Weaver

"Oh my God," exclaimed Tara. "He's been asking for you. I can't believe I found you. Please, is there any way you can come to Grand Rapids? He says he has to talk to you before he dies..." her voice trailed off with sadness.

He decided instantly. "Yeah, I'll be up there later today. What hospital?"

When he told Bob of the situation, he insisted on going up there with him. The problem was Kristyna. She and Charlie were coming up for the weekend. She couldn't afford a cell phone and he was sure she was already on the road.

Bob called Arlene, explained what was happening and asked if she could wait for Kris at Weaver's apartment.

With that taken care of, Weaver jumped into Bob's car and they took off. Three and a half hours later they met Tara outside of Eric's room. She was so thankful to Weaver for coming.

"It's his dying wish," she told them both. "Just last night, before I left, he asked if I'd found you yet."

As much as Bob wanted to be privy to the conversation between Eric and Weaver, he knew they needed to be alone. He invited Tara to the cafeteria for lunch.

Eric had his eyes closed when Weaver walked in.

"Eric; Eric it's Weaver, are you awake?"

Eric opened his eyes and stared. "Weaver," he said in disbelief. "She did it, she actually found you."

Weaver wasn't in the mood for small talk. "Why, Eric? Why did you lie to me about Kris running off with another man? Why would you do that to me?"

"I..." he was so weak he could hardly speak. "I'm sorry. I never meant to break you guys up, I just wanted you in top shape for the fight. I...I thought she was a distraction and I wanted her out of the camp."

Eric started to cough and had to stop talking for a minute. His frail body convulsed forward with a violent action. He reached for the glass of water on the bed tray that spanned his chest and took a few sips from a straw.

"Why did you say she ran off with another man?" Weaver asked with a harsh voice.

"Because you were going to go after her; I finally got her out of camp and you were going to go and bring her right back. I had to think of something. I wanted you concentrating on the fight, not your wife. It was the first thing that came to mind. I knew you. There was no way you'd want her back if you thought she was cheating on you. I...I"

He started coughing again and took some more water before resuming.

"I knew you would be angry but I thought I could make it work for us. I was going to direct that anger to the ring. I figured you'd take it out on the champ and use it to win the fight. Afterward I was going to tell you I lied about her running off. I was going to tell you she was home waiting for you, but you never gave me the chance. I never expected you to just take off like that. At first I didn't worry. I thought you'd gone somewhere to lick you wounds and you'd be back, but when you weren't in your bed the next morning I sent the guys out looking for you. When you still weren't back by that afternoon, I tried calling you apartment in Chicago but there was no answer."

Eric started breathing hard and had to take another break.

"You want some more water?" Weaver asked.

The weakened man shook his head, no. "I...I just get tired sometimes," he replied. "Just give me a minute." It took a little while but Eric finally took a couple of deep breaths to try and gather some strength, then continued.

"I didn't realize what actually happened until after the fight was cancelled. I thought you went back home to Kris and when you found out I lied to you, you got so pissed you decided not to fight to teach me a lesson."

Weaver watched as a tear broke free from the corner of Eric's eye and trickled down his cheek.

"The day the news about the fight being cancelled hit the papers, Kris started calling all over to find out what happened. That's when I realized what I had done. I knew you not only took off on me but on her as well. I knew you believed what I told you. I knew I had destroyed your marriage.

"I was going to try and find you but the shit really hit the fan after that. The WBA was all over us. They weren't happy with just jerking the guaranty, they charged us with a fine of another million bucks. Then..."

"I know, I know," said Weaver cutting him off. "I heard all about it." He knew he should feel some sympathy for his former manager but he couldn't. In fact he felt his anger as strong as ever.

"How could you do that? You were my manager; shit, you were practically my father. You were supposed to protect me, not lie to me. Do you know Kristyna damn near lost the baby...twice, because of all the torment she went through not knowing what happened to me? For the last ten years she's had to raise our son by herself. Did you hear me, Eric, our son, my son; a boy who didn't know for sure if he HAD a father until a month ago...and, and I..."

He had to stop and take a deep breath. He was starting to lose it. He had to bring himself under control.

"All this time, Eric; all this time I've had a son and didn't even know he existed." He took another breath. "Kris didn't know if I was alive or dead...ten years, Eric. That's what that lie of yours cost my family and me, ten fucking years!"

"I...I'm sorry," Eric said in a voice weakened further by talking. He reached out to try and touch Weaver but let his arm drop when Weaver made no attempt to take his hand.

"I...I should have come looking for you. I should have found Kris and told her what I did but I couldn't face it. I crawled into a bottle instead."

"So you knew what you did and didn't even try to make it right. Shit, if it wasn't for a woman named Arlene, Kris and I wouldn't be together yet."

"Yes," Eric said in a voice now barely audible, "Arlene. She came to see me..."

"Yeah, I know she did. She didn't even know me. In fact I was rude to her the first time we met and she still cared more about me than you did," He snarled. "She's the one who found Kristyna and Charlie. She's the one who got us back together. That should have your job, Eric. You should have at least tried to make up for ruining our lives."

Eric's head barely moved as he nodded. "I'm sorry, Chuck," he muttered. He looked once more into Weaver's angry face, closed his eyes, and took his last breath.

The beeping noise emanating from beside his bed altered into a continuous tone.

"I'm glad you didn't ask me to forgive you, Eric," Weaver said under his breath. "Because I don't think I could do it; you cost me too much."

With that he turned and left the room just as a couple of nurses were scurrying in.

Weaver found his way to the cafeteria and the table where his best friend sat with Eric's daughter. He felt it was his duty to tell her. "Tara, I sorry but your dad died a couple of minutes ago."

Tara gasped in momentary shock but quickly fell into acceptance. "I knew he wouldn't last much longer. Did he get to say what he wanted to you?"

"Yes," he said nodding his head but offering no other details. "You said on the phone you only found him a couple of weeks ago? God, this has to be so hard for you. I'm sorry you didn't get to spend more time with him."

"Yeah, me too," Tara replied. "I'm not sure what happened between him and my mom, I was only two when they split up. Mom would never talk about it but I think she cheated on him." She wiped away the moisture that was building in her eyes.

"For a long time I wondered who my father was but mom would never talk about him. It wasn't until she passed away last year, that I met a guy at the funeral who knew them when they were married. He told me about dad. He said he was one of the best fight managers in the business. He gave me enough information that I was able to track dad down. It took me a while, but I found him," she said proudly.

They talked a little longer before Bob and Weaver again gave her their condolences then took off for home. Bob was dying to ask what Eric had to say, but since Weaver wasn't volunteering the information, he figured his friend considered their conversation private and he was going to respect that.

In the car, Weaver thought about Tara's story. He wondered if Tara's instincts were correct; had Eric's wife cheated on him, then ran off with the baby. Maybe Tara wasn't even Eric's child and she just didn't know it. Maybe that was how he came up with the story about Kris. Or, maybe because of what he went through, Eric was jealous of Weaver's marriage? He'd never know and he wasn't going to worry about it. His ordeal was over. There was no more looking back, only ahead.

In the next few months Weaver was able to find a better job; one that paid almost twice what he was making. Through a little investigating, he found the firm that managed his apartment complex, managed several others. He negotiated a new lease and was able to transfer to a larger apartment in the northwest suburbs. The area was much nicer than where he had been living and the school system was excellent.

Four months after coming back from Grand Rapids, Charlie and Kristyna permanently moved in with him and became a family. Bob and Arlene insisted on taking them out to dinner to celebrate the occasion. After a wonderful meal, Weaver stood and raised his glass.

"I'd like to propose a toast," he announced. "To the two best friends a guy ever had, and a special thanks to a certain busy-body who looked into a whiskey glass and saw my future; I am eternally indebted to you, Arlene, we all are. Thank you for bringing my family back into my life."

Arlene graciously accepted his thanks as everyone drank to Weaver's toast. After setting their glasses down, Bob stood up next.

"Weaver, Kristyna, Charlie, I have a confession to make. The purpose of this dinner was two-fold. First; Arlene and I wanted to congratulate you. For ten years, even though you were separated and unaware of the other's fate, your love for each other never died. Love that strong is extremely rare, so Arlene and I salute the three of you."

Everyone took a sip from their glasses and he continued.

"The second reason is to make an announcement, but I'll let Arlene make it. She's been dying tell you guys all night...honey..."

Arlene could hardly contain herself as she dug into her purse. A second later, she withdrew her left hand and immediately reached to the middle of the table for all to see. Kristyna gasped at the large diamond that adorned her ring finger.

"Oh, Arlene, it's beautiful! Congratulations!" she screamed.

"Thank you," she gushed in response.

Weaver gave his friend a smile. "It's about time, ol' buddy."

Bob just shrugged with a big grin stretched across his face. "Want to be my best man?"

"I'd be honored," Weaver replied.

"And I'd like you to be my matron of honor," Arlene told Kristyna. "And you, young man; we'll need an usher to show our guests to their seats. Would you do that for us?"

Both mother and son gladly accepted their roles.

EPILOGUE:

For the rest of their lives the Adams and the Rawlings would be an extended family. Bob and Arlene had two children, a boy and a girl; both of whom, Charlie considered his siblings and both of whom looked up to him as their big brother.

Through the years, Bob and Weaver helped many young boys grow into fine young men through their association with the Chicago Youth Organization.

Twenty years to the day, after Weaver walked out of Eric's hospital room, he found himself standing alone at the grave of his former manager. It had been a long time. He stared at the simple gravestone as he started to speak.

"Eric, I still think about the day you told me Kris was pregnant with another man's baby and had run off with him. What I remember most is the pain. I had never experienced anything like it in my life and no matter how angry I was, I couldn't ditch the pain. For ten years it was my constant companion, every minute of every day. If it hadn't been for a very special lady bringing Kris and me back together, I'd still be carrying that pain with me today."

He took a deep breath, then continued...

"But Kris and I ARE back together...for the last twenty years, and they've been the best twenty years of my life. I came up here today, because for several months now, I've had an anxious feeling in my gut and I know exactly what it's from.

"No one even knows I'm here. I told Kris I had to go out of town on business, because this is just between you and me. When I first saw Kristyna after all those years and she told me what happened between you and her, I hated you. You were supposed to be my friend, Eric. You were supposed to protect me. Instead you sabotaged what I held most dear. I've been holding a grudge ever since; a grudge that's been eating away at my insides; so, I came up here to tell you in person that I forgive you. I know that's what you wanted to hear that day in the hospital but when I learned the truth, when I discovered how you betrayed me... well, there was no way I could forgive you back then, no way.

"Okay, I said what I came to say so I'm going to go. My son and his lovely wife are coming over with the grandkids tonight for dinner and I don't want to be late. Rest in peace, Eric, rest in peace."

The End.