Bill Murray’s Phone Call from Heaven
Author's note: This is a work of fiction I've published before, but it has a new twist. Be sure to watch the video I mention at the end.
It's seldom a good sign when the phone rings in the middle of the night. Bill grabbed for it, his stomach already clenching.
"Hey Bill, it's Lilly."
Lilly? It takes him a few seconds, but he remembers...
Lilly, who started a wine company by walking around San Francisco and inviting restaurant owners to share a glass of her first vintage.
Lilly, who went to Africa to create more sources of clean water... the very same night the thought occurred to her.
Lilly, a friend of a friend, with whom Bill felt a bond that couldn't be explained.
That Lilly.
"You busy?"
Bill smiled slightly. "Lilly, it's 4 a.m. here."
"Yeah, I figured you'd have time to talk. You know I still watch your work. If I have access, of course."
Still half asleep in the dark, Bill nearly blushed. It had been at least six years since he'd seen Lilly. He would have guessed she'd forgotten him.
"Can you put on some music? Lilly asked."
"Now? On the call?"
"Yeah, I would, but I don't have any."
The thing about Lilly was that she was always making crazy requests, and people would just do them. Earlier in the night, Bill was listening to The John Butler Trio Live at Red Rocks, so he played that.
"Much better. Nice choice. Hey, Bill, I gotta tell you something. It's pretty important."
She paused for a long time, then continued.
"You're so very close, Bill." She paused again.
"Not sure I follow you, Lilly."
"You're a good guy and you're talented, and you have a great heart, and you work hard."
A "but" was on the way, he could feel it coming.
"Imagine, just imagine, what you could accomplish if you were always there. I don't mean for an hour or two at a time. I mean day after day, week after week. How long could you keep it going? Could you spend a month in that state? A year? Maybe two? More? Could you? What would it take?"
Now she was talking in time to the music, tossing out words in spurts.
This wasn't a completely foreign subject to Bill, although he rarely discussed it at 4 a.m. "You mean to be present, right?"
"Yeah, present. Completely present. 100% present. In the zone. It's possible you know. You can do it. I'm not just blowing smoke at you. You could stay there for an incredibly, amazingly long time. You've got a good, long run in you. I've never said this to anyone else, and I just had to tell you. I wish I could have told you..."
Was she crying? She got quiet, and Bill thought he heard her starting to sob. Then more silence.
"Lilly?"
"We both screwed up. I should have told you sooner, but you should have figured it out long ago. You aim too low, you know? You get a burst of inspiration, it lasts maybe 45 minutes, and you thank the heavens above. That's trivial. Not even worth mentioning."
Another long pause.
"Do you understand your potential? I know you don't, that's why I had to call."
She laughed.
"Hey, Bill?"
"Yeah?"
"You're not going to forget what I said."
"Of course not, Lilly."
"That wasn't a question. You're not going to forget what I said because your phone recorded this entire call. Sorry that I don't have more time. Truly sorry. So long."
Huh? Bill stared at the phone in his hand, then finally put it down and fell back in bed. A few minutes later, he sat up and pulled out his laptop. He looked up Lilly on Facebook. Nothing. LinkedIn? Nothing. No Twitter either.
Then he found it, a short piece in the Kalamazoo news section on Mlive.com. It was two weeks old.
Lilly Raymond, 47, died in a boating accident on Lake Michigan.
A sense of calm came over Bill. His normal reactions were no longer in play. His brain wasn't spinning, his stomach wasn't clenching. He took his time, but there was no doubt in his mind. He picked up his phone and searched for Voice Memos, an app he never used. There was one recording there. Bill pressed Play.
"Hey Bill, it's Lilly."
***
This video inspired my story, especially Bill Murray’s comments that start at the 3:30 mark.
Bruce Kasanoff is a social media ghostwriter for entrepreneurs.
Financial health expert educating by integrating compassion and knowledge to increase financial health and capacity.
5 年I wonder if I have been dead as long as I have been alive.? Haunting quote
Great story, the video was great too!
Property Mgmt Customer Liason/ Sustainability Building Activist/ Marketing Communications
5 年Very moving! Thank you for sharing
DreamBuilder? Coach ? Life Mastery? Consultant ? Licensed Acupuncturist & Oriental Medicine Practitioner
5 年So much power in this!! Thank you! ??????