I’ll never forget the phone ringing that quiet morning. I picked up, with dread in my gut. Nobody calls me this early. “Hello?” “He’s dead,” came the response in a raspy whisper. “What, what did you say?” I could feel my throat tightening. “He’s dead,” she said. My stomach sank. My mind went blank, and a foggy haze took hold. I saw him four months ago while visiting out of state. He looked the same as when I last saw him—a handsome man with a twinkle in his eyes. He wore the same grin on his face that he always had, almost like he knew something you didn’t, but that…