Content Warning: Loss
When I was young, I always played with myself alone. I had no buddies, no peers, no friends, only a basketball. My father would play table tennis with me on the weekends, but on the weekdays, only homework and basketball would stay with me.
So, when I had some free time, I would always grab the chance to go to the outdoor court and play basketball. This was the only thing I could do in my leisure time during the weekdays. This was my childhood. Those moments were just a cycle that happened day by day and week by week.
Basketball and table tennis are my favorite sports. I could always play them happily until the dawn, especially basketball, despite being a team member of a table tennis team. Talking about basketball, most of the players including me had to watch the competitions of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Besides, I will also go to the outdoor court alone. Although I could see some bad players on the outdoor court, some good players could also be found.
One time, I went alone to the outdoor court which was located near a church. A boy who seemed the same age as me came in and stood in front of me. At that time, I was just a 12 year old kid.
‘Hi, would you mind joining us?’ The boy asked me to be friendly.
‘Sure. How?’ I replied.
‘We would like to play 3 on 3 but we are one player down. Luckily I found you.’ The boy said.
‘Thank you for inviting me.’ I said.
The boy had a pair of small eyes and dark skin. He was around 1.6 meters tall with a thin body Not too tall and not too short at that age. He wore a pair of black basketball shoes and wore a cross necklace. He talked politely with a loud but gentle voice. Also, a smile could always be found on his face. The most surprising thing for me was his basketball shoes, which were the Air Jordan 11 Retro. That pair of shoes were pretty and limited edition. So, it was difficult to buy it even though I had money to. It made me envious and I kept looking at it.
After the game, I knew that the boy called Jack who was a Christian always went to the church near the outdoor court. We exchanged the contact numbers so that we could keep playing basketball together. Later, he invited me to the church too.
For me, my first impression of Jack was someone who was nice and friendly. When I fell against bigger men, he always raised his hand to me. Besides, he was the one who could always encourage people and be patient. When someone did a good job or played well, he would praise him with the word ‘Nice’. Although it was simple, it could always encourage people.
As Jack invited me to the church, we would always meet either in the church or basketball court. In the church, people were nice and kind, similar to Jack. As I was new to them, they were happy when I entered the church. A lot of greetings or welcoming could be heard. Jack was a loyal Christian while I knew nothing about it. He always prayed before having a meal. The first time having lunch with him and his teammates, I thought they all were asleep in front of their lunch. It was confusing for me. Later, I knew that they were praying to Jesus. Although that moment was strange and new for me, I still enjoyed having lunch with them. I thought that Christians were kind and interesting.
As time went on, Jack and I always went to the outdoor basketball court after going to the church. We were not only friends but also teammates. We belonged to the basketball team of our church as he invited me to join. The number of his jersey was number 22. It was because his birthday is on 20th February and so 20 plus 2 equals 22. His position was point guard while I played shooting guard - a position which needed to score by shooting. On the other hand, Point guard is an important role as they need to guide the team, implement tactics and organize offense during basketball competitions. Besides, passing skills and a wide field of vision were also important for organizing offense. They are the brain of the whole team. I could always make a good shot because of Jack‘s miraculous assistance.
We both liked watching the NBA. As Jack played point guard, he loved watching the competitions with Chris Paul who was named ‘Point God’. As we both were the members of a basketball team, we had so many topics about the NBA including the highlight plays, the skills, and the tactics. We could talk about it for half a day.
One day, my phone suddenly rang. The call was from Jack’s mum. She said that Jack had been sent to the Prince of Wales Hospital because of his fever. According to his mum, the temperature was around 38-40 degrees Celsius. It was a serious situation as the dangerously high-temperature fever could cause serious brain disease.
Jack’s fever lasted for four days until it was fortunately brought down. The situation became stable and controllable. Jack could walk and had an appetite. Finally, he could leave the hospital after a week. A few weeks later, we had dinner together and played 2K18 which was a video game of basketball at his home.
"Are you feeling well now?" I asked.
"Yes sure, I now can beat two tigers or more." Jack answered.
"Really? Then show me." I said.
"Ha! I'm not serious. Just joking." Jack said with a laugh.
"Hey, bro! You need to always stay healthy and strong. Physical fitness and body constitution are necessary and important for basketball." I told Jack. "Without those things, basketball is meaningless."
"Okay, I promise you. We are going to knock down and tell others with a basketball in the court by my strongest weapon." Jack said.
"I’ll wait for you. But don’t let me wait too long. I am going to make fun of you if you get sick or hurt again." I joked.
The rest of the conversation was related to basketball and the NBA. We both were excited when we were talking about it and I thought that was the happiest I could feel.
A few days later, a message was sent to me from Jack’s mum. The message mentioned that Jack had been sent to the hospital again as he got a fever again. At that moment, I was having dinner and I went to hospital immediately.
"What is going on with him? He knows I'll make fun of him for missing out on basketball. How come he needs to go to hospital again?" I thought on the way.
At that time, I was confused and a little bit of worried. Later, something worse happened when Jack was sent to the Intensive Care Unit. I knew that this time was different from last time now. This time was more serious. When I arrived, I saw Jack from outside the window, he was very skinny which scared me. He looked like a skeleton with malnutrition. His mum was weeping next to Jack. I knew that his mum was extremely sad and mentally drained because Jack was her only son without any brothers or sisters. Also, she looked after Jack alone as Jack’s father left when Jack was young. Jack grew up in a single parent family. For his mum, Jack was the most important and precious thing.
After the doctor's diagnosis, Jack was determined as having meningitis which is a brain disease. The level was high in danger and the situation was not looking good. My heart beat quickly. The cause was related to his poor daily habits. Jack always slept at midnight and did not rest enough. This caused poor bodily immunity. The fever that occurred last time was a signal for him to rest. At the time, Jack was still unconscious. A lot of medical equipment was used to maintain his life.
On 20th January, the ‘bee-----’ sounds called from the electrocardiograph machine. The doctor certified the death of Jack. Jack died at the age of 21. He was dead and did not wake up anymore. The death time was at 05:14 am and the place was the Prince of Wales Hospital. The cause was the Necrosis of the cells of the brain. When I got this news from his parents, I was shocked and in disbelief. My phone fell from my hand. I was speechless and regretful. Due to my busy schedule, I could not always visit him. His parents or relatives always visited him and so, I could only make inquiries from his parents. I did not realize this would be the last opportunity to see and talk with him. Things happened so suddenly and unexpectedly.
Now, it has been almost 2 years. My mood has never improved. I couldn't see Jack for the last time and say goodbye forever to him. I could do nothing to him when he was in the ICU. When I went to bed at night, I could not sleep well soon after it happened. Some questions always rang through my brain. ‘Where is Jack?’, ‘Is he really gone?’, ‘Are you not in pain anymore now?’ I always think about these questions.
Besides this, our basketball team lost their brain. A team without a brain is like not having a soul. The whole team cannot run anymore. And now, whenever I see someone playing basketball, Jack’s face and his performance on the basketball court appears in my mind. However, these moments have already become history and memories. It would not happen anymore. To escape from this pain, I gave up basketball.
I miss him. I miss my friend. I miss my bro. When 20th January and 20th February were coming, we would visit his graveyard. Although I can't see him anymore, I always believe he is with us. This story was about my close friend. Before this experience, I have been to many funerals without any feelings. It is because the people who passed away were not too close with me and so I found it difficult to be emotional. I always think that youth are far from death because their health conditions tend to be better. After this happened, I see that life is precious and time is limited. We should always stay healthy. This is important as it affects ourselves and our family. We should treasure the period of staying with important people either family, friends, schoolmates, teachers or lovers. Otherwise, we will lose them forever and will not find them again.