Notes: I'm Catholic so the Catholic Church inside is based on what my church looks like. I'm sure St. Patrick's is very nice but I've never been to it. And the will in this chapter I had decided to do awhile ago. I had Jesse leave a box for Adam in Falling Out of Reach. You'll have to forgive me though. I can not stand Charlie and I'm writing him as impartial as I can.
Gone But Never Forgotten
Adam was Catholic so the funeral was held at St. Patrick Catholic Church. I've been to memorials before but since I'm Jewish I've never been inside a Catholic Church much less a Catholic mass. I did not partake in any of the rituals and felt quite out of place. I didn't sing when they sang: Ave Maria in Latin or I Know That My Redeemer Lives but I did sing Amazing Grace because I actually knew the words to it.
It was a nice mass I suppose but I really felt uncomfortable with the cross at the front of the church with Jesus on it. Luis, who was sitting next to me, was Catholic just like Adam and explained to me what was going on so I wasn't completely lost and confused.
The memorial in the school auditorium was for all five of them were nice. It was the first time I had been in the school since the shooting. I had been asked to speak along with Charlie, Guy, Keith, Bombay, Wilson, and Brandy who had flown in for the funeral. She said even though she and Adam had broken up she was heart broken. There were going to be other speakers for the other students who had been killed and anyone else could speak at the end.
I was nervous when it was my turn to speak. I cleared my throat a few times before I began. "Adam and I were never that close as friends as he was with Jesse, Guy, and Marcy. I wasn't even sure if we were friends. But the day of the shooting I held him as he died. He called me Greg. None of the Ducks had called me Greg. It was always Goldberg or Goldy. He told me to tell Marcy and his family that he loved them. And he said something to me that I will never forget. His last words were Greg you good friend. I always thought Adam was a good friend. And I won't forget him, Marcy, or anyone else that died that day in my English class. I left the podium. There was applause.
Guy was the next of us to speak. "What I remember the most about the day of the shooting started was how happy Adam was. I considered Adam to be my best friend. Two days before the shooting he had been voted prom king. He told me he had never been so shocked. He had a rough four years of high school. He said on June 9th he'd truly be able to say he survived high school." Guy had to stop talking. I could see that he was crying. "He didn't make it to graduation. But I do know that he's in heaven with his two very best friends Jesse and Marcy." Connie came onto the stage and hugged him. Guy continued. "Before English class he said he couldn't wait for Saturday to try out for the Minnesota Waves and then play for the Minnesota Wild the year after that. I truly thought that nothing could ruin his good mood but something did. We'll never forget you Adam." He said and hurried off the stage.
Bombay was the next of us to go. "I've known Adam since he was a ten year old in Peewees. I had always known that Adam was a gifted hockey player and I wouldn't have been one bit surprised if he had made it to the NHL. He had a tendency to hide the fact that he was playing in pain whether it was the wrist or the ankle. But that was just a part of who Adam was. He gave the game all he had and there was no quit in him. When I stepped in to be the Assistant Coach for the Goodwill Games, I had a hard time remembering I was an Assistant not the head coach. I was one of three people that were pushing Wilson to make Charlie Conway captain of the Games. I am glad that Wilson was insistent and wouldn't change his mind. Adam showed another side I hadn't seen before. When he realized he wasn't much of a captain with a bad ankle, he stepped down as captain for the games. I again tried to get Charlie as captain. But Wilson said no. He was going for leadership ability and experience on Varsity. Watching Adam score a hat trick in the gold medal game made me realize what Wilson had seen that made him name Adam captain. Adam would have been a hockey great and will be sorely missed." He left the stage.
Wilson was the next of us to speak. "Bombay pretty much covered a lot of what I was going to say so I will get to a very important thing. Dean Buckley will you join me on the stage?" He quickly did so. "The Alumni Board has decided to retire Eden Hall Academy Mighty Ducks jersey number 99 in memory of Adam Banks." There was a lot of applause. "Adam was truly a great hockey player and a good young man. I was glad to have him on my team. Not just for the fact that he led the team to two more consecutive state titles but because of his ability as a leader and as a friend. In the beginning I may not have liked the group of kids that came to replace the JV team but now I can't see the school without them." Wilson left the stage.
Keith got up to speak next for Adam. "My name is Keith Hawkinson and I was Adam's brother in law. I've known Adam ever since he was a little kid. My brother Bryson used to play hockey with his brother Jeffrey. And then I started dating his sister Christina when I was in seventh grade. Adam was a cool kid back then. But when he came to Eden Hall, I didn't talk to him. It was orders from Riley to ignore him. However, I stopped doing that when Scooter told me what was bothering Adam so much and I realized the kid could use a friend. Then I started to see the real Adam. He was shy and was going through a lot of pain after losing his best friend and his friends dumping him." I grimaced at that reminder. "And we became really good friends. He even served as my best man at mine and Christina's wedding. I remember walking into a literature class that day and people telling me they were sorry about my loss. I just looked at them blankly and they told me what happened. I ran out of the class, went to Christina's Chemistry class, and told her. It was as if someone had shot me. It's been nice to hear everyone talk and remember to keep sharing your memories of the five students that died." Keith walked off the stage.
Brandy walked onto the stage. "I used to go to school here and knew Marcy and Brandy pretty well. I moved away and my parents decided I should change schools too. Adam was my boyfriend for about a year. We broke up when I moved away. It was a mutual decision. After hearing Goldberg speak about what Adam said that day, I'm not surprised. Adam did love Marcy not as he loved me but like a sister I think. I felt out of place with the Ducks because I was Adam's girlfriend and didn't know them. When I asked him to Homecoming Dance, I didn't think of him as the captain of the hockey team but as a guy who seemed really nice. Being at the Goodwill Games and then the national tour with him was great too. I remember being at Mann's Chinese Theater with the Ducks. Marcy stuck her hands in the handprints and discovered she had the same size hands as Marilyn Monroe. We teased her endlessly about that. She did not intend to be an actress but who knows? Maybe she would have been famous. All I know is I lost two people I care about." She wiped away a few stray tears and walked off stage.
Charlie was the last person to speak. He went onto the stage. "I wasn't the best friend to Adam at times." He said. "I don't know what happened when we got to high school. I guess losing Jesse had something to do with it. Adam was adamant about not going to Eden Hall and I told him no matter what Ducks fly together. I lied. Well I hadn't meant to lie at the time. But when things got tough I blamed Adam for things I learned later, he had nothing to do with it. He was a good friend. When Connie broke up with Guy he tried to still be friends with Connie and tried to be friends with Josh. Later he found out it was a bad choice to be friends with Josh. But that was the kind of guy Adam was. He gave his all to everything. Hockey, school, and his friends. He was never for just staying still. He had bronchitis and wanted to play hockey. Even though I may not have been as good of friends with him as he was with Jesse, Guy, and Marcy I hope he knows I cherished his friendship."
I looked around the auditorium and found the Banks family. They were sitting together. Mr. and Mrs. Banks with Kiley in Mrs. Banks lap, Jeffrey and Rhiannon, Christina and Keith all sitting there with a few other relatives. I even saw Terry there too a few rows behind us with his mother. The rest of the hockey teams were sitting together. And many other people.
As we got up to leave the Banks walked up to us. "Adam actually had a will written up. He once said he didn't really think he'd make it through high school. It originally said he wanted Guy to have Jesse's journal but that was destroyed in New York along with Jesse's jersey. He had left his own journal to Marcy but Guy we think he would have wanted you to have it. Oh and he wanted you to have Jesse's book Friends Are Friends Forever."
"Thank you." Guy said taking the journal and book from her.
"Charlie he wanted you to have his Junior Goodwill Games Jersey. He wants us to keep the original Ducks Jersey and the Hawks jersey. Goodwill Games have asked us to send them Adam's jersey from this summer and Eden Hall wants the JV and Varsity Jersey. He didn't go any further into this." She was wiping away tears. "Please don't be strangers. Come see us." She hurried to catch up with her family.
"Let's go to the pond." Charlie said. And so we did. Life wasn't going to be the same but we could at least remember being kids on a pond. Before we were ever the Mighty Ducks.
Gone But Never Forgotten
Adam was Catholic so the funeral was held at St. Patrick Catholic Church. I've been to memorials before but since I'm Jewish I've never been inside a Catholic Church much less a Catholic mass. I did not partake in any of the rituals and felt quite out of place. I didn't sing when they sang: Ave Maria in Latin or I Know That My Redeemer Lives but I did sing Amazing Grace because I actually knew the words to it.
It was a nice mass I suppose but I really felt uncomfortable with the cross at the front of the church with Jesus on it. Luis, who was sitting next to me, was Catholic just like Adam and explained to me what was going on so I wasn't completely lost and confused.
The memorial in the school auditorium was for all five of them were nice. It was the first time I had been in the school since the shooting. I had been asked to speak along with Charlie, Guy, Keith, Bombay, Wilson, and Brandy who had flown in for the funeral. She said even though she and Adam had broken up she was heart broken. There were going to be other speakers for the other students who had been killed and anyone else could speak at the end.
I was nervous when it was my turn to speak. I cleared my throat a few times before I began. "Adam and I were never that close as friends as he was with Jesse, Guy, and Marcy. I wasn't even sure if we were friends. But the day of the shooting I held him as he died. He called me Greg. None of the Ducks had called me Greg. It was always Goldberg or Goldy. He told me to tell Marcy and his family that he loved them. And he said something to me that I will never forget. His last words were Greg you good friend. I always thought Adam was a good friend. And I won't forget him, Marcy, or anyone else that died that day in my English class. I left the podium. There was applause.
Guy was the next of us to speak. "What I remember the most about the day of the shooting started was how happy Adam was. I considered Adam to be my best friend. Two days before the shooting he had been voted prom king. He told me he had never been so shocked. He had a rough four years of high school. He said on June 9th he'd truly be able to say he survived high school." Guy had to stop talking. I could see that he was crying. "He didn't make it to graduation. But I do know that he's in heaven with his two very best friends Jesse and Marcy." Connie came onto the stage and hugged him. Guy continued. "Before English class he said he couldn't wait for Saturday to try out for the Minnesota Waves and then play for the Minnesota Wild the year after that. I truly thought that nothing could ruin his good mood but something did. We'll never forget you Adam." He said and hurried off the stage.
Bombay was the next of us to go. "I've known Adam since he was a ten year old in Peewees. I had always known that Adam was a gifted hockey player and I wouldn't have been one bit surprised if he had made it to the NHL. He had a tendency to hide the fact that he was playing in pain whether it was the wrist or the ankle. But that was just a part of who Adam was. He gave the game all he had and there was no quit in him. When I stepped in to be the Assistant Coach for the Goodwill Games, I had a hard time remembering I was an Assistant not the head coach. I was one of three people that were pushing Wilson to make Charlie Conway captain of the Games. I am glad that Wilson was insistent and wouldn't change his mind. Adam showed another side I hadn't seen before. When he realized he wasn't much of a captain with a bad ankle, he stepped down as captain for the games. I again tried to get Charlie as captain. But Wilson said no. He was going for leadership ability and experience on Varsity. Watching Adam score a hat trick in the gold medal game made me realize what Wilson had seen that made him name Adam captain. Adam would have been a hockey great and will be sorely missed." He left the stage.
Wilson was the next of us to speak. "Bombay pretty much covered a lot of what I was going to say so I will get to a very important thing. Dean Buckley will you join me on the stage?" He quickly did so. "The Alumni Board has decided to retire Eden Hall Academy Mighty Ducks jersey number 99 in memory of Adam Banks." There was a lot of applause. "Adam was truly a great hockey player and a good young man. I was glad to have him on my team. Not just for the fact that he led the team to two more consecutive state titles but because of his ability as a leader and as a friend. In the beginning I may not have liked the group of kids that came to replace the JV team but now I can't see the school without them." Wilson left the stage.
Keith got up to speak next for Adam. "My name is Keith Hawkinson and I was Adam's brother in law. I've known Adam ever since he was a little kid. My brother Bryson used to play hockey with his brother Jeffrey. And then I started dating his sister Christina when I was in seventh grade. Adam was a cool kid back then. But when he came to Eden Hall, I didn't talk to him. It was orders from Riley to ignore him. However, I stopped doing that when Scooter told me what was bothering Adam so much and I realized the kid could use a friend. Then I started to see the real Adam. He was shy and was going through a lot of pain after losing his best friend and his friends dumping him." I grimaced at that reminder. "And we became really good friends. He even served as my best man at mine and Christina's wedding. I remember walking into a literature class that day and people telling me they were sorry about my loss. I just looked at them blankly and they told me what happened. I ran out of the class, went to Christina's Chemistry class, and told her. It was as if someone had shot me. It's been nice to hear everyone talk and remember to keep sharing your memories of the five students that died." Keith walked off the stage.
Brandy walked onto the stage. "I used to go to school here and knew Marcy and Brandy pretty well. I moved away and my parents decided I should change schools too. Adam was my boyfriend for about a year. We broke up when I moved away. It was a mutual decision. After hearing Goldberg speak about what Adam said that day, I'm not surprised. Adam did love Marcy not as he loved me but like a sister I think. I felt out of place with the Ducks because I was Adam's girlfriend and didn't know them. When I asked him to Homecoming Dance, I didn't think of him as the captain of the hockey team but as a guy who seemed really nice. Being at the Goodwill Games and then the national tour with him was great too. I remember being at Mann's Chinese Theater with the Ducks. Marcy stuck her hands in the handprints and discovered she had the same size hands as Marilyn Monroe. We teased her endlessly about that. She did not intend to be an actress but who knows? Maybe she would have been famous. All I know is I lost two people I care about." She wiped away a few stray tears and walked off stage.
Charlie was the last person to speak. He went onto the stage. "I wasn't the best friend to Adam at times." He said. "I don't know what happened when we got to high school. I guess losing Jesse had something to do with it. Adam was adamant about not going to Eden Hall and I told him no matter what Ducks fly together. I lied. Well I hadn't meant to lie at the time. But when things got tough I blamed Adam for things I learned later, he had nothing to do with it. He was a good friend. When Connie broke up with Guy he tried to still be friends with Connie and tried to be friends with Josh. Later he found out it was a bad choice to be friends with Josh. But that was the kind of guy Adam was. He gave his all to everything. Hockey, school, and his friends. He was never for just staying still. He had bronchitis and wanted to play hockey. Even though I may not have been as good of friends with him as he was with Jesse, Guy, and Marcy I hope he knows I cherished his friendship."
I looked around the auditorium and found the Banks family. They were sitting together. Mr. and Mrs. Banks with Kiley in Mrs. Banks lap, Jeffrey and Rhiannon, Christina and Keith all sitting there with a few other relatives. I even saw Terry there too a few rows behind us with his mother. The rest of the hockey teams were sitting together. And many other people.
As we got up to leave the Banks walked up to us. "Adam actually had a will written up. He once said he didn't really think he'd make it through high school. It originally said he wanted Guy to have Jesse's journal but that was destroyed in New York along with Jesse's jersey. He had left his own journal to Marcy but Guy we think he would have wanted you to have it. Oh and he wanted you to have Jesse's book Friends Are Friends Forever."
"Thank you." Guy said taking the journal and book from her.
"Charlie he wanted you to have his Junior Goodwill Games Jersey. He wants us to keep the original Ducks Jersey and the Hawks jersey. Goodwill Games have asked us to send them Adam's jersey from this summer and Eden Hall wants the JV and Varsity Jersey. He didn't go any further into this." She was wiping away tears. "Please don't be strangers. Come see us." She hurried to catch up with her family.
"Let's go to the pond." Charlie said. And so we did. Life wasn't going to be the same but we could at least remember being kids on a pond. Before we were ever the Mighty Ducks.