He glanced at the clock. To his horror, it was four-thirty in the morning. He felt as if he had only closed his eyes an hour or so ago. He stared at the phone as if hoping that would silence it. To his surprise, it worked for a minute or two. Just as he tried to close his eyes again, the phone began to ring again. He reluctantly reached out to answer it. "Jake, it's your Mother." Jake sat straight up in his bed. "What is it? Are you okay?" She paused and took a deep breath. "It's your father. He…he had a heart attack. He's gone Jake." Jake held the phone in his hand as he listened to the tears of his mother stream down her face. He could hear them even through the phone. The depth of her sobbing caused his heart to ache. He searched for words that would not come. Nothing could escape the reality that now faced him—his father was gone. "I'm on my way." "No, don't come. They came and took him a few minutes ago. I need to lie down. I'm tired, Jake." "Are you sure, Mom? I can be there in a few minutes.
