The Will to Die

by Joe Pulizzi

  For right now, SA is not needed. The business owners and leaders in Sandusky are all working together to create a new Sandusky we can all be proud of.

  And that includes me. I’m a Sandusky resident again. I’m proud to help lead Sandusky back to something better than the living hell this community has seen for the past few years. Robby decided to buy a place here as well, sharing time between both Cleveland and Sandusky. He’s on a mission to, in his words, “bring the brothers back to Sandusky.” Xena actually gave him a great deal on the condominium above Tony’s, and he moved in a few weeks ago. They celebrated their one-month dating anniversary last month. I knew he liked her.

  When Uncle Dan’s funeral took place, most people still didn’t know which side he was on. The evidence isn’t conclusive either way. I like to think he was working with my father to free the city, and I’ll continue to search for the truth. Regardless, his good name has taken more than one roll in the mud. Denise and I have been taking donations to claim the property of the former McGinty building, currently a pile of rubble, as a park. We nearly have enough funds, and once we do, McGinty Park will be born. Robby had the idea of showcasing the diversity of Sandusky in different locations around the park, and Sam and I agreed that even though most of Robby’s ideas are terrible, this one actually has merit.

  I MISSED MY FIRST GA meeting in nine months the Wednesday after “the incident,” but I’ve made every one since then. Roger and I continue to be friends and support each other. Our little GA group has become one of the largest in the state now. I’m somewhat of a cult hero in the community, so gamblers from all over Northern Ohio tend to visit Sandusky on Wednesdays.

  It’s fifteen minutes from the GA meeting to Sam’s condominium. I pull in her driveway with the old Econoline and exit the van.

  Sam is at the door. She’s wearing a black skirt, not too short, not too long, and a white blouse showing just enough cleavage.

  She approaches, tilting her head. “Where are you taking me?”

  “I’ve been asking you out on a date for almost three months now, and you finally agreed. I’ve got something truly special in mind, and you’ll have to wait,” I say, kissing her on the cheek. “You look fantastic.”

  “Slow down, Mario,” she says, smiling. “You look nice too.”

  I walk over to the passenger door and open it for her, helping her into the raised cab.

  The drive takes us past the crematory, beyond Traynor Funeral Home, and through the downtown area. Although things are getting more normal every day, I don’t think I’ll ever know normal again. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. Yet.

  “I have some good news,” I say.

  “Go on.”

  “The foundation was approved today for Jared’s son. Whenever he decides to go to mortuary school, he won’t have to pay a cent for it.”

  “That’s amazing. Did you tell Jared’s family yet?”

  “Absolutely not. It was your idea. I thought you should tell them the next time you’re in Cleveland. I’d be happy to take you.”

  I make the right turn onto Perkins Avenue and then turn left at the second light. The parking lot is on the right. We can see the shiny red and black sign from the entrance, and I park just below the sign.

  “I thought they closed at nine p.m. on Wednesdays?” Sam asks.

  “Not sure you heard, but I’m a pretty big deal in this city.”

  The warm August air hits me like a blanket as I open the van door. We meet at the back of the van. I hold out my hand. She places hers in it.

  Emily, the night manager, is there waiting at the side door, twisting a series of locks. She opens the door.

  “Hello, Mr. Pollitt. Hello, Ms. Pollitt,” Emily says.

  “Thanks, Emily. We really appreciate it,” I say.

  “For you two? Anything.” She escorts us to a table in the back. “I took the liberty of making these myself, Ms. Pollitt. Yours has extra Horsey Sauce, as requested.”

  She winks at me and excuses herself.

  Sam sits. I sit across from her. We unwrap the sandwiches, look each other in the eyes, and touch the sandwiches together.

  “To Abe,” she says.

  “Agreed,” I say. “To Abraham Pollitt. The man who saved Sandusky.”

  “How did you know? Beef ’n Cheddar. This is going to be hard to top,” Sam says.

  I take a bite and set the sandwich down. There is a mixture of cheese and red sauce smeared at the corner of her mouth.

  Right now, I’m not thinking about what’s coming later tonight. Or what happens tomorrow or the next day. Or even next year. There are no distractions. No fleeting thoughts. There are no plans to trade a stock or make a bet. No plans for any upcoming presentations.

  I look at Sam. At this moment, and maybe for the first time in the last few years, I’m just happy to be present.

  Continue the Journey

  Thank you so much for reading The Will to Die. If you’d like to continue the journey, go to TheWilltoDie.com, sign up for Joe Pulizzi’s newsletter (delivered two times per month), and get a bonus chapter from Abe’s diary absolutely free. Joe includes book and series updates in every newsletter. You can easily unsubscribe anytime if you don’t like it.

  For any additional information about The Will to Die or the Will Pollitt Series, go to TheWilltoDie.com. For more about Joe Pulizzi’s other books or hiring Joe to speak at your next event, go to JoePulizzi.com.

  If you enjoyed the book and would like to do more, Joe would love a review (and tell your friends about it).

  Thanks again. Now go out and be epic!

  Acknowledgements

  I’ve written nonfiction my entire career. The Will to Die is my first novel. The only reason it exists is because I wanted the love of my life and best friend, Pam, to read one of my books (my other five published books are business marketing books, which she doesn’t care for). Thankfully, she thoroughly enjoyed this book.

  Thanks to Wendy Wood and Sarah Mitchell for making the final version sing. Thanks to my initial editors Antionette DeJohn and Chris Rhatigan, as well as my early review team of Pam Pulizzi, Laura Kozak, Marc Maxhimer, Ann Handley, Douglas Burdett, Robert Rose and the Riley/Kozak & Friends Book Club. Thanks to Kyle Tait and Elephant Audiobooks for an amazing audio production of the book. To Joseph Kalinowski for the cover design and Michelle Martello, David Gengler and Penny Sansevieri for the promotional help. Also thanks to my RANDOM newsletter subscribers who have been so encouraging along this journey.

  To my parents, Tony and Terry Pulizzi, who have always been so supportive, even when they didn’t have a clue what I was doing with my career. Also to Joshua and Adam, my two wonderful sons, who cheered me along every step of this novel’s creation. And to my Coolio framily, a truly amazing group of people who always manage to keep it real. #NFTG

  Special thanks to Jim McDermott, the entire Content Marketing Institute team and the board of The Orange Effect Foundation.

  Finally, to my grandfather, F. Leo Groff, who was born in Cleveland and became an entrepreneur in Sandusky, Ohio. He was a truly great man.

  Phil 4:13

  AVAILABLE BY JOE PULIZZI

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  Killing Marketing (nonfiction)

  Content Inc. (nonfiction)

  Epic Content Marketing (nonfiction)

  Managing Content Marketing (nonfiction)

  Get Content Get Customers (nonfiction)