The Cross You Bear

Chapter 1

Chapter 1: How it all began

Tires screeched as Kobe and Tiffany rushed to the hospital. She had been in excruciating pain for hours and more pain to come. The couple drove a 1982 GMC safari van that looked like it could break down at any moment. Kobe drove through a stop sign of a four-way intersection that nearly caused them their lives. Instead, they smacked the back of an elderly woman's 1990 BMW coupe. This still didn't slow them down as they continued to haul to the hospital. The couple pulled up to the hospital's emergency entrance around 2:30 a.m. Nurses rushed to the sliding doors to help Tiffany out of the vehicle and into the wheelchair. They pushed her quickly into the first available room. Tiffany's pain began to get worse and worse, causing her to scream out loudly. Kobe grabbed her hand while the nurses brought in pain medication.

After hours of screaming, pushing, and breathing, Tiffany and Kobe welcomed their beautiful fraternal twins into the world. Neveah Queen Matthews was born first at 12:44 p.m. Just a few minutes later, Adoree' King Matthews was born. Tiffany and Kobe looked each other in the eyes and smiled in relief that the pregnancy had finally ended.

They'd been together for seven years, but married for two. Overall, they had a great relationship. In 1984, when they first met each other, Kobe had a girlfriend named Leslie Johnson. Their relationship was full of ups and downs. At the time, Tiffany was just someone he vented to. In a way, they were best friends but aware of the feelings they shared. So, in 1986, Kobe decided to end his relationship with Leslie to be with Tiffany. They were so inseparable that you would never see one without the other. In 1989, before the two were married, Kobe got involved in the  drug game. The 80's was the start of the crack-cocaine era, and the potential profit that you could make from dealing it was enough to grip Kobe's interest.

Initially, he just wanted to deal until he was able to buy Tiffany the wedding ring that she wanted. Once he saw how fast he made the first ten thousand, he wasn't ready to stop. He kept his family in mind, which was what helped him decide. But just months after buying the engagement ring, Kobe began to use the drugs himself and became addicted. His addiction got so bad, that he and Tiffany lost their home and vehicles.

A year leading up to the loss of their properties was during a time when the only income entering the home was Tiffany's. Her hair salon business was doing well, and she was making close to fifty thousand a year working as a registered nurse. Both incomes combined wasn't enough to keep the three-million-dollar mansion they lived in, however.

Kobe was a retired NFL player, whose career ended after a year due to a major back injury. He was a promising athlete throughout his high school and college years which helped him land a one-million-dollar deal with Reebok and a five-hundred-thousand-dollar rookie contract for the Baltimore Ravens, his hometown. Post retirement, Kobe lost motivation to carry out tasks in the real world. He also didn't listen to Tiffany when she told him to make smart investments with his money.

They both filed for bankruptcy in 1992, a week after they found out they were expecting. Kobe's sister, Christine, was the one who came up with the idea. She was a bank accountant for one of the most popular banks in the Baltimore area. She was very experienced as she was an accountant for former and active professional athletes before Kobe was drafted.

Tiffany didn't want to file for bankruptcy because she knew that it would take a while for the whole process to be completed. They needed stable income for their unborn children, but she listened to Kobe, who was usually good at making smart decisions. He decided to file based on several loans that he received from his former teammates. His best friend, Zeus, gave him fifty thousand dollars and other close friends lent him ten thousand dollars altogether. With the money, he was able to buy everything the twins needed. Even with that, Tiffany was able to work until she was seven months pregnant. When she was unable to be present at the salon, she allowed Jane to take control of it.