When least expected

Ricardo and I have been friends for over ten years. Our friendship came out the love for tennis. He was an experience professional and I simply love the sport. We will play during lunch, and after work.

I knew Ricardo was sick but learn to put it aside once you saw his love for life. He didn’t believe in conventional medicine. Every chance I had, I would ask him to visit a doctor and get treatment for his skin cancer. His response was “the day I visit a hospital I am not coming out alive”.

Time went by and Ricardo kept getting skinnier. His love for good food was something out of this world. He would eat six times a day and his weight continue to decline.

He would show up to my work place carrying a black leather bag. He would always tell me “if something happens to me find this bag and the content inside is yours”. My response was “I don’t want what is inside the bag. I want you here with me”.

The beginning of the new year was a hopeful time. However, for me it was the beginning of a year without my tennis partner. The first weekend of January Ricardo started feeling pain in his knees. I insisted him to go see a doctor. Of course he decline. “I will be fine.” He will tell me. As the weekend progresses Ricardo made no improvement and I kept getting worried. Monday morning came and I spoke with him on the phone. His voice sounded different. I told him after work I was going to stop by and drop him food. He said yes and that was the last time I spoke to him.

Later on that Monday I was informed by his cleaning lady that he had been rush to the hospital and within minutes he had suffered two massive heart attacks. I was deeply devastated and couldn’t contain the tears. I blame my self for not rushing him before to the hospital.

Months pass and I was contacted by his cleaning lady. She told me she had instructions left by Ricardo to clean and to let me keep anything I wanted from his house. I told her I didn’t want anything.

Another month went by and the cleaning lady contacted me and said I put some stuff in a box that I think you might like to keep. I will mail it to you. I agree on it. A week later I had a box sitting on my front porch. I put it inside the house and didn’t teach it for some time. After many months of looking at it I decided to open it. In the box was one of his tennis racquets. I looked at it and tears started coming down my face. After cleaning the tears off my face I notice a black bag. Memories of him telling me that in case of his passing I needed to open the black box and keep its content.

I decided to open the bag. Inside was a black book in is pages was an address and a key. I was told to go to his house and to go to the tennis court located in the back of his home. To locate a small room and to place the key open the door and everything in it belong to me. I located the room put the key. I open the door and to my surprise the room was packed with gold coins. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I knew Ricardo collected gold but I wasn’t expecting my self to be the new owner of all that gold. Inside the black book was a detail letter from Ricardo thanking me for the wonderful friendship we had for more then 15 years. He said even though we were over 20 years apart the love for tennis had brought us together.