The Phone Call That Changed Everything

We just got off the Broad Street Line and now walking to his house. We were excited about to going to the pool hall later. We planned this for a few days now and the anticipation built. It was just a pool hall, but it was going to be fun.

We got to his steps and walked into his house. We got settled and put our stuff down and had a light snack before we were about to go out.  

“You ready to lose?” I asked him sounding confident with a smirk on my face.

He gave me a look knowing that he wasn’t going to lose. I was rushing him for us to leave soon because he was taking forever, I guess he wasn’t as excited I was to go. I just hung on and tried to wait as patient as can be.

I walked over to his bathroom and right after I closed the door shut I heard a vibration in my pocket. It was from my phone. I pulled it out of my pocket expecting just a casual notification like a measly snapchat or something, but it wasn’t, it was from my mom. Usually when I get a text message from it has to do with complaining or something about a holiday, thats not what this text was about this time.

I read off my lock screen and it said “I need you to come home right now, there is something I need to tell you.” That scared me, when someone says “we need to talk” it’s serious. I responded back right away.

“Sorry, I cant. Im about to go play pool.”

More texts went back and forth between us, she kept saying please come home, I don’t need you to but it would be very helpful and I said “I will be home soon.”

I put my phone back into my pocket and it vibrated in the vibration mode when you’re getting a phone call. I pulled it out of my pocket and I read what it said off the screen. MOM. I answered the phone right away, she was crying.

“De-De-Declan…”

I can tell she’s been crying for a while.

“Mom, whats wrong?!?!” I responded immediately because I knew something was wrong.

“Something happened” She cried some more and bursted into tears.

“Mom, please tell me. I’m worried.” I was starting to get really scared.

“Its Bebop” My heart sunk. This was the man that helped my parents raise me, the one that was best friends with my mom for 30 plus years now, always there for her and all of us. He moved out of Philadelphia which was devistating and he finally found a good job and I was so proud. She continued talking.

“Well, it started off as being sick and he passed out yesterday. The results came back, he has a brain tumour.” I lost all sense of everything. I only heard a buzz in my ear and I stared off into blank space.  I didn’t know what just happened, my phone fell through my hand and I hit the floor. I started crying as my friend had no idea what just happened. I told him right away and left his house. I ran right home.