The Passion Premise

I head back into the coliseum. Hopefully, I can get into the locker room. If not, my basketball uniform will have to serve as my wardrobe of choice - at least until I can get back to the hotel. I am physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. The whole spectacle of our winning the NCAA Basketball Championship now seems as if it were something that happened years ago rather than just about an hour ago. The thought of Dad’s death and the aftermath totally consumes me. There is just so much to process. I knew that he was going to die, but until it actually happened, I was just focused on him dying. Now my mind is being bombarded with how we go forward without him. Even at the hospital when he was unconscious, he was still here. Now, for the first time in my life, he is not here. I don’t have access to his knowledge, even though I used to ignore it when it didn’t fit me just right. I don’t have his presence, which, again, I never really appreciated until now. I don’t feel, not quite sure of the word—maybe safe. He doesn’t have my back anymore. Maybe it is better stated that I now feel a vulnerability that I never felt before. I grip the “Wo Ro” and feel a connection to Grandpa Willy as well as Dad but also sadness. He was right here but unreachable, untouchable to me. He could be here right now but maybe not. I just don’t know. Of course, Mom, Aunt Jenny, and Uncle Logan all understood the phenomenon of the “Wo Ro”. They all watched me place it in Grandpa Willy’s coffin so many years ago. Becka and JoJo didn’t have a clue. I will never forget the look on their faces when we told them the story. JoJo’s eyes got as big around as silver dollars, and Becka’s jaw dropped like she was a marionette puppet. They were both stunned silent. I wish I'd had a camera to record the look on their faces. Uncle Logan is heading back to the hospital with JoJo. He insists on joining JoJo just to make sure that there are no repercussions to any of the activities involved in Dad’s, let’s say, unconventional and unofficial release from the hospital. JoJo, perhaps because of his record, is a little worried but I know that Uncle Logan will handle it. He will make JoJo’s problems all go away. Becka, Aunt Jenny, and Mom are waiting for me in the coliseum lobby. We plan to go back as a group to the hotel where we will wait on Uncle Logan and JoJo to join us for dinner. As I walk across the basketball court to get to the locker room, the maintenance and cleanup crews are already on the job. The basketball goals are lowered and are being disassembled. The chairs that made up the team benches are now stacked and placed on the court. All the hype and preparation is now just history as the arena starts being prepped for the next big event. What was to be a lifetime milestone, finishing my college career in a championship game, is now so small and insignificant when compared to what we all just experienced with Dad. I know, in time, I will be able to replay this game in my mind and really get satisfaction and enjoyment out of it, but not now. I push on the locker room door and thankfully it opens. A quick scan and relative silence reveals that the team has left. I head to my locker and notice at the end of the row one of the equipment managers, our unsung behind the scene heroes, is busy stuffing sweaty uniforms and wet towels into a laundry sack. He looks up and sees me. “Hey, Jake! So sorry to hear about your Dad.” “Thanks, Arnie. Is everyone gone?” “They all went back to the hotel for a team dinner. Everyone except for…” Arnie’s response is interrupted by the voice of Coach Cahill. “Heard about your Dad. It is a real shame.” “Thanks, Coach.” “Jake, I am just happy that I met him and got to know him a little bit. I wish I had known him better. He was really a great guy.” “That he was Coach. That he was!” “So, what are your plans? I am sure that as a family there are a lot of things you need to discuss and plan.” “To tell you the truth, Coach, I don’t know what needs to be done. Thankfully, we have Aunt Jenny. I am sure by the time I am showered she will have a to-do list for all of us and a timetable.” “That’s good that you have someone like that.” “What are we doing as a team?” “There is a schedule but that doesn’t apply to you. You do what you need to do with your family. Don’t you worry about anything else.” “I am going to have to miss the team dinner because tonight our family is going to dinner, and I’m sure that is when Aunt Jenny will be handing out the list.”