Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father Page #5

A minute or two later, it'd ring

again, and it's her again.

Andrew got more and more upset

with her.

"What is your f***ing problem?"

And he clicked off the phone.

She left 30-some-odd messages

on his phone.

His phone in his house rang,

like, 30 times.

Then his cellphone rang

He's like, "Oh, it's her.

I don't want to talk with her."

Apparently,

Andrew had already asked Shirley

to accompany him to Karl and

Marci's wedding, October 20th,

before July.

He had broken up with her

a month before in his mind.

It sounds so easy,

but it's hard

when you're a genuine person

who cares.

He didn't know

how to be a son of a b*tch

because he wasn't

a son of a b*tch.

Shirley had been really,

like, all over Andrew.

Just acting possessive of him.

I said, "Andrew, hey,

do you want something to drink?"

and she said, "There you go,

hitting on the best man."

My jaw dropped. It had to have.

I remember going...

On the afternoon

of Saturday, November 3, 2001,

he broke up with Shirley

once and for all

over lunch at the airport

in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

Then he put her on a plane

back to her place

in Council Bluffs, Iowa,

I remember the morning

that Shirley showed up.

He said, "You'll never guess

who showed up on my doorstep

at 5:
30."

And I said, "Who?"

He said, "The psychotic b*tch."

And I told him, I said,

"You know, Andrew,

when I break up with somebody

and put them on a plane

and send them 1,300 miles away,

they knock on my front door,

I'm going out the back door

and I'm calling the police."

He said, "What do you mean?"

I said, "Andrew."

I said, "Be serious.

Nobody drives 16 hours

after you've just broken up

with them."

I said,

"Do not meet her in private."

He said, "What can happen?"

And he said, "I'm gonna

need to catch up with you

and we're gonna have to do

some serious talking."

I said, "Bring some beer.

I only live a block away.

When do you think

you'll be done?"

He said, "Well, it's 4:30 now.

Meeting her at 6:00.

Things people should know

about Andrew.

He was never late.

And you know what?

When Andrew didn't show up

at 7:
30,

I knew something was very wrong.

And when I went back down

at 9:
00

and didn't see his car there...

I knew something was wrong.

Well, let me tell you

the events of the day.

Andrew didn't show up

for morning report.

Morning report ended

around 8:
00.

I went down to my office.

I called Andrew's house.

Hi.

You've reached Andrew Bagby.

Please leave a message

at the tone. Thank you.

Called his cellphone.

"Andrew, where are you at?"

No answer on either one.

As I recall,

we're getting pretty close

to 9:
00 in the morning,

and Rhonda and I

and some of the residents

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