His cell phone rang, the caller i.d. read Alan, his best friends familiar voice sounded on the phone. It wasn't unusual it was practically ordinary. But this call would change his life forever. As Marshall answered the phone, he didn't cherish any words or take anything in it was just a conversation with his friend for 15 years, his assistant coach on the field. Little did Marshall know this would be the last conversation he had with Alan.
"Hey Marshall, Uh, I'm not feeling to well I don't think I will be making it to football practice tonight." Alan said.
"Okay that's fine you better rest up we got a game soon! I'll talk to you soon!" Marshall said casually.
"Okay bye!" Alan said
Marshall went to practice and Alan wasn't there as expected. Things seemed fine and the team was looking good. His two youngest daughters, Elizabeth, Eliza for short and Danielle, or Danni, were there and running around the sides of the field his eldest daughter, Catherine, was at her high school soccer practice. He was on his way home after football to pick Catherine at the high school field. They went home and ate a great dinner of steak and mashed potatoes that their mother and wife, Marie had made. After Marshall and Marie were done tucking in their three girls, they watched some television and went to bed.
The digital clock read 2:13 and Marshall's cell phone rang again. This time it wasn't such a pleasant call. It was Alan's son, Nick; he was in a state of hysteria. Marshall could barely understand what he was saying. The one command that he made out was to come to the hospital something was wrong. Marshall put on some clothes on grabbed the keys to his truck and rushed out of the house.
He arrived at the hospital and a covey of people in the waiting room their eyes were tear stained and sad countenances. Marshall didn't know who to look at first. He was in awe and he didn't know what was going on. It dawned on him that Alan was no where to be found. He walked over to his wife and she explained that they had gone to bed and that Alan had died in his sleep. He had suddenly sat up and then fell back unto the bed. They called the ambulance and had tried to revive him but he had already passed on. Marshall stood in utter shock, this couldn't be happening Alan had just called because he was feeling sick, he can't be dead. He was only 53 things like this don't happen. Marshall didn't know what to do; he was angry, sad and confused all at the same time and all he wanted was to talk to Alan. When things had died down and everyone had said goodbye to Alan before they took his body away, Marshall headed home. He didn't have a clue what he would tell Marie and the girls.
He got home around 4 am and his precious daughters were still asleep. Marie was dozing but when she heard the front door open she was wide awake. Marshall didn't have to say a word she already knew something was terribly wrong.
"He's gone." Marshall said. He never thought in his life he would have to speak those words especially about Alan. Marie's lamented because Alan had been a friend to all of them. They talked about what had happened and Marshall explained that the cause of death was a heart attack. They cried together and debated on how they would tell the girls. Of course Catherine would be the first one that they would tell. But how would they break it to the other two girls? They knew that sleep would help and that they would figure it out in the morning.
The next morning Marshall awoke lethargically and he got his cell phone. He headed downstairs and began to search his phone's address book for Will's number. His best friend of 40 years. Some would say that Will was a pudgy but he was actually very stalwart. Alan, Marshall and Will had been best friends even though Alan and Marshall had lives in the same town and Will had lived about 45 minutes away, they all shared on particular thing in common, football. All three of them had a zeal for the game. Alan and Marshall had coached youth football together and they got Will to do the same for his town. They had a ball together they even had special nick names. Will was Falcon 1, Alan was Tiger 1 and Marshall was Tiger 2. As the phone rang Will picked up.
"Hey Marsh! What's up? Why such an early call?" Will asked.
"Look I gotta tell you something..." Marshall said holding back tears.
"Okay shoot." Will said expecting something sports related, not the horrible tidings to come.
”It’s Alan, well he, he, Will he's dead." The tears burst through the phone receiver and both men were crying. Marshall went through the all too familiar explaining of how he died and what had happened.
"Marshall I don't know what to say. What are we going to do? What are YOU going to do?"
I don't know but I really need you now so you better be getting yourself better." Marshall said. Will had been fighting with lime disease and he had lost feeling and control in the left half of his face. Marshall needed him now to abet him. He was the best friend he had ever had, they were like brothers.
Telling the girls was not easy especially since Catherine was in high school and all the football players had also known Alan, he was their youth coach. Where ever she went she couldn’t escape the sadness, at school and at home things were awful. But what she hated most was that people who didn't even know him would say how sorry they were to her and how they missed him. That she could never tell her dad because she needed to stay some what strong for him. Catherine had never lost anyone really close to her. Her best friend’s father had died a couple of weeks earlier but he didn’t live with her friend so she didn’t really know him. Alan was different, he was a member of her unofficial family, the Football Family. This family consisted of the youth coach’s and Will, who she called Uncle Will, he was her godfather.
The wake, funeral and burial was the hardest thing that the family had experienced. Watching each football player walk up to Marshall and give him a hug was bittersweet, but knowing that each player from 3rd grade to a senior in high school care so much gave everyone a wave of hope. The silent way that each of them passed by seemed so unreal.
The day of the wake the Football Family had gathered on Marshall’s front lawn and had been talking and ordering a lot of pizza. When Catherine got home most of the people were departing for the wake. Before Will left he came up to Catherine to give her some words of condolence.
“Hey Catherine, how you doing?” he asked.
“Better, thanks. How are you?” she answered the same way she had for everyone else that had asked.
“ I am doing okay. But I want you to look out for your dad okay?” he said. Catherine nodded, but he walked away before she could say that they would watch over him together. She didn’t understand why he had said you and not we.
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A few weeks later things had died down. Everything was over and everyone was almost completely back to normal. Marshall had become much calmer and had played out the rest of the football season with out his best friend and assistant coach, for 15 years. Things were different along the sidelines but there was only a week left in the season that he had to fight through.
Marshall was a carpenter, he worked with Will. Will had gotten him the job and there was nothing better than working with hid best friend of 40 years. They had plenty of inside jokes and always kept the other carpenters guessing on what they were talking about. When they had the chance they would deride the new guys. As he was driving to the site, he remembered that he hadn’t seen Will at the office where they checked in and couldn’t remember seeing his time card checked in. Suddenly his cell phone rang, it was Eve, Will’s wife.
“ Hello?” Will answered.
“Marshall it’s Eve. Will is in the hospital his lime disease had progressed and he is really sick. We need you here. Will needs you here.”
“I’ll be right down.” Marshall hung up the phone and immediately started crying. A feeling of compunction rushed over him. This gave him an inkling that something was wrong. He just couldn’t lose Will without him he wouldn’t know what to do. They were like brothers and had stuck together through thick and thin. He didn’t know what was going to happen but he was praying for the best.
He arrived at the hospital to Eve’s hugs and kisses and her tears falling softly on his shirt. He knew he was too late and that Will was gone. The people’s face’s mimicked those of when Alan had died. He kept hugging Eve and he started crying too. None of this made any sense. He kept thinking over and over about what he had done to deserve this, what his family had done. He stayed with Eve and her two daughters. They all exchanged tears and confusion. Not knowing what to do and not believing what had just happened.
When Marshall arrived home he told Marie but they decided not to tell the children until later that night. Marie didn’t know what to do or how to alleviate her husband's pain. He had just lost his two best friends in less than one month, nothing like this should happen, to anyone. When they told the kids Eliza cried with her mother but Danni didn’t really understand. She only knew that uncle Will was now in heaven with Alan. Catherine went to her room and cried. She stayed to herself and didn’t show too much emotion with the family. She wanted to be able to stay strong for the family.
The wake, funeral and burial seemed to mirror that of Alan’s only with different people. It was almost like déjà vu. Things later were hard Marshall would try and dial both phone numbers before he could catch himself and remember that they would never answer. After everything that had happened nothing would be the same things would change. They had to look at the positive side of things and hope for the best. Lives were lost but hope still remained. That was what they looked forward to.
