Basketball and Friendship
(From CJ Czelusta, written on the occasion of his 30th birthday)
What is a birthday but a reason, compelling at that, to look back and search for an explanation to the present state or quandary?
At the moment I know that a man of much influence in my life has passed and we are all hurting to find solace...
Rick was always great at leaving an impression. I can say I will never forget my 30th (birthday). I will also never forget waking up (as a young adolescent) to the sound of a well worn ball bouncing on the driveway and then a brief moment of silence followed by, "Thwack!...bounce...bounce...bounce...Thwack!" I would rush out of my room in order to beat my older brother out to get a bit of h-o-r-s-e or 1-on-1 to 2 (points) gotta win by 2. These games were legendary on the farm. Rick was a master story-teller and even these single games were immortalized as great battles between great heroes. The Bards will surely sing of this victory for ages...the 17 to 15 game, the game to 22, 27, 31, a simple game played to 2 (pts) could last an eternity.
I secretly hoped that my brother would sleep-in or do his chores so I could wield my sword and etch a tale of my own without danger of sharing 1st-billing. Oh how wonderful were these battles of wit, skill, endurance, and passion! A simple game of h-o-r-s-e played before Rick had to leave for his shift helping dying souls in the I.C.U. became a childhood memory, an adolescent memory, and now a 30-year-old tear...Rick was a genius. He knew that at some point he would have to leave (either for work or moving off of my parents' farm) and the only challenge would be to see what tales of glory my brother and I could write while he worked his 3 or 4 days on until the next 3 or 4 off.
Little did I realize that my jealous nature and desire to create a new lore of 1 v 1 would lead me to the strongest friendship of my youth. When Rick moved away, Jesse and I were left with a void. A void that we filled with epic tales of 35, 41, and hour-long h-o-r-s-e. Tales we could hardly wait to share with Rick. Whether he meant it or not, Rick created a bond between me and my brother that might otherwise still be forming.
In this time of hurt, anger, shock, and confusion, I know Rick will be missed by so many others, some perhaps more than Jesse and I, but I can say that we will still be here striving to etch in life an epic tale that we might one-day share with Rick when it too is our time to depart.
