“Grandpa isn’t doing too well,”

 Those words stung like bees. He’ll be fine, I thought to myself. 

“We are gonna go see him tomorrow, therefore, I will take you out of school a little bit early,”

I was anxious and nervous about what my grandpa was going to look like and how he would act. I shuffled around the halls refusing to discover what my grandpa had become. I entered the hot and humid room and my heart was ready to jump out of my chest. The walls shook with the loud excruciating sound of the machines keeping my grandfather alive. I couldn’t breathe. I saw my grandpa, but he looked nothing like the tall, tan, big man I knew. Instead, he was thin, pale, and on oxygen. Immediately I began to tear up. 

“Hi Luke,” He said 

“No papa, I’m Tucker”

“Ah that’s right”

Suddenly, the walls started to shake as the sound of laughter bellowed throughout the room. My eyes filled with light as the thought of my grandfather being sick completely left my mind. 

I got home and slumped down in a chair trying not to think about my grandfather, but it was hard. I had to stay hopeful. I’ll see him again. I know I will. Just stay optimistic. I thought to myself. I picked up my phone and my heart instantly dropped down to my stomach. He’s dead, the two words hit me like a truck. My hands trembled and were hot and sticky with sweat. My soul was shattered like a piece of glass. My mind was whirring as if a bunch of flies had just flown into my ears and my brain. My head was pounding and I had sweat dripping down my head. My face was red hot and tears streamed down my face like a waterfall.

My mom approaches me and says “Papa is…” I cut her off 

“I know. Just leave me alone. I don’t want to talk about it.”    The stairs pounded like drums as I ran upstairs into my room. The walls of my room were caving in on me leaving me trapped in a void of nothingness. I laid down in my bed pondering about what had just happened. Why him, why do the good people always leave. It should've been me instead. The words bounced around my mind like kids bouncing on a trampoline. My eyes welled up with tears, why him.  

    I needed an escape so I went outside, I picked up the leather-covered basketball and started shooting, but this time my grandpa wasn't under the basket rebounding. Something me and my grandpa had in common was basketball. I shot for hours listening to the swoosh of the net and feeling the ball roll off my fingers. I felt finally at home and comfortable. My mind was finally under control and I could hear my thoughts. 

Meanwhile, as I slept I thought about how my grandpa wasn't there rebounding for me like he always had. It made me realize that life on this Earth is precious and you never know when that one person may be gone. You have to make the best out of every moment and you can’t ever take any person for granted.