by Unknown
He walked up to a counter where they were checking the documents of the candidates who had been shortlisted. Isaac stood in line and soon his turn came.
A pretty lady looked at him. “Good morning! May I see your letter please?” she said.
He handed over his letter and all other necessary documents that had been requested. He had taken great care to ensure that the documents were all in order.
“Thank you, please proceed inside,” she said.
Thus began the journey for Isaac Miller at the NFL Sports Camp for the Cleveland Browns. Only time would tell what was there in store for him!
Chapter 9
Back in Holmes County, there was a lot of confusion and panic the next morning. On one hand, the storm had caused a good deal of destruction the night before, destroying standing crops in fields and uprooting trees. Some families had faced damage to their barns and animal sheds in places where the roof had blown away in the strong wind. As a result, there was a look of mayhem around the place where a peaceful community lived.
In the middle of all this, one family went running from one door to another in the neighborhood. They knocked on the door of every single home in the area. As the door opened, they would ask the household members some question but almost all of them shook their head, “no.” Having covered almost every home in the locality, they finally stopped in front of the home of the Fischers.
Katie heard someone knocking at the front door and went to see who it was. “Must be some old neighbor out looking for their cat!” she thought. There had been many such reports since morning so it was only usual for her to suspect something of the kind. After all, there were many cats in the neighborhood.
She was taken by surprise upon seeing Isaac’s father at her doorstep.
“Good morning Mister Miller! Are you looking for something?” she asked in a kind voice.
“Yes, I am!” the man replied. “I’d like to know the whereabouts of my son. Would you please mind telling us where he is?”
“Isaac?” she tried putting on a look of surprise. “He is not at home?”
“No, he has been missing since last night; vanished from his room, I would say. At first I thought he must have been away at some friend’s place watching those wretched football games but then I checked everywhere and he is nowhere to be found. So I have come to you for you are sure to know everything about him. Tell me, where is my son?”
Katie’s parents were out in the backyard, clearing up the mess left behind by last night’s storm. They heard the commotion at their front door and came running out.
“What seems to be the problem?” her mother asked.
“Isaac has been missing since last night,” his mother told her best friend. “We were wondering if Katie knew anything.”
“He has not been here, that is for sure, otherwise we would have known. But it is surely a good idea to ask Katie. Dear, do you know anything?” her mother asked.
Katie wanted to deny having any kind of knowledge of his whereabouts. She wanted to tell the elders gathered in front of her right away that she was totally unaware of where Isaac was, what he was doing and anything that had any kind of association with him. But she could not for that was not the way she had been brought up; telling a lie was not her habit and this time it could be no different.
“He is in Cleveland,” she mumbled softly.
“Cleveland!” everyone around the place exclaimed in unison. “But what is he doing there?”
“He has gone to attend a sports camp for the NFL being organized by the Cleveland Browns,” Katie continued. “He has always dreamt of making it big in the football arena and now Isaac wishes to pursuit his dreams.” Then she went on detailing about how he had applied for the camp after coming across a newspaper advertisement and how his application had been shortlisted. She said that she had wanted him to stay back, but then again, she did not want to be a person inhibiting his dreams. Football was his passion and it was not a good idea to keep him away from it.
“I knew he would be leaving sometime this week but I had no idea that he would do this kind of a disappearing act!” she concluded.
There was silence in the room. Isaac’s father looked towards his wife and then towards Katie and her father.
“I guess then there is nothing that we can do. We hope he will be able to make a name for himself out in the city. May the Almighty be with him! Time to go home now. Thank you so much Katie, thank you for sharing the information with us.”
Katie watched as the Miller’s headed down the street back to their home. She could not believe that Isaac had decided to run away from home in order to fulfill his ambitions.
“I haven’t told my parents of my decision yet because they are sure to protest! But I will do so at the last minute,” he had told her. Apparently, that “last minute” had never really arrived.
“Living the Amish way of life won’t be so easy in a city like Cleveland but I will try my best to uphold the name of the community,” he had told her one evening during the last couple of weeks. “One thing I can assure you of, I will not do anything that will bring shame and disrepute to the Amish community and this is a solemn promise I make in front of you.” Katie could only hope that Isaac would live up to his promise.
“Keep your eyes and ears open, there will come a day when you will get to hear from me. And that day, I will be famous,” these had been the last words Isaac had said to Katie before disappearing to Cleveland. That had been five long years ago. Katie Fischer was still waiting for that glorious moment when her dear Isaac would get in touch with her.
Chapter 10
“Isaac, a word with you, please. Could you come into my office?” the coach of the Cleveland Browns practice squad called out to him. Isaac had just finished his regular training regime with the team and was preparing to leave, but there was no way he could ignore the call of the coach.
“Yes sir, you wanted to see me?” he asked, stepping inside the office.
“Oh yeah, do take a seat!” the man said and offered him a chair.“I am really very happy with the way you've been performing,” the coach said. “Time and time again you have showed your potential and you are sure to go a long way if you keep up with the hard word and perseverance.”
“Thank you sir,” Isaac said, not sure why he was getting this kind of a lecture all of a sudden.
The coach continued, “I think one of the biggest assets that you have at your disposal is pace. Considering that you are playing as a wingback, speed becomes of paramount importance for getting behind the defense of the opponents. That’s how you are going to score. I have also seen your kicking and you really have a good aim there as well. Maybe you have a future playing as an out-and-out forward, but in that case you will have to bulk up a little. For the time being though I would like you to concentrate on your wing play.”
“Sir, pardon me, but have I done any wrong in training today?” Isaac asked.
“Huh? Wrong? In training? No, not a chance! My dear man, you are a rare talent and you can put no foot wrong at the moment. I was talking about something else. Where was I? Oh yes, speed! You are gifted with raw speed. Unfortunately, the Cleveland Browns is lacking in speed at the moment.” He let out a sigh.
Isaac was surprised. The team had one of the most potent wing threats in the league in the form of Taylor Gabriel. “But sir, what about Gabriel?” he asked.
“Injured, nasty one! Suffered a hard tackle in the last game and sprained his ankle. Could be out for a very long time! So the manager has turned his attention toward the practice squad for replacements. He was there for the practice session yesterday and has been mighty impressed by your performance. So brace yourself, you are heading to train with the first teamers tomorrow morning!”
Isaac’s mouth dropped open. “But you can’t be serious! Me? Replacing Taylor Gabriel?” he exclaimed. It seemed almost like something out of a fairy tale for him, getting the opportunity to replace his idol in what would be his debut g
ame for his favorite NFL franchise.
“Every bit serious my good man! I was asked to convey the message to you and I also take this opportunity to put in my congratulations. You are probably going to be the youngest player to represent this team if you get selected for the game.”
That night as Isaac prepared to go to bed in the academy dormitory, he still couldn't believe what had happened in the morning. He had trained tirelessly over the last five years so that he could get to live that very moment. What delighted him more than anything was the fact that his patience and hard work had eventually paid off. He remembered something his father always used to tell him, “Remember son, there is never any substitute for hard work!”
Life had been as hard and difficult as he could have possibly imagined in the last few years. He could never get in touch with anyone back in his hometown because the use of technology was not the Amish way of life and there was not sufficient time for him to sit down and pen a letter back home – he had tried once but found it very difficult to get hold of an envelope and postage stamp. So he had dropped the idea altogether.
From time to time, he would think about home and Katie. The feeling of homesickness would sweep over him and he would often be told by an inner voice that it was time to pack up and go home. Isaac had seen so many of his friends do the same but he did not want to give up. He was this close to glory and did not fancy quitting at the eleventh hour if the last bit of effort could potentially change his life.
He remembered that moment when he told her to keep an eye out for any news regarding him in the newspapers.
“Stay on the lookout and someday you are going to get a whiff of something big about me,” he had said. And now he knew that moment was not too far off.
Chapter 11
In the five years that had passed since Isaac’s departure to Cleveland, Katie had not been able to settle down into a life of her own back in Holmes County. She was still single and refused to marry anyone else, though there had been a large number of suitors for her. She clung on to the last bit of hope she had that one day there would be a reunion with Isaac once again, and only then she would decide to tie the knot. After all, he had made her promise to wait for him and she was not the kind of girl who broke a promise.
Katie believed in him, she believed in Isaac and his ability. She always knew that one day he would make it big in life and before long her belief was repaid.
As Isaac had instructed her before leaving for Cleveland, Katie would wake up every morning and run a cursory eye over the newspaper. Her particular attention would be on the sports section where she would read every single bit about the NFL and all related news. But to her disappointment, the last five years had not thrown up any kind of spectacular news. Then one morning, it appeared.
Katie picked up the newspaper from the front door and carried it to the dining room where the family had gathered for tea and breakfast. The front pages had no special news to harp about, just the buildup to the Presidential election dominating the headlines. She flipped through the pages and he heart skipped a beat when she came across a headline that read: Murder in Cleveland, budding sportsman cleaved to death!
Katie read through the news as she held her breath but it turned out to be a false alarm. She continued through to the sports page. As she turned over to the first page of the sports section, she found the news that she had been waiting for all along. The five-year-long wait was finally over!
Amish boy makes history for Cleveland Browns: Isaac Miller, 26, from the Amish dominated region of Holmes County, Ohio was today called up as replacement for Taylor Gabriel in the Cleveland Browns team. This is a historic moment for this is the first time that an Amish player will be representing any team anywhere in the NFL.
Isaac has been part of the reserve team of the NFL franchise for five years and his impressive performance made it a straightforward decision for coach Hue Jackson to draft in the winger in place of the injured Gabriel. Gabriel is expected to be out for two months with an ankle sprain.
Isaac Miller will be making his debut in this Saturday’s home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“It’s Isaac!” Katie cried out all of a sudden with such a tone of joy and excitement that her mother, sitting next to her, nearly dropped the teapot from her hand.
“What is it child?” she asked.
“Mother, there is news about Isaac! He has been selected to play for the Cleveland Browns and will be making his debut this Saturday!”
She waited for her mother to come up with a reaction but the lady simply went on setting the table out for breakfast. Her father, too, maintained an indifferent look as he munched on his toast. Katie knew she had to act fast.
“Mother, father, I have something to ask of you!” she said.
“Go ahead.”
“I want to go to Cleveland and be present at the stadium when Isaac plays.”
Her father almost choked on his toast. “You want to go to Cleveland? All alone? Are you out of your mind?” he scolded.
“But father, this is the best opportunity I will get to meet him! It has been five long years and if I let go of this opportunity I don’t know when I can meet him again. He is now a professional player and will probably go touring around the country for the upcoming months.” She turned to her mother, “Mom, please you know everything!”
He did not say anything; his wife did not say anything. At that moment, the two of them realized that Isaac was the one and only true love that their daughter had. They could not change her mind and they did not even want to do anything untoward that would put her future in jeopardy. Besides, they were well aware how heartbroken Katie had been all these years after Isaac had left to join the sports camp in Cleveland.
“Okay child, you may go,” her mother said. “Can she not, darling?” she addressed her husband.
“Yes you may, and don’t come back home until you have won the biggest prize that you so deserve,” he said with a wink. “Isaac, I mean!”
Katie broke into tears of joy as a wide smile spread across her face. There were only two days to prepare for the big day and she knew that she did not have any time to waste!
Chapter 12
Katie felt a little overwhelmed at the sight of so many people swarming past her as she made her way into the First Energy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns. Once inside, she was amazed at the sight in front of her. It was a complete sea of orange everywhere she looked. The seats were orange, the bleachers were orange, even most of the fans who were walking in through the gates were dressed in orange suits.
Katie felt a little out of place in her black dress. She moved on and occupied one of the seats in the front row from where she would get a good view of the game.
Soon the players came running out of the tunnel and on to the field. She could not make out which one was Isaac because every one of them wore a helmet that totally covered their head. The game began and she listened patiently to the commentary running inside the stadium to figure out which one of them was the man she was looking for.
“And the ball has been passed to Isaac Miller for the first time. He collects it, dodges past two opponents and…oh my word, look at him go! He’s flying down the field here, move aside fellas steam roller coming through….aanndddd touch down!” the stadium commentator roared into the microphone as the fans roared in celebration.
That moment stayed in her mind for the rest of the game and she was not sure what had happened. Soon the game was over and the players were heading back to their locker rooms, an overjoyed lot. Pittsburgh Steelers, favorites to win the game, had been given a rather nasty thrashing. They had not come prepared to tackle the Brown’s battering ram, Isaac Miller, and were now leaving, nursing their wounds.
Katie hastened down from the stands and made her way towards the player’s locker room. Midway, she was stopped by security personnel.
“Excuse me miss, but you are not allowed to go in there!” the burly man said.
; “Sir could you please call Isaac Miller once?” she pleaded. “Just tell him that Katie Fischer is here, from Holmes County.”
Chapter 13
Isaac was in the locker room with the rest of his teammates, celebrating a wonderful debut game when a security guard walked in. “Excuse me Mister Miller, sorry to interrupt your celebrations but there is a young lady who wants to see you!”
“Tell the fans to come back later, our star is busy right now,” one of the players said.
“It is someone by the name of Katie Fischer from Holmes County, Ohio,” the man concluded.
“Katie?” Isaac cried out in surprise. “What is she doing here?” he dashed outside. He was taken aback to find the young girl standing there in the corridor. She had not changed a bit and looked just as he had last seen her.
“Katie! What a surprise, what brings you here?” he asked.
She smiled at him. “I saw the news in the paper and could not help but come over to watch you play. You were awesome,” she remarked.
“Thank you!” he said and appeared to blush. An uneasy silence prevailed. Isaac knew that this was the moment for him. He went down on one knee in front of her. “Katie, I know you have been waiting for this moment for long and I am sorry to have kept you waiting. Now, may I formally ask if you will marry me?” he said.
She did not say anything but the tears and a smile were enough to convey her emotions.
“Touchdown, again!” one of his teammates called out. They had been watching from the door and could not help but join in the fun.
Katie and Isaac laughed together for the first time in five years and then, for the first time since they had known each other, they kissed. The whole Cleveland Browns locker room broke out into hoots and whistles at the scene. The man-of-the-game for the evening had all of a sudden turned into a man-of-the-moment!