MVP
Table of Contents
Author’s Note
Chapter 1—Well Loved
Chapter 2—Old Soul,
Young Spirit
Chapter 3—‘It’s My
Anxiety’
Chapter 4—Go, Give it
Your All !
Chapter 5—What It’s
All About
Epilogue
Authors Note: Back
in February I had a lucid dream which I felt would make a tremendous episode of
Ted Lasso. Long time ago, I wanted to
actually be a part of the show, since it is one of my favorite programs that
has really permeated my thinking, writing, and ultimately changed my
mindset. I am much like Ted with hints
of Roy, struggling with trauma like Jaime and Nate. This show has hit on so many experiences
that I am having in my adult life that I feel privileged to share it with
others in hopes that it can also heal and repair them. The world needs more Teds.
‘What a blessing to be imperfect and human, to get hurt
and keep moving.’—some lyrics from Anees’ ‘Moving On’
‘I’m doing something different this time. I flipped the script.’—FF to Jolene, ‘Stone
Ocean, Episode 13’
‘You know times are peculiar when I find things like this
intriguing.’—Adam the Woo (commenting on microwave pizza from his celebration
of life on YouTube)
‘A hundred bad days made a hundred good stories. A hundred good stories make me interesting at
parties. Yeah, no, I ain’t scared of
you. No, I ain’t scared of you no more.’—lyrics
to AJR’s ‘A Hundred Bad Days’
‘We are the salt and light. We are the beacon burnin’. We are the fire bright, a city on a hill.’—lyrics
from Rend Collective’s ‘Salt and Light’
Chapter 1—Her Biggest Fan
Grace
Gerard was the Lady Greyhounds finest footballer. She was living her dream, playing soccer,
and competing against other teams all across the United States. She was an immigrant who had been adopted
by parents who couldn’t have children on their own but loved and supported her
although they would never understand football the way she did. Her parents, Mickey and Peg, had grown up
being stricken by March Madness. Mickey
himself had played basketball and was actually still excellent in his follow-through,
but he only coached rather than playing himself. He felt a little bad coaching since it took
him out of seeing Grace play, but he always cheered for her on the
sidelines. Peg was more creative and
nurtured Grace’s musical talent.
Outside of the arena in Kansas, she often painted, sang, and made
clothes for impoverished people that she donated to every thrift in her neighborhood
when she had free time. She had become
such a force of magnitude that a lot of people looked up to her, including one Zion
DeMarcus.
Chapter 2—Old Soul, Young Spirit
Zion DeMarcus
had always been sought after in his community because he had been a big brother
to many but had always been an only child.
The phrase ‘hard luck’ had always come up but strangely, Zion had never
thought of it that way. Though he was a
pragmatist he had a contagious optimism.
He knew what to do and what to say but that had come from growing up in
struggle. His fortune had changed and
he could help others, never once worrying about himself or others. However, he had to admit there were moments
he felt lonesome in a crowd of people.
This was why he loved conventions, themed cruises, amusement parks, abandoned
places out in nature and, of course, soccer.
The
Lady Greyhounds would be facing the Honey Badgers. Against the two teams, both were formidable
and they had some of the best stats across the board. To many, the Badgers were the obvious heavy hitters,
but no one would be cheering for them except for the wild fans that had come to
cheer their team on to what they perceived as their fated victory. Zion was coming for the Greyhounds, and he
wanted to see Grace again. The two of
them had experienced passing glances and a gossamer connection that felt like an
exhilarating shock to their systems. Neither
of them wanted to admit it but over the course of time, as fleeting as it was,
they were smitten with each other.
Chapter 3—‘It’s My Anxiety’
In the locker
room, Grace did her best not to let anyone else know that her nerves were strangling
her. It had become difficult for her to
breathe. She felt the room pressing in
on her, even though it was open and all of her teammates were gregarious and
adding levity to the weight of the match against the Honey Badgers.
Ted too
had much weighing on his shoulders since he had returned to his hometown. Expectations were high and he struggled with
expectations, but he followed the advice of his therapist. He had to admit, however, that he still had
the jitters. It was to be expected.
Grace never
nibbled on her fingers, but she had found herself picking her skin. She was freaking out any of her fellow
players would find out but Ted caught her pacing.
‘Hey,
where’s the fire, Grace ?’, he asked her.
Grace kept her tears back, sucked in a breath but then came clean. Ted placed his hands upon her shoulders and
looked her straight in the eyes.
‘Pregame
jitters ? I have them every single
time. Knowin’ ma is gonna be here too,
well that just makes me feel like a long-tailed cat in a room full o’ rocking
chairs.’, Ted said, honestly. In spite
of herself, Grace actually laughed.
‘It’s
more than that, Ted. Everyone counts on me. For some odd reason, I feel like my kindred
soul is out there in that arena, too. I’ve
seen him before, but only by passing glances.’, Grace admitted. The other players were motivating each other
and overheard her but knew better to let
Ted oversee this situation in his usual way.
‘Do you
know his name yet ?’, Ted questioned.
Grace gulped.
‘No, I
haven’t had time to ask. I’m horrified
of the probability of rejection.’, she said.
These were words Grace had never thought they would emit from her
mouth. She had always been so
confident, self-assured, and bold.
Nothing frightened her but she couldn’t bring herself to talk to a
complete stranger who just happened to be a complete and total babe.
‘I know
how you feel. I remember hearing
something once, but I forget who said it.
What’s meant for you will send for you.
Sounds a bit Confucian, truly, but
I figure the good Lord will sort it all out.’, Ted said.
Grace
found her tendons rebelling and her knees locking. She could’ve kicked herself for her doubt
and paralyzing guilt. There was no
reason for her body to defy her since she had been practicing and training all
week, right alongside her teammates.
Ted unorthodoxly embraced her, holding her for about a minute or
so. Tears ran down her face. No one else on the team saw her cracking
under pressure, but this unconditional act of agape was exactly what the doctor
had ordered. This was enough for her
to come back to the huddle, be encouraged to be an encouragement and play no
matter what the outcome.
Chapter 4—Go, Give it Your All !
Back in
the locker room, Grace jogged ahead of Ted with buoyancy. Of course, the jumbled nerves were
still there, and her cortisol was still spiked but she was calm, cool, and
collected. The outcome of the game didn’t
matter. The thrill of being out
on in the yard with her friends was what spurred her on.
‘I realize
all of us are a little pent up. Heck, I
can imagine we’re wound tighter than Swiss Rolexes at this moment. Forget the crowds and imagine that you’re
going out there on a Saturday. The area’s
empty and it’s just you, your friends, the ball, and the goal. Each of you has a talent but we all carry
each other. Whatever the outcome, I’m
cheering for you and I know you’ve all got this, ladies ! Go, give it your all ! BELIEVE !’, Ted said, exuberantly.
Some of
the team members had gotten a little choked up by the rousing speech Ted had
given. Ted flashed a bit of a wink at
Grace as if to say, ‘even if your guy isn’t out there, have fun ! You can do it.’
Chapter 5—What It’s All About
It was
an excruciating game against the Honey Badgers. Their star footballer was driven, focused, pristine,
and almost flawless. It was as if the
fear and mixture of astroturf and sweat gave her a predatory advantage. The only thing she didn’t count on was
dodging Grace’s counters. Grace was
fleeter of foot and had moves akin to a modern-day break dancer in her
fluidity. Watching her play was absolutely
poetry in motion. The lights made her
glisten in the loathsome Kansas summer heat, but she and the team hydrated
without taking any cue from Ted. All
Ted and Coach Beard did was cheer louder than anyone else out in the
arena.
Meanwhile,
back in foggy London, Nate tuned in and turned on the television with his girlfriend
to watch the game. He would’ve been
there if he could’ve been, but he was texting him from afar, impressed with how
well the Lady Greyhounds were doing.
It was
a match won by the skin of the teeth of the Greyhounds, but the Honey Badgers
had come within a hair’s breadth of winning.
Their lead player, Maya Beck, was formidable. Like Grace, she had been adopted and
suffered many of the same slings and arrows that Grace had growing up. Strangely, she accepted her defeat but
vowed,
‘You
ain’t seen nothin’ yet, Gerard. Next
time, you won’t be so lucky. I guarantee
you that.’
‘That’s
grand because I love challenges.’, Grace returned with a sparkle in her
smile and a glint in her eye. She wasn’t
certain if this woman was a friend or enemy, but it was obvious that the two
had a mutual respect for each other that was almost reverent.
Epilogue
After the
game Zion caught up with Grace. She was
still wearing her kit from the game and hadn’t had time to change, but Zion
didn’t care. Whatever clothes she had
on made her look even more lovely. The
two had a chance to walk and talk together, realizing how much they had in
common. Grace took Ted’s advice to ‘be
authentic’. She didn’t’ allow the
critic in her mind to take control of the narrative. Grace and Zion were friends now, but who
knows what lay ahead for them. Only
time will tell, but it seemed that everything was beginning to fall into favor
for Grace.
The
End
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