Destiny 101
This story is something I always wanted to share.
Over the summer, I commuted back and forth to CT because I was a part of the Orientation staff for incoming freshmen. I took the Port Jefferson-Bridgeport ferry, which I’m used to taking after 2 full years of college and no car, because it’s pretty convenient. On the way to school for the third and final weekend of Orientation, I saw a very tall black man who looked about 60 years old walk by. He caught my eye because his head practically hit the ferry’s ceiling. He saw me looking, and politely smiled, so I smiled back, then turned back to my game of solitaire. From where I was sitting, I saw 2 old men, probably mid-70s, exchange glances and whisper to each other, then called the tall man over to talk to him. They shook hands, spoke animatedly and laughed for a few minutes, then the tall man walked back to his seat. The 2 old men were still smiling and chatting to each other- they were clearly so excited to have just spoken to this man. I heard one of them say the man’s name was Randy something and implied that he once played on some basketball team. Some more chatter that I couldn’t hear, then I heard “Yeah, he’s over 6’5…” I thought it was so cute that these men were starstruck by this ex-basketball player, and I thought “Cool! I’m on the same ferry as a famous [albeit former] athlete! And he practically said hi to me [I know, I exaggerated a bit]!” So I picked up my phone and texted my mom, telling her I was on the ferry with a former basketball star, just because I thought it was cool. She asked who it was, I said I wasn’t sure, but I thought I heard the old guys say Randy something.
A few days later, my parents picked me up from the Port Jeff ferry and I was babbling on and on about Orientation that weekend. When the conversation [or, rather, my chatter] died down, my mom said “Oh Tray! Do you remember that guy on the ferry you were talking about? There was something in the news about an ex-basketball player from Bellport named Randy Smith who died yesterday.”
Boom. Just like that, I knew it was him. Aside from being shocked that this famous NBA star graduated from Bellport High School, which is also MY high school, I knew it was “tall guy” from the ferry. When my mom said he collapsed during a workout at Mohegan Sun, I was sure of it. Mohegan is in Connecticut and transportation is provided from the ferry to the casino. All the pieces fit together. I was practically in tears. My mom didn’t understand why I was freaking out. I yelled at her, saying I felt like I knew him. I had seen him mere hours before he died! I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, I could’ve interfered with his fate (it sounds very “Final Destination,” I know). I was thinking into the situation way too deeply. Maybe he was working out because he didn’t feel confident. Maybe if I would have said hello, or asked for his autograph, or showed him some sort of recognition, he would’ve gotten a bit of a self-esteem boost, and wouldn’t have pushed himself too hard during the workout. It felt like something from a movie, because this stuff never happens in real life. It was just so strange and unexpected, I think that’s why I reacted the way I did.
There’s really no moral to the story, or lesson to learn, but I do feel like it’s a matter of living in the moment. Taking chances. Going up to that stranger who is probably a celebrity and asking for his autograph. Maybe Smith and I were destined to smile at each other. For more information on destiny, I suggest you watch Slumdog Millionaire, one of my all-time favorites.
