There is something wrong with this boy, not a serious car accident that caused him to lie in bed for 13 days, not a worry about his shattered pelvis, swollen buttocks, severely damaged lungs and shaking his head, nor is it an oxygen machine that maintains his life now.
Hayden Hutton is staring at some photos-each photo shows him lying on the bed carefully, while his favorite basketball star, tracy mcgrady, is standing beside the bed with a smile. These photos are hung in every corner of the intensive care unit of Shahu Hospital where 16-year-old boy lived.
"Why did Tracy come to see me?" Hutton asked softly, "Why?"
Obbe Maldonado knows his friends very well now. He saw McGrady's dry face crying silently, and then the NBA player fell, and two friends quickly helped him up with his 2.03-meter-high body. It was 1999,65438+February, and they were at the funeral of T-Mac's cousin, Lian. This was the first time that Diego Maradona met T-Mac-he was only19 years old at that time-and he couldn't control his emotions.
"At that time, I knew that his feelings were very rich." Maradon said more.
There is no doubt that this is a sad moment, but to make matters worse, the tragedy has not ended, but has followed him more and more. Although he gradually became an NBA superstar, the more he gained, the more he lost-seven seasons and seven deaths, which McGrady could not forget.
"Ryan McGrady, we all call him Ryan T. He was playing ball before he died, and suddenly he died."
"My cousin Cory Beth was shot."
"Vanessa Jones, a good friend of mine, her boyfriend hit her on the head with a pistol."
"Eric Anderson, the poor boy, one of my best friends, was also shot."
"Henry Andrews, I went to school with him. He died in a car accident."
"Zhu Huishan McGrady, my stepmother, died of cancer."
"Johnny Ruth Green-She raised me, but a heart attack took her life."
McGrady is complaining bitterly that every time a dead man's name is mentioned, his mouth twitches painfully. When Rian T, one of the most important people in his life, died, McGrady felt that fate was too unfair. Now, sometimes he doubts whether his NBA career will suddenly "die".
These sudden, unpredictable, but always continuous deaths almost destroyed McGrady, because all the dead people were important people around him, those relatives who had struggled to raise him or had children. Few people can understand his true state of mind. When relatives and friends went to heaven one by one, McGrady on earth was bitten by endless fear, just like a group of people sitting in a boat. When a person is swallowed up by the sea, it is actually the person who is most afraid who survives.
He is most afraid that the phone will ring at midnight. "This has happened many times." The 24-year-old McGrady looked numb and said slowly in a low voice, "I worry about whether anyone will get hurt when I sleep every night." Because in the past, when the phone rang, it was always bad news. "
The first midnight phone call in McGrady's bedroom was1997165438+1October, when he was playing his first NBA preseason game in Toronto. The fatigue of the game made Wheat fall asleep soon, but in the middle of the night, he was awakened by a sharp telephone ringing. The other party told Mai that his good friend Henry Andrews was killed in a car accident while driving on Interstate 4.
What a tenacious football player that is. Although Andrews is short, he will never be afraid even if he meets an opponent two times older than him. But the car accident took his young life. McGrady was very sad, but after a while, he finally accepted the fact. It was an accident. It was just an accident, wasn't it? Wheat often takes this reason to comfort himself. But that was before Rian T died and after the last tragedy, which almost changed McGrady's whole attitude towards life.
At that time, he had just started his career in Toronto. One day, he and his girlfriend were eating in a restaurant. Good career prospects, smiling girlfriend, top-class wine and wheat are intoxicated with the luxurious life on earth. At this time, his cell phone rang, and his brother Chance called to tell his brother that Rijan T had an asthma attack while playing basketball and was rushed to the hospital for treatment. McGrady is worried about T's illness, but thinking that it's just asthma should not be too dangerous.
He is discussing his cousin's illness with his girlfriend. About 15 minutes later, chance called again. Without saying a few words, McGrady froze. Even though his girlfriend hurriedly asked him what had happened, Wheat remained silent and sat like a statue.
Chance said on the phone that T was rescued after being taken to the hospital. At first, when Chance said "he didn't wake up", Mai didn't know what it meant. He asked, "What do you mean by not waking up?" Chance said sadly on the other end of the phone: "Brother, he is dead." McGrady is very sad. T is his favorite cousin. Their relationship is like brothers. When he is free, T often challenges his cousin to "bullfight" on the basketball court.
The knife fell from his hand, and then he rushed out of the restaurant like his girlfriend was crazy. "I don't know if I paid for the meal." McGrady later recalled. He went back to his residence in Toronto, slammed himself on the bed, and then stopped. That night, he never changed his original posture. The next morning, McGrady looked sad and flew back to his hometown.
But home is not the home it used to be, and it will never be the home it used to be, because it will always lose one of its most important relatives, just like a broken precious vase, which can never be recovered after careful repair.
The death of Ryan T, Cory Bass and Eric Anderson hurt wheat the most. They grew up together and shared Wheat's NBA dream. But when Mai realized his dream, the people who prayed and blessed him had already passed away, and no one greeted him, so he quietly "left without saying goodbye".
Riyang and Corey were McGrady's neighbors since childhood, and Vanessa Jones, another dead girl, was their childhood partner. That lovely and enthusiastic girl has a pair of strict parents. Together, they called their place-Aubendale, a small town near Orlando-"Mountain", although there were no mountains there.
Now, in his spare time, McGrady often drives to the "mountain" to reminisce about the past, where there are many traces of his childhood and his life. Most importantly, when he comes there, he will naturally think of his friends in heaven.
"It's right there. Look, there it is. " He pointed to a familiar place and said bitterly, "We played football and baseball together, which was our childhood paradise. There is also a river over there. My grandmother used to go fishing. In the evening, we eat delicious fried fish. This is what we are most looking forward to. "
He can clearly remember the location of his friend's house, and he still does. There is a covered corridor outside his house, which is as small as 20 steps, but for childhood wheat, it is big enough to stand him, his mother, grandmother and a guest. At the corner of the street, it is Vanessa's home, and the two doors on the left are Rijan T's home. If you go down a short distance, that's Henry and Cory's home. These good friends live very close, and the farthest one is only 150 yards away.
They lived a simple life in childhood-away from "complicated" guns and drugs. Their parents also forbid them to appear in places like New Hope Street and Hobbes Street, because there are too many illegal transactions and criminal activities there. McGrady once saw the police arrest one of his junior football team coaches in a sweeping operation. On another occasion, he saw a man killed by a pistol and his thigh blown off by a bomb through a fence.
"My feeling is' mom'. How could such a cruel thing happen? " McGrady described the tragedy he saw in his childhood, and he is still worried. "It's terrible. From then on, I made up my mind never to take part in that kind of thing again. It's terrible. "
Barry and Lynn Hutton don't know why McGrady came to see their son. It may be because where they live now and where Mai lived when he was a child are both in Boer County, or it may be because Mai pities their son's experience.
Hutton kept asking McGrady why he came to see him, but their parents just smiled and confirmed that the photos were true. The couple were very happy to see their son's shocked expression. They hope that the arrival of their son's idol can help treat the "amnesia" left by children after car accidents.
McGrady came to see Hutton on February 20th, 65438, which happened to be the 45th day of the child's hospitalization. He will have to stay for another 27 days or so before he can leave the hospital. Wheat took out his signature jersey and gave it to Hutton. "Our son's eyes lit up like light bulbs at once." The Huttons said happily.
1996, McGrady left Aubendale, his childhood, to attend high school in Durham, North Carolina. His Christian school in Monte is a famous "basketball factory", from which he was promoted from a high school player to the NBA. 1997, become a member of Toronto Raptors. 1999-00 became a free agent after the season and signed with Orlando Magic.
He basically went home, because Orlando is only 40 miles from Aubendale-which satisfied Mai's homesickness, so as long as there was no competition, he could get together with his family or childhood friends. However, the concept of "home" was devastated step by step in McGrady's mind.
In McGrady's last season in Toronto, Vanessa Jones, the cute little girl with strict parents, was shot.
It was the morning of 19991October 6, and McGrady was tying his shoelaces in the locker room to prepare for the upcoming preseason.
At the same time, a tragedy is being staged in the "hill" where McGrady lived as a child. The protagonist of the tragedy is his good friend Vanessa Jones. That morning, Vanessa's mother, Flora, received a phone call. The caller claimed that her husband, David, was having trouble driving the truck and hoped that Flora would help quickly. Then Flaro left home and told her daughter Vanessa that she would come back soon. Vanessa broke up with her ex-boyfriend Oscar Hodge because of some troubles at home recently. He came to their house a few days ago and asked to talk, but he was rejected. Flaro had a premonition that something was going to happen.
To be precise, Vanessa decided to break up with Hodge three days ago and returned his engagement ring. Therefore, the police later thought that Hodge could not bear this disappointment, and deliberately instructed a person to call Vanessa's mother and send her away, leaving Vanessa alone in the house. As soon as Flaro left, Hodge sneaked up to Vanessa's house and rang the doorbell. Vanessa opened the door. Before she could react and close the door, Hodge pulled the trigger and a 0.38-centimeter bullet entered Vanessa's brain.
When Flaro realized that he had been cheated, he hurried home and found his daughter lying dead at home. According to the later medical examiner, Vanessa has been dead for half an hour. Hodge, who successfully carried out his revenge plan, drove to a public place, claiming that he killed a person, threw his mobile phone to a bystander, then put his pistol in his mouth and pulled the trigger again ... But his suicide plan failed, and when he recovered, that is, 200 1, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Vanessa, 19, is gone forever. McGrady didn't attend her funeral, but distance couldn't stop the shock of this tragedy. What a nice girl she is. She has a good tutor and often goes home to review her lessons after school. "Why would anyone want to shoot her?" McGrady doesn't care.
"If you love a woman and you want to marry her, you should respect her. Why did you kill her? It' s simply outrageous. " McGrady muttered to himself.
After coming to the Magic, Mai bought the villa of the late golfer Payne Stewart, which is located in the southwest of Orlando. It is very quiet and a good place to live. But soon, he knew that his stepmother Jack Lun was suffering from cancer and was about to die. He generously offered that he would take care of his younger brother, Gith, the children brought by Jack Lun, and become Gith's guardian. Jack Lun was in tears and thanked Wheat for his kindness.
That year, McGrady really became a star in the NBA. By the end of the 2000-0 1 season, McGrady was already one of the most watched big stars in the NBA. Two weeks later, Jack Lun died. Mcgrady and chance kept praying that their mother would live to Mother's Day (the second Sunday in May), but the illness coldly refused their request.
Less than two weeks later, the police found the body of McGrady's childhood friend Cory Beth in a place called Ford Metz. Before that, a man named Derek Davis tried to rob Beth and one of his companions. The two men fled in a bad situation, but the evil bullet hit Cory's back and legs. His companion was shot in the arm and survived, but Cory never woke up.
Corey, Rijan T and Vanessa, the partners of Hill, all left. McGrady and they used to be the best "best friends" and friends who talked about everything, but other friends "partnered" again in heaven like an appointment, leaving him alone.
Wheat often strolls gloomily on the "hill" by bike. In the past, they often walked here by bike together. Riding, riding, when McGrady realized that he was riding alone and had no friends around him, the fragile man would cry. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Everything has changed, changed." They have all left here to do their own things, and they are reunited again. "
The talented players on this court are lonely and helpless in the wilderness of the "mountain". "No, no, now the cats I grew up with are gone." His voice was hoarse from crying, but he was still crying. Poor kid. He is so strong on the court, but sometimes he is weaker than anyone else.
Since McGrady came, Hutton's memory is slowly recovering, and he has some vague understanding of what the doctor said.
Obviously, McGrady's visit has received great results. The family took a photo with Wheat, and then used the photo to restore Hutton's memory. Finally, Hutton remembered that McGrady had come to see him. His father, Barry, a devout priest, smiled. He believes that faith is more effective than medicine. The day McGrady visited Hutton, in Barry's eyes, "it was the most important day in the child's life, and everyone present felt that the child's life was magically recovering."
He thanked McGrady. "We don't want to give him all the credit, but he did play a great role."
Last season, McGrady won the NBA "scoring champion" with an absolute high score of 32. 1 minute per game. His offensive talent is staggering. Some nights, some teams defended him in name only, and people believed that he was unstoppable. But the "Death Devil" is not afraid of him at all, and the "defense" it creates seems to be an insurmountable emotional obstacle for McGrady.
Last March, a large group of friends gathered in Wheat's villa. They came for one thing, but no one had the courage to tell the truth when they arrived. The villa in Nuoda is horribly silent. Everyone was embarrassed and silent. Wheat glared at his friend and asked angrily, what's the matter? Tell me, I can hold on!
His other friend, Eric Anderson, died.
The young man, who plays point guard at Aubendale High School, was hit in the chest by a flying bullet while watching a group of people fighting in the McDonald's parking lot. He was only 25 when he died.
They have a deep friendship, even when McGrady is very popular and Anderson is very frustrated. McGrady tried to persuade Anderson to move to Orlando and use his education to find a job. Anderson agreed, but on one condition-he can accept wheat's diploma, but he doesn't want to live near wheat. He said, "I don't want to live with Tracy and live on his help."
On the night of Anderson's death, he intended to go home to accompany his girlfriend, but unexpectedly he met with unexpected trouble. The fight developed from a club to a parking lot in McDonald's. Anderson, who was watching, called his girlfriend and asked her to drive to pick him up. But it was too late, a group of hooligans who were fighting pulled out their guns ... the gun rang, Anderson fell in a pool of blood, and innocent people became victims. When Anderson's girlfriend drove here, her boyfriend had stopped breathing.
McGrady can't believe this tragedy. After the new year came, he comforted himself that he would not lose his relatives and friends again this year. This year should be a year of prosperity, happiness and peace for him. He is unstoppable on the court, and the smooth birth of his daughter Lala indicates a bright future. He thinks there will be no more "midnight bell" and no more death. The season is almost over, so there should be no accident.
But in the end, McGrady appeared at the funeral ceremony of Cypress Church with a sad heart. He and his friends want to cry and hate the church. "Every time we come here, we attend the funeral. We hate this church, really. " McGrady took one last look at Anderson's body, tears welled up in his eyes, and his body was shaking badly. His two friends quickly lifted the wheat.
Friends know that he is out of control again. Although he is unstoppable on the court, he will never be like this here.
To this day, he is still thinking about Anderson, who has gone to heaven. "To tell you the truth, I still can't believe the fact that he is dead. I think he is on vacation or doing something else. I can't believe it. " Wayne Hall, a trainer of wheat and magic, came across some old photos after attending Anderson's funeral, which were taken when they went out to participate in activities, including a photo of wheat and Anderson. In the photo, they are laughing happily, and Wheat rubs the photo for a long time without saying a word. "If you look at his expression at the moment, it is the grief-stricken look you hope to never see." Hall said.
At the beginning of this season, McGrady was depressed for a while. He criticized NBA defense for "killing" his offensive talent and imprisoning him. He said that it was unbearable to watch his team lose 19 games in a row. He said that he had considered leaving basketball.
But everyone familiar with wheat knows that it is just the normal performance of this talented player when he is in an emotional disorder. Too many deaths and tragedies have made wheat deeply afraid of the future. He often thinks in fear, "Who will I lose this year?"
Another tragedy that broke his heart. This year, his aunt Johnny died of a heart attack. When he was a child, when Wheat was poor, his aunt helped him a lot.
In February this year, McGrady held a birthday party, and his daughter Leila celebrated her first birthday. On this day, his home became a paradise for children, with cakes, balloons, toys and flowers everywhere. The joyful atmosphere finally eased McGrady's sadness for many years.
"I can't believe I have a lovely daughter, a real girl." McGrady shook his head, but there was a big smile on his face.
His friends Obimara Adondo and Mai are standing together. They are recalling the past, and their roles are constantly changing between men, boys and men. Now, they are all fathers with children. "I tell you," Diego Maradona said, "do I have to tell you now? You won't really understand life until you have children. "
McGrady kept nodding.
"You will die for your children." Maradon said more.
"I'm sure I will." Wheat answered quickly.
Only at this moment, death is a word that is not afraid to mention. To die normally according to the laws of nature for one's children is the embodiment of love.
"Everyone in born to die will have their own day." Mcgrady said detachment.
But wheat can't be so detached as to forget those bizarre deaths in the past. He would rather have these memories than forget them forever. "Although I was hurt, those facts can't be erased. I am injured, but I am still alive. Although I have many physical injuries, I can still play, and I will continue to play. All the dead people deserve my respect and I deserve to fight for them. "
Hutton seems to need to know something before McGrady leaves the hospital. He needs to know whether his idol can. McGrady smiled at him and whispered to him by the bed.
The atmosphere of the meeting changed-it was not what McGrady did for Hutton, but the boy who moved McGrady. At this moment, they all seem to understand each other's feelings.
They will leave soon, McGrady will play his basketball, and Hutton will continue to receive future treatment. Maybe they will never see each other again, but the important thing is that they are connected now.
It's time to say goodbye. "Well, you need to keep trying, and so do I." McGrady said optimistically.
Postscript:
But at the time of writing this article, another news came-on March 17, US time, after the Magic finished the game against the Warriors, McGrady left the team and missed the next two away games.
There is a simple reason. Another person around McGrady went to heaven, only this time to attend his great-grandmother's funeral. According to the ethics of China people, this is a "funeral". But in the past seven years, wheat seems to have been hit by the "death curse" and has never been able to get rid of the harassment and intimidation of death.
Wheat is depressed now. "Now, it's hard for me to put all my thoughts on the game."
This is an article from a long time ago. I think that's why McGrady always looks unhappy and why he chose to leave Orlando ~ ~ ~
Also, this year, his future mother-in-law also went to heaven.