Good Surprises -- Matt Foster

I love a good surprise. Mary Beth was a good girl, and in many ways a good player too, but why Elijah would ever pick her blew my mind. I’m a fan of surprises, mostly because they’re few and far between, but that decision blindsided me.

I had never known Ryan Davis to be a grizzly, in fact girls rarely crossed his mind. He wasn’t known for being suave or even confident with the ladies. Many a young maiden had been perplexed by the shy boy in the ladies man body.

A product of West Texas, he was a football legend from a family of football legends. He’d been around the game all his life, so much so that around Abilene, you could hardly tell the two apart. His father played at ACU, a linebacker for the ’77 National Championship team. A brief but lucrative enough stint in the NFL afforded John Davis the notoriety to be a successful car salesman to the entire Big Country. He nabbed his high school sweetheart, a doctor’s daughter, and they produced one of the most prolific prep sports star the city had ever seen. Everyone expected big things from him, this benefactor of West Texas royalty, everyone but Ryan. Who knows why, but everyone thought they did – the rumors were more plentiful and twisted than dust devils. Whether or not there were multiple acts of indiscretion with a daughter of a state judge wasn’t mine to… well… judge, what was clear was determination, and for what Ryan lacked in charm he made up for in determination. Whether it was one too many concussions or an aversion to the years of pressure, Ryan was done with football. He had no desire to win championships or even compete… which is why he made the ridiculous trade. He was a football god who now refused to mingle with mortals, save one. He had an eye for talent, he’d seen what he wanted, and in true West Texas style, no matter the cost, he got what he wanted: Mary Beth.

And so did Elijah, except he got two.

The wry smile won its battle with composure, Godfrey thought he had the upper hand. He walked down from the podium, moving the toothpick back and forth in his mouth, shooting a quick wink at his assistant coach. He nabbed two bulldogs for the price of a chihuahua, and he knew the whole time.

Genius. Pure genius.

His subtle strut betrayed the seemingly calm demeanor; he’d won the talent round… he thought. Ryan may not have wanted to compete, but I was a different story.

I didn’t care about Mary Beth, I didn’t care about Porter or even Conder. Which was the whole point. I couldn’t care less about my next pick…

Still sauntering away to his nest of confidence Godfrey didn’t even bother to listen to the next selection.

“Janine Watson.”

It wasn’t a stop, and it wasn’t long, but it was a pause – and a pause was all I needed. Like I said, I love a good surprise.