<p>This column was written by one of my former mentees. Please share this with those whom you love so this story doesn’t become their story.</p>
<p>"The obituary is taped to my desk, right underneath a stack of old notebooks and just to the left of some envelopes and my checkbook.</p>
<p>The obit is worn, yellow, and has a slight tear in it. I’ve placed Scotch tape over it so the first paragraph is still readable.</p>
<p>“A bright light passed on to heavenly realms when Daniel ‘Danny’ Arambula left this world to rejoin our Lord ”</p>
<p>This time of year, I read the obit over and over, remembering a dear friend and the worst night of my life…</p>
<p>I’ve come to the conclusion in the five years since Danny’s death that “if” is the cruelest word in the English language.</p>
<p>If only we’d skipped the bar after bowling. If only we could have convinced Danny to give us his car keys.</p>
<p>If only I’d been able to tell him to slow down when I, without his knowing, followed him to make sure he got home safely. </p>
<p>On any given night, any one of us could have made the same decision Danny did. That night, we were just fortunate to be better off than he was. When I followed Danny home from the bar after he’d been drinking, I just knew he was going to make it home. We all thought so – which is why we gave in and reluctantly let him leave…"
[Jemele</a> Hill remembers her good friend Danny, who died tragically five years ago - ESPN](<a href=“Jemele Hill remembers her good friend Danny, who died tragically five years ago - ESPN”>Jemele Hill remembers her good friend Danny, who died tragically five years ago - ESPN)</p>