Chapter 824 - 31: Reconciliation_3

The Suns had an exhausting journey to play as the visiting team, and their physical fitness and form were greatly affected, especially by the last game against the Nets, with the Phoenix players being quite fatigued.

Since the overall strength of the Suns was higher than that of the Nets, the two sides were closely matched, and the score was very tight throughout.

Barkley was very busy tonight, once again scoring high points and rebounds, while spatting with the New Jersey fans from the start to the end.

The game went into overtime with the Suns team exhausted and Barkley struggling on; he was determined to win this game.

Derek Coleman stepped up to the free-throw line, sunk his shots, while Barkley continued to exchange verbal spats with the Nets’ courtside fans.

The worn-out Barkley, having run and battled for more than two hours, felt his mouth filled with saliva, a sign of severe physical exertion.

Continual running on the soccer field often leads to players spitting on the ground, typically occurring when their energy is nearly spent in the latter half of the game.

Barkley gathered the saliva in his mouth and spat towards the court — he thought he was targeting the floor.

However, the spit landed on the face of an 8-year-old girl named Lauren Ross, who was watching the game courtside with her family.

The girl’s father was furious, storming to the courtside to yell at Barkley, accusing him of spitting on his daughter.

Many fans who witnessed this scene began to vehemently criticize Barkley for spitting on a little girl.

Many were also concerned whether the girl would contract AIDS — at that time, Americans were quite ignorant about AIDS, believing saliva could transmit the disease.

Initially, Barkley thought it was just another Nets fan provocation, but upon realizing the girl was sprayed with his spit, he knew he had made a mistake.

The referees stepped in to address the conflict and, after understanding what happened, they ejected Barkley from the game.

Barkley tried to apologize to the girl, but was stopped, greeted instead by a chorus of boos from the audience.

This time Barkley didn’t flex his muscles at the fans but silently left through the player’s tunnel, heading back to the locker room.

Because of this incident, the Suns lost the game, and after the game, the Suns’ players all stepped forward to apologize to the girl.

But the matter was far from over; afterward, Barkley was fined $10,000 by the League, and also suspended for a game.

Due to this suspension, Barkley would also lose a sum of game bonuses.

Of course, money was a minor issue for Barkley, who had plenty of opportunities to make money.

The real problem was that his actions had completely infuriated the public and media.

Not just in the New Jersey area, there was nationwide denunciation of Charles Barkley.

This was a total explosion of all the negative energy accumulated before; no issue when undetected, but once a deeply troubling incident occurs, all past minor issues will be dug up and repeatedly condemned.

For instance, Charles Barkley once joked after a game, "If I lose the game, I’m going home to beat my wife and kids. Did you see my wife dancing for joy after the game? She’s happy because I won’t beat her tonight."

This was a joke, but not a funny one. His words stirred up an uproar, and women’s groups were extremely angry about his remarks.

Women’s organizations in the Washington area took the lead in protesting, demanding a public apology, and the Los Angeles Committee Against Domestic Violence condemned his remarks. Many women’s groups staged protests outside the game venues.

Barkley apologized, but he could still argue that he was just joking, that he would never actually hit his wife, and just like that, the incident went away.

Now, such dark moments in his past are being dug up, to prove Barkley is a scumbag with violent tendencies who doesn’t respect women and children.

What’s worse, Barkley has no defense this time. Spitting on an 8-year-old girl is indefensible wrongdoing, like a man seeking prostitutes might evoke a bit of sympathy and understanding, but soliciting men or even being solicited by men would make him beyond redemption.

In the hotel, Barkley sat on the bed in his room, overwhelmed by the torrent of negative public opinion, on the verge of tears.

Returning to Phoenix, Barkley reflected behind closed doors, with his wife Maureen by his side—Maureen told Barkley that she too had been humiliated in a bar, being called a "n****r lover."

All this pushed Barkley to the edge, as a massive PR crisis left him in turmoil. The debt of his past indiscretions, once again caused by his spit, came crashing down on him.

At this time, it was his good friend Ah Gan who phoned Barkley. As soon as the call connected, Gan Guoyang’s scolding could be heard: "Charles, smack yourself three times and watch your mouth!"

Barkley really slapped himself and asked, "What should I do, Ah Gan?"

Gan Guoyang said, "Charles, you’re a smart man, I think you know what to do. A sincere apology isn’t hard. What’s difficult is actually making a change; otherwise, you will one day end up hurting your own family. It’s time to grow up and be a mature father, Charles. Sometimes you need to learn to reconcile. Only by reconciling with the past can you fight for the present and the future."

Gan Guoyang’s words calmed Barkley down. Ah Gan was right; he needed to apologize sincerely and make real changes.

After hanging up the phone, Barkley sat on the bed and thought for a long time.

He thought of his Uncle Simon Buckley, who, a little over a month ago, was dying from advanced cancer.

When Barkley went to see Simon, Simon expressed his wish for Barkley to reconcile with his father.

Simon always treated Barkley as his own child as his two young children had died young.

Barkley, however, didn’t agree, and Simon then told him, "It’s time to forget the past because you never know what will happen in life."

Two weeks after saying those words, Simon Buckley passed away at only 55 years old.

Now, Barkley kept recalling the words said by his uncle and Ah Gan, and he made a decision.

He said to his wife Maureen, "Maureen, I’ve decided to forgive my father."

After that, Barkley decided to personally call Lauren Ross to express his apologies and to go on television to make an apology and clarification.

He was going to change.