Remember Me

Zach went down to the lobby for breakfast. He took his time as he walked with Ginger and Davey. The day was going to go by quickly enough as it was, and Zach wanted to savor every moment of the day of his last game as a Gator.

After breakfast, the team headed over to Raymond James Stadium. When it was time for the game to begin, Zach walked down the tunnel with his teammates for the last time. It was quite an emotional experience for him, as he recalled the previous five years. And here he was, about to play as a Gator one last time.

When the game kicked off, it was clear that the Gators were a different team than they had been the year before. They dominated the Hawkeyes, and Zach's running played a big part in this. When it was all over, the Gators had won 30-3. It was a perfect way for Zach's career as a Gator to end.

In the postgame interview, Zach held Davey in his arms as he answered the questions. Davey kept reaching for the microphone, causing everyone to laugh.

"Looks like your son wants to be a reporter, too."

Zach laughed. "I don't think the fact that he can't really talk very well yet is deterring him too much."

That night, Zach called his father.

"Hi, Dad!"

"Hi, Zach. Great game!"

"Yeah," said Zach with a grin. "The perfect way to go out!"

After talking with his dad and later Nanny, Zach hung up the phone and told Ginger, "What a game!"

"What a game!" Ginger agreed.

"I just can't believe it's over," said Zach.

"Hey, this leg of your journey may be over," said Ginger. "But the rest of your life is just beginning."

"I guess you're right," said Zach. "But I just don't want today to end, you know? I still have to figure out the future."

"Why don't you just focus on enjoying today for now?" Ginger told him. "You've got the rest of your life to figure out the other stuff."

***
A couple of months later, Zach was offered a position on the Gators staff as an assistant scout and recruiter. He quickly took the job, after consulting with Ginger. They both felt it was a good opportunity for him and that they would get to stay in Gainesville and not have to move.

In the spring of 2017, Zach and Ginger found a new place in Gainesville to live in. They needed a place to raise Davey.

Davey celebrated his second birthday in July. And later in the month, they learned Ginger was pregnant again, with a due date at the end of March 2018. They were very excited and quickly spent a lot of time preparing Davey to be a big brother. They even brought him along for the first sonogram in August to help him understand better.

However, in early September, Hurricane Irma threatened Florida. Unlike Matthew the year before, which had scraped the coast, it was clear that Irma would be making landfall. The threat of Irma lead to the largest hurricane evacuation in the history of the state of Florida, as no one even knew what side of the state it would be hitting.

Zach and Ginger knew they weren't directly in danger, as Gainesville was inland, but they knew they would be feeling the effects of the storm. And Florida's second game of the season would be canceled due to the threat.

September 10-11, 2017

"It's so eerie," said Zach.

"What is?" asked Ginger.

"How things are so calm despite the fact that Florida's about to be hit by a monster hurricane," said Zach.

"The classic calm before the storm," Ginger pointed out.

"A Irma-storm!" added Davey.

That night, the storm came through Gainesville. Although it had greatly weakened, and the effects on mainland Florida were not as bad as initially feared, Irma still packed quite a punch. Zach and Ginger even let Davey sleep in their bed with them that night, as they knew it would be scary for a two-year-old. Plus, it was the best way to make sure he was safe.

None of them got much sleep that night. Zach and Ginger both knew, though, that they had to stay calm for Davey. If they were calm, hopefully Davey wouldn't get too scared.

After the storm passed, Zach looked out the window to assess the damage. "Whoa!" he said. "The streets are flooded. And no one has any power. It's like, Armageddon out there!"

"I think you mean Irmageddon," Ginger said with a grin. Zach laughed at the joke. He knew that sometimes dark humor was the best way to handle things.

Davey looked out the window and saw all the water. "Swim! Swim!" he said.

"Oh, no, Davey," Zach told him. "That water is not good to swim in. We don't know how deep it is. Plus, it could be really dirty."

"Swim!" Davey insisted.

"Daddy's right, Davey," said Ginger. "That water is not for swimming. We'll go to the pool another day." Davey started crying, but Ginger said, "Sorry, Davey, but you can't swim in that water. You may not like our answer, but Mommy and Daddy know what's best for you."

Zach managed to distract Davey from his disappointment by reading him The Cat in the Hat, which quickly interested Davey. This was one of the times Zach was grateful for the short attention span of a two-year-old.

***
The hurricane cleanup lasted several days, but at least the water went down pretty quickly. And Florida played their home opener against Tennessee as scheduled, and ended up winning on a miracle Hail Mary touchdown.

In late October, they found out the sex of baby #2 and decided to let Davey make the announcement to the family by opening a box that would have either a blue balloon or a pink balloon.

"Okay, Davey," said Zach. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," said Davey. He walked over to the box.

"On three," said Zach. "One, two, three."

Davey opened the box and revealed that the balloon was blue. They would have another boy. Everyone was very excited. And Zach was glad, too. His own son would be getting a little brother, just like him!

On the day after Thanksgiving, Zach and Ginger took Davey to see the new Pixar movie Coco. They all enjoyed it. Davey enjoyed the bright visuals and singing, while Zach and Ginger were moved by the story.

That night, a wave of emotion came over Zach. The movie had dealt with loss and remembering others, which hit home for Zach. Although the raw wound of his losses had mostly healed, the scar was still there, and would occasionally flare up. Now was one of those times.

Zach started crying and then remembered the key song from the movie. As he cried, he looked up and started singing:

"Remember me, though I have to say goodbye
Remember me, don't let it make you cry.
For even if I'm far away I hold you in my heart.
I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart.

Remember me, though I have to travel far
Remember me, each time you hear a sad guitar.
Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be.
Until you're in my arms again...remember me."

As he finished the song, he heard Ginger and Davey come in.

"You okay?" asked Ginger.

"I think so," said Zach. "I think the movie kind of reopened some old wounds. You know, from my past."

"That's understandable," said Ginger.

"Look, Daddy," said Davey. "I'm a doggy." He got down on all fours and said, "Woof, woof, woof!"

"Oh, you are?" said Zach, smiling. Davey always knew the right thing to say. "Was there a doggy in the movie?"

"Yes."

"And what was his name?" asked Ginger. "Was his name Dante?"

"Yes," said Davey, continuing to pretend to be a dog.

After Ginger and Davey went back out of the bedroom, Zach continued thinking. It was those words: Remember me. He felt it was almost something his mother and Dave were trying to tell him, and him singing the song was kind of his way of letting them know that.

He quickly said a quick prayer and said, "Please let Mom and Dave both know that I love them and will always remember them, and that I hope they'll remember me too. Just like the song says. And that I will be in their arms again someday, but until then, help us to never forget each other."