The Evening No Lion King

The Evening No Lion King

this day started off beautiful.  the sky was blue and clear, the temperature calm and clean.  my church EBC took a group picture that sunday, april 26, 1998.  I am somewhere in the center of it.  standing to my right is michelle, around me are spotts and zell and john and matt and thomas and steve.  well after this picture, i had to take michelle to her work, at hyvee, and i grabbed something to eat and headed to hidaka’s for some bball.  i was still having headaches from work, i worked in receiving at kmart, so i took another handful of aspirin.  then game on.  started around 2p.  me and nick verses the usual neighbor hood boys who always thought they could beat us.  hardly ever, as if.  well, nick and i were ballers.  i was a major one cause i had alot to prove.

when i was cut my junior year, the reason was,

“jered you’re a great player but to be honest, you’re short and we want to have a taller team this year”.

thanks coach campbell for your candor.  ever since then, i had something to prove in atheletics.  forget the grades.  forget the books.  i gotta be better than you in any sport and in anything.  other reason i had something to prove was everyone knew and knows i am a big michigan fan.  that sunday, i wore my um attire and i had to take the jokes, cause i shaved my head to look like webber and rose and king and jackson and howard.  after all, it was because of the “time out” that i lost a bet to josh hodges that caused me to shave my head.  not for eternity, but i chose for eternity cause i love the sweat and shine.  so when the other boys gave me some slack about my um clothes, i had to prove UM is a winner and so am i .

First Game of Three:  dribble.  shoot.  pass.  drive.  rebound.  BOOM!

“what happened”?  ”hold on guys”.  just then it felt like someone took a baseball bat and swung at the base of my neck, as strong as they could.  i paused.  all i could see was yellow.  everything was yellow and i was dazey.

“are you ok dude”?

“ya i’m fine.  keep playin’”.  so we did.

Game Two and Game Three:  two more times it felt like a grenade went off in my head.  BOOM!   BOOM!  eyes closed.  even with eyes closed everything was yellow.  tried to pry my eyes open.  bright bright lights and bubbles and stars.  i couldn’t feel my body but i knew i was standing.  final match, final point, BOOM!

“i’m ok nick, you take it in”.  he did.  we won.  i was bent over.  my neck was stiff.  turning it killed.  i didn’t know if i was supposed to throw up.  was it a weird stomach flu?  my stomach didn’t hurt.  now everything is white bright bright white.  nick gave me a cup of water and then i had to jet.

i drove back home.  closing my eyes at stop lights.  reopening when someone would honk at me.  got home.

immediately worked on my car’s fuse box, so upside down.

cleaned out the wheel wells, so upside down.

went inside and did some push ups and did some bench presses.  showered.  and i had to pick up michelle.  drove up to hyvee and just stopped the car.  when she came to it, i was already in the passenger seat and i asked her to drive cause my head ache was so bad.  she asked if we should just go straight to her place and i said,

“i gotta see jeff and let the others know we can’t hang out tonight.  can you drive”?  she did.  me in the passenger seat with the window down so i could feel the cool breeze on my face.  it felt like i had a fever.  we got to EBC and all the youth came up to my window and asked,

“hey jered, you ok?”

“he’s tired”, michelle answered.

“you gonna be able to hang out with us tonight”?

“no, i gotta real real bad headache.  we’re gonna go back to michelle’s house and watch a movie”.

“hope you get better, dude”.

“thanks, jeff”.

at this point, i must have already been gone.  michelle drove my car to her house, expecting me to drive my own car back to my own house.  i don’t remember the drive to her house.  i don’t remember what we were listening to.  i don’t remember getting out of the car and walking into her living room.  but i did it.  i do remember asking her,

“what movie are we gonna watch”?

“well since you haven’ seen the Lion King, we’re gonna watch that.  you’ll love it”.  no response.  she put the vhs in.

at this point, the story is based on her word.  michelle said half way through the movie, i slid myself off the couch and said,

“it feels better this way”.  then i rolled myself over, face down, and said,

“that feels even better”.  then when the movie was over, she tried to wake me up cause she had school the next day and i needed to leave before her mom get’s upset.  she nudged me.  shook me.  and was wondering,

“why is he snoring so loud?  jered never snores”.  she asked me to get up.  she asked me to roll over.  and my snoring was getting so loud.  they thought i was joking cause that was pretty extreme.  michelle called my dad.  he came over and did the same.  shook me with his foot and leg.  and then he rolled me over.  when he did michelle screamed, pamela, michelle’s mom called 911 and blood was already draining out of my eyes and ears and nose.  the snoring was from me breathing in my blood through my nostrils and choking on it as it drained down my throat.  they tried to pick me up to put me on the couch but i immediately postured.  over and over and that freaked out michelle even more.  when i think of the time ratios, i calculate that this must have taken place around 9:45pm.  the ambulance howled in.  it must have been such a shock for the neighbors.  by the evening, at shawnee mission medical, mass hysteria.  night one of 21 days in a coma now started.

(TBC)