dave, you take Ma back to Brooklyn via road. I will fly to Philadelphia with Jeff and finish the formalities there and return to Brooklyn on my own,” Julius said formulating an initial plan.

“Or do you want to accompany me to Philadelphia, Ma?” Julius asked looking at his mother.

“No, that will be costly. Let’s not waste money just because you are now a millionaire. Me and Dave will travel by road and return. You come back after signing. Let’s discuss what to do after that,” Julius’s mother was pretty resolute.

“Alright,” Julius agreed without an argument as that was the best solution available.

“When you come back to Brooklyn, be ready to bleed. I am gonna bleed you dry. I am going to party like there is no tomorrow,” Dave warned with blazing eyes.

“Don’t worry, I won’t short-change you fatty,” Julius chuckled.

“You boys,” Mama Creed huffed and shook her head.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Just then, the door to the room opened and Jeff walked in.

“Julius, I have discussed things with the 76ers management. They are keen to sign you as soon as possible. But, before that, they want to conduct a physical test. So, we need to fly to Philadelphia. We will sign the contract there the day after tomorrow. The physical test is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. So, we need to leave tomorrow morning. My advice is to rest well tonight. I know you might want to celebrate, but until you sign the contract, nothing is set in stone,” Jeff spoke in a deluge after entering the room.

“Alright,” Julius nodded not seeing any problem with what Jeff said. Their earlier discussion was along a similar vein.

“Good, that’s better. We can open some champagne here, have dinner, and celebrate among ourselves. We need to leave early tomorrow. So, don’t stay up late. You need to be well-rested for the physical test,” Jeff stressed once more.

“Don’t worry Jeff. We have no plans to party tonight. I am leaving that for when I return to Brooklyn,” Julius said shaking his head in exasperation.

“Good, good. I was worried that you would go out to party and be in poor condition tomorrow. Many rookies end up complicating things because they couldn’t wait to celebrate,” Jeff sighed and relaxed a bit.

“Don’t worry Jeff, Julius has always been a sensible child,” Mama Creed chimed in from the side. “He is the most responsible of all my children.”

“Ha, that’s even better. By the way, you should have gone for the extended contract. The 76ers were offering 12 million for six years. That would be a substantial increase in your contract amount,” Jeff once again mentioned the extended contract hoping to entice Julius.

“If you change your mind, let me know. I can go back and lobby them for an extended contract. I had to refuse their offer because of your insistence on not signing it,” Jeff spoke in a tempting tone.

“Jeff, I am happy with my current contract. Let’s not discuss it,” Julius didn’t even bat an eye.

“Whatever, it is your loss,” Jeff sighed and shook his head.

Julius felt his annoyance with Jeff peak at that moment. He wanted to punch Jeff in the face. Luckily for Jeff, Dave intervened and called for champagne. The matter was dropped and was never brought up for the rest of the night.

Julius, his mother, Dave, and Jeff went to an expensive restaurant to have dinner and celebrate Julius’s draft selection. Later, Julius bid goodnight to his mother and returned to his room with Dave. Dave kept chattering on about the eventual party that Julius was sure to throw and made one demand after another. Annoyed, Julius told him to shut up and closed his eyes.

Jeff had already booked the tickets for tomorrow. He had also arranged for a hotel for them to stay after reaching Philadelphia. The physical test was scheduled for the afternoon. Jeff planned to arrive in Philadelphia before noon and rest in the hotel for a bit to adjust Julius’s condition before going to the Corestates Stadium.

The excitement and nervousness of the day indeed took a toll on his mind. Julius wanted to have a good sleep and relax his mind to prepare for tomorrow's physical test. The moment he relaxed and closed his eyes, fatigue overtook him as sleep beckoned and he was off to dreamland.

Julius woke up the next morning refreshed after a good night’s sleep. Jeff and Julius were scheduled to catch an early flight to Philadelphia. So, after bidding farewell to his mother and Dave, Julius boarded Jeff’s car and set off to the airport.

Dave would take Julius’s car back to Brooklyn with Julius’s mother onboard later in the day. Jeff kept chattering about the precautions he needed to take note of during the physical test and emphasized how to act during the contract signing.

Julius soon began to notice that Jeff’s attitude towards him was slightly different today. He didn’t act like educating him was a chore like he did before the draft. Also, Jeff was acting slightly warmer than he usually did. He was no longer perfunctory in their interactions and was willing to talk more.

Julius didn’t know the reason behind the sudden change of attitude in Jeff. But, he was glad for it nevertheless. While waiting for the plane, Jeff kept speaking about some popular science that most rookies didn’t know. He talked about the locker room culture and how to navigate it in the best way and kept giving advice constantly.

In the end, Julius was glad to board the plane.

Due to their rush booking, their seats were not placed near to each other. Julius was glad for the reprieve as he didn’t know how to interact with this new Jeff. He knew clearly that the relationship between Jeff and him had now run its course. After Jeff’s actions last night, Julius wasn’t keen on keeping him on as his agent. He would make do with Jeff for the time being, but when his free agency rolled around, he would seek other agents to represent him.

Thus, no matter how Jeff acted, it was a relationship that was doomed to fail. Julius didn’t want to have too much contact with Jeff at this stage. This new attitude only made him more wary of Jeff.

Finally finding some peace after Jeff’s constant natter, Julius closed his eyes and called on his golden finger. Now that he had entered the NBA, It was time to see his current status.