My Coach's Girlfriend

Back in the mid 80's I was a baseball player at Cleveland High School. Dave Candello was an assistant coach that had recently graduated from Portland State University and competed as a Division One baseball player. I remember seeing him around from time to time because he had two younger brothers Mike and Dom Giancola, they were my class and teammates. He was a bit of a legend in the Cleveland baseball community, playing for Jerry Gatto, the team that played in the Oregon state semi finals before losing to Corvallis that had Harold Reynolds, a former MLB player and the team that went to Italy to play baseball.

The things I remember most about Dave aside from his one thick eyebrow was his enthusiasm and warmth. He was generally very upbeat, smiling, saying positive things with a high pitched tone. In my case he would say something like" Hey, Trebbie". I think my junior year was his first official high school season with us just after college. If he wasn't doing his baseball thing, you would find him doing a thousand pushups a day down the third baseline or in between innings. He was a ball of energy and we all loved and appreciated him for that!

Every once in awhile his girlfriend Amy would show up at practice, she was adorable! I don't recall seeing her at games that often but she probably was there. Amy was an energy person too, but not like Dave bouncing around like a kid having the time of his life. No, she was like a Disney fairy princess, I don't know which one, but things just got happier when she was around! I know that this will seem like an exaggeration but every time she walked up to the field to see Dave and check in, it was a like a beam of sunlight followed her. She may have wore a cute dress, had flowers in her hair, possibly skipping, while holding a picnic basket around her arm, while forest animals followed her and birds sang beautiful songs. She was that kind of beautiful, you could feel her spirit. I don't recall speaking with Amy more than a few words here and there, but just being in her presence made the world feel better.

A couple years later I was fortunate to be present at Dave and Amy's wedding. The church was full and the love was obvious. I was witnessing something that was life changing. I didn't get to see a whole lot of unconditional love growing up, but there it was each time I saw them together, at the field and now in the church. It gave me hope to see two radiant people come together and committ their love for one another. The way they loved and how they lived would become one of many lessons I would take into my life. I am lucky to have found love in my beautiful wife, children and dear friends because Dave and Amy unknowingly showed me the way!

Skip forward in time, I rarely see Dave which is unfortunate, but we speak from time to time. I haven't seen Amy in a very long time and honestly don't recall the last. When I heard Amy's diagnoses I thought long and hard about what would I say after all these years, with tears in my eyes I'd say "Thank you!"

Sincerely with love.

Robbie Trebelhorn