Tuesday, July 16, 2013

The phone call

I gave my friend a cell phone for emergency use.He was just to thrifty to buy one for himself.

Being in the insurance business and traveling all the time and some of those places where not the nicest or safest places to be.

I can take care of myself he said joking.But I knew and I think he did also that it was a dangerous job he had.

It was a shock when his wife called and said meet her at the emergency room.Ted has been shot.

I got there to late.Ted has passed on.

A victim of a senseless robbery.Someone took his life for the few dollars in his pocket.

I had the honor of being one of the six pallbearers.All of us where childhood friends growing up on the mill village where we knew each other since grade school.

Waiting for the service to begin at the funeral home I thought of the cell phone.Guess Ted never had a chance to use it or forgot about it he never called for help.

Thinking this could be the last thing I could do for him I slipped the phone into his suit coat pocket just before the casket was closed the last time.

Ted was killed in the spring of year and now it was late summer.

At times a memory of Ted would just pop up and I would think about something he had said or done.

I can take care of myself he said but I will call you on the cell phone if I need you he joked.

Laying in bed I was awaken by the bedside phone ringing.It was hard for me to get my brain working clearly and half asleep I answer hello.

Hello hello nothing but a long silent pause then a voice it was....