I had this one in mind since we heard the news back on November 8th. Now with Alex Trebek's final Jeopardy! episode airing tonight, now's as good a time as any to put this out there as a tribute to the man who gave us answers, questions and memories for the past 37 years and more than 8,000 episodes.
Timestamp: November 8, 2020. Milo and Melissa were enjoying their Sunday at the Danville Ice Rink, snuggled up to each other. They had been dating since their 8th grade year and now as seniors in high school, things couldn't be any smoother for the best friends turned lovers.
"Just hold on to me, okay?"
Oh...forgot to mention that Milo is a bit clumsy on ice.
"I'm not letting go, Melissa..." the jinx said to his girlfriend. Milo then twirled Melissa and lifted her in the air. After putting her back onto the ice, he kissed the ginger as his phone buzzed.
"Milo, your phone just buzzed..." Melissa told her jinx of a boyfriend.
"I know...checking it right now," Milo said. It was a text from Zack. After reading it, he went straight to a nearby bench.
"Milo, what's wrong?"
"He...he's gone."
"Who's gone?" Melissa asked with a look of confusion on her face.
"Alex Trebek..."
Melissa's confusion soon turned to shock. "Don't be playing games with me, Milo!"
Milo handed his phone to Melissa. It was already on the article that announced the death of Alex Trebek. "Look for yourself..."
"'Alex Trebek, the beloved host of Jeopardy! since its 1984 debut in syndication, has died of pancreatic cancer...'" Melissa read.
"His last episode airs on Christmas Night..."
Melissa gave Milo his phone back and pounded the bench. "As if this year wasn't bad enough...it just messed with the holiday season and took a legend!"
Milo snuggled up to Melissa. "It bites, Melissa...you still feel like skating?"
"I guess so. Maybe you and I can get dinner a little later on, just you and me..."
"I'd love that, Melissa."
The next day at school, everyone gathered around Milo and Melissa's shared locker, which was decked out in Jeopardy! gear in memory of Alex Trebek.
"Aye dios mio...I still can't believe Senor Trebek is gone...we all had hope that he would beat his pancreatic cancer..." Amanda remarked.
"We were all pulling for him to take cancer down, Amanda," Zack added.
"Just his resilience in the face of overwhelming odds, his will to keep doing what he loved...that's the mark of a true warrior," Lydia said, trying to put a smile on her face.
"My parents, brother and I watch Jeopardy! every night...and I can't imagine the show without Alex," Bradley told the gang.
"Neither can we, Bradley," Milo said to his rival. "Now let's get to class. Maybe Mrs. Murawski might have something to lighten the mood a bit."
Sure enough, she did. Mrs. Murawski's class all played Jeopardy! in honor of Alex Trebek, tapping in to the archive of games from the past and present. Mrs. Murawski said she chose this activity specifically because 'It's what Alex would've wanted - to keep his legacy alive'.
After the holiday break came the final week of Alex Trebek's Jeopardy! episodes. Finally came January 8th, 2021...Trebek's Jeopardy! finale. It was just Milo, Melissa, Zack and Amanda at Milo's place watching the final Trebek Jeopardy! and playing along.
"So surreal to think that he taped this 10 days before his passing..." Amanda said. "I heard interviews with the crew saying that this final episode brought tears to their eyes."
"Rightfully so, Amanda. They had no clue that this was Alex's last show, Alex had no idea that this was his last show, the contestants didn't have any inkling that they were on Alex's final episode...they just treated it like a normal episode," Zack assessed.
"Jeopardy! without Alex Trebek..." Melissa started to ponder. "I don't think I want to imagine it."
"I just hope that whoever they get for the next host lives up to the standard that Alex Trebek set for the past 37 years," Milo said to his friends.
After the last Final Jeopardy clue was given and a new champion declared, Alex signed off for what would end up being the last time. Milo responded with what would've been his intended signoff.
"Alex, until we meet again...god bless you and goodbye."
His friends soon joined in.
"Farewell, Alex..." Zack said.
"Thanks for the memories, Alex Trebek..." Melissa threw in.
"Adios y buena suerte en el mas alla, Alex," Amanda added in Spanish.
And with that came the end of a legacy, the end of Alex Trebek on Jeopardy!...and the end of a tradition.
Well...this was tough to write, considering all that the past year put everyone through and the magnitude of a person that Alex Trebek was. Here's hoping that whoever the next host of Jeopardy! is that they live up to Alex Trebek's legacy. And until we meet again, Alex Trebek...god bless you and goodbye.
RIP Alex Trebek (1940-2020)