Hard & Deep: A Football Romance

Before the microwave had even counted down a full minute, her cell phone rang in the other room. She walked over and picked it up off of the coffee table. Her mom's picture filled the screen and Elsie's eyes lit up when she saw it. She was always happy to have a chat with her mother, especially since it didn't happen as often as it used to.

“What's up, Mom? How are you?” Elsie said, walking back to the kitchen to see how the meal was coming along in the microwave.

“Hey, Elsie. I didn't expect you to pick up,” her mom said, sniffling. “I was kind of hoping I'd get your voicemail.”

It was clear that her mother had been crying. A burst of anxiety barreled into Elsie's gut.

“What do you mean, Mom?” Elsie asked. “What's going on?”

Her mother paused for a second and Elsie listened as she let out a slow breath. “It's your uncle.”

“Uncle Frank?” Elsie said. Immediately, her heart began to thud quickly in her chest and her stomach turned to lead. “What happened?”

“You know how he's been tired lately?” her Mom asked.

“I guess so,” Elsie replied, her hands nervously trembling as she held the phone. “But I thought he was just fighting some sort of virus or something. That was just the last week or so, though.”

“Apparently, he hasn't been feeling well for quite some time,” her mother replied. “In fact, for the last couple of months he's been dizzy and dealing with chronic headaches.”

Elsie's brain was already going through every medical possibility she could think of and none of them were good.

“Mom, what happened? Just tell me what's going on with him,” Elsie said, desperately.

“Uncle Frank had a fall today,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “He was taking a walk around the park and got dizzy. He tried walking to the park bench to sit down, but he didn't make it. He collapsed and hit his head on the concrete.”

“Oh my God,” Elsie whispered. “Is he okay?”

“It knocked him out. He's fine now,” her mom replied quickly. “Just a little out of it.”

“What did the doctor's say?” Elsie asked, knowing that the fall wasn't the end of the story. Healthy men didn't just fall for no reason. “Do they know why he fell?”

Her mom sobbed and Elsie's heart sank. She knew that there was bad news coming her direction, but had no clue how to brace herself for it. Frank had been a constant and steady presence in her life. As far back as her memories went, he was there. In fact, to Elsie, he was a second father. He never had his own children, so Elsie was the closest thing he had.

“They did an MRI,” her mom said, speaking the words through choked tears. “They found a brain tumor, Elsie. It doesn't look good.”

Elsie heard the words, but it didn't feel real. It was almost as if she'd just heard it on TV or the radio. It was like her brain wouldn't let her absorb the reality completely. Her world went gray. She didn't remember sitting down, but the next thing she knew, she was seated on the kitchen floor with her back against the wall. Her cell phone was held limply in her hand. It now weighed a million pounds and took all her strength to hold it.

Memories flashed through her mind; images of her youth and time spent with her uncle. Countless hours of playing with him and learning a

ll about life through his experience. She thought about his miraculous ability to heal patients. She remembered all of the family picnics and the way Frank would make everyone laugh until they cried. The Christmases, the birthdays. It came rushing back in one giant wave. Flickering images flashed across her vision, each one sending another burst of emotion inside of her, causing her heart to ache.

“Elsie, are you still there?” her mom spoke into the phone. But her words were distant. It sounded like when she was under the water at a swimming pool, but still hearing the kids laughing and playing on the surface.

“Yeah, Mom, I'm here,” Elsie finally responded, wiping tears away from her eyes with the back of her hand. “Sorry. I'm just trying to process this. So what are the doctors saying now? What do they think should be the next move for Uncle Frank?”

“They haven't said anything yet. They're still looking at scans and need to run more tests before any decisions can be made,” she said, taking a steadying breath. “I'm guessing they'll consider surgery, along with chemo and radiation. But you know how Frank would feel about all of that. I doubt he'd want any part of it.”

Elsie stood up from the floor and walked toward the door, grabbing her purse on the way. “I'm coming to the hospital.”

“No, Elsie, please don't. Frank doesn't even know that I've called you. In fact, he had asked me not to. He didn't want to worry you.” The sadness in her mother's voice mimicked what Elsie felt in her heart. “I wasn't going to call, but you deserve to know what's going on. You're like a daughter to Frank. You and I are all the family that he has left.”

“Mom, I need to do something,” Elsie said. “I can't just sit around and pace my apartment. I want to be there. I want to help.”

“I know, darling,” her mom said as Elsie leaned against the wall next to her front door. “But there's no need to come here right now. Frank is sleeping right now anyway, so you wouldn't even get to talk to him. All you'll do here is drink bad coffee, read outdated magazines and pace the halls. I'm at the hospital now and I'm not going anywhere, so you don't have to worry. Frank won't be alone.”

“What about you, Mom? I don't want you there all by yourself.”

“Your father is here,” her mom replied. “I'm not by myself.”