Chapter 10: Jack
I walk into the kitchen on a bright sunny day. Riley is in there cooking eggs and bacon. You can hear the eggs and bacon sizzling and the bacon is giving off a nice aroma. The door bell rings and I run to the door but Riley just walks right past me. How come I can’t run? Then I hear the alarm clock buzz.
I turn to my right and slap the alarm clock. It stops buzzing; I guess I was dreaming. I feel to my left and touch Riley, she isn’t up yet. I look at the clock; it reads 6:30. I guess I forgot to turn it off for the weekend. Today it is Saturday not a school day; the day that I can sleep in. I get up and walk over to the kitchen and look in the fridge for something to eat. No milk; that also means I can’t eat cereal.
I walk back into my room and get dressed to go outside. I pick up the car keys and walk out of the house to the car. Our house is not that big, it has two bedrooms, one kitchen, an office and one living room/den area. We, Riley and I, moved here after our honeymoon, which was about four months ago since it is April now. Since Riley has been to many exotic places we went to some cities in Europe. It was kind of cold but we still went to Paris, London, Madrid, Berlin, and Copenhagen.
I get back from the store and find Riley still in bed. I put the milk in the fridge and walk over to the office. I go on the NFL site and they have an article about me and my draft spot. Apparently there are a few teams interested in me; the Redskins, the Chiefs, the Raiders, Miami, the Patriots, and the Giants. Right now the Titans have the first pick, then the Redskins who traded for the second pick, and the Falcons have the third pick.
“Jack,” Riley says. I jump surprised, then say: “Good morning.” “What are you doing?” she asks. “I’m just on the NFL site, I was waiting for you to get up. Can I make you something for breakfast?” I reply. She smiles then says: “Scrambled eggs?” “Are you questioning my ability to cook?” I ask. “Well…” she replies. I get up and race after her; she runs to the bedroom and dives under the covers. Then she says: “I’ll take a shower and you can make the food.” “Sure,” I respond and lean and kiss her.
I put her plate of eggs on the table and sit down with my eggs. She walks out and sits down. After she finishes praying I say: “I’m gonna go drop off my stuff with Mr. Williams and hand in my resignation. I’m gonna keep my personal gun though. Would you like to keep yours or should I take it back with me?” “Finally! I have waited for this day for such a long time. Take it please, I don’t like carrying that thing around,” she answers. “Well, aren’t you glad? I want to get rid of my stuff before the draft; after all, I won’t need that stuff as a football player,” I respond.
Draft day comes and I am sitting with my family. The first team, the Titans, submit their selection and we wait for the NFL commissioner to come out. He walks out and stands behind the podium; he then says: “With the first pick in the 2017 NFL draft the Tennessee Titans select Chris Wilson; Quarterback Baylor.” Some people cheer and I stand up and clap. He shakes hands with a lot of people and comes over to me. I congratulate him and then he gets a hat. He puts his hat on and walks out onto the stage. Then he and the commissioner stand together for a picture with the Titan #1 shirt.
Now it is the Redskins’ turn to take their pick. Finally they submit their pick with a few seconds to spare. Riley grabs my arm and says: “I hope they pick you, and if they don’t I’m sure you will like your new team.” “I just hope I don’t get picked by the Cowboys; if I do I am rejecting the contract,” I reply. She giggles.
The commissioner walks on the stage and I can feel my heart pumping harder. It seems to take him forever to walk to the podium; he finally gets there and puts his hands on the sides of the podium. I hope it is me I think to myself. He takes a breath and then says: “With the second pick in the 2017 NFL draft the Washington Redskins select Jack Warner; wide receiver UCLA.”
I jump out of my seat ecstatic. I kiss Riley, hug my family, and high five some people around me. I get my hat from Chris and he congratulates me. I walk out on the stage, the cameras are flashing every second and people are applauding. I get to the commissioner and we get our picture taken with a Redskin’s jersey. I am living part of my dream. Your dreams may not end how you want them to, but if you try hard and honor God you will succeed.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Austin Sailsbury for helping me by giving me valuable input. My parents for encouraging the idea and giving suggestions for the book. Also Frieda Nielsen my amazing editor catching all of my mistakes. Finally my cousins who tested the book while I was writing and gave ideas and their opinions.
The Final Moment Page 8
