Shadows (Patrick Kane)

(15) Commitment

Sophia

A few days after I send in my application for the sports reporter job I get a call back. We set up a in person interview and now I have to hope that these people are as excited for me being a part of this line of work as Patrick is.

So I pull on a black pantsuit with a light blue blouse. I let my hair stay curly just to let them know from the very beginning that there is no controlling it so this is what's going to be on their network. I do a little bit of makeup and add some perfume before I go to the door. I grab my keys and open up to see Patrick standing there.

"You nearly scared the shit out of me" I say as I place my hand over my fast beating heart.

"Sorry. I just wanted to catch you before you leave for your interview so I can give you these" he claims as he holds up a bouquet of flowers. There was a bunch of pretty colored tulips and honestly was taken aback some. I didn't take Patrick as the flowers kind of guy. And for them not to be some kind of roses, I was kind of impressed.

I smile big as I take them from him.

"Thank you Patrick, you're so sweet" I blush.

"I would tell you good luck but I know you're going to kill it" he insists.

"You have a lot of faith in me" I accuse.

"I do. And it's with good reason. You're going to be awesome" he says as he rests his hand on my shoulder. His touch providing me with a little bit of relief.

"You're the best. We can grab a bite to eat after I'm done with the interview, my treat" I promise.

"Sounds good" he smiles.

So I head to the headquarters and find my way. From what I could tell there was a few other people interviewing too. It was for a few different positions which made me feel a little better about my odds. I wait my turn as I go through the questions they might ask me in a packet they sent over. I've been a part of the TV business before when I was a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader and I know what they're looking for. That's not what I'm nervous about. With a name like Elway people have perceptions of who they think I will be based off my dad and I don't want who I am, rather who I want to be, not be the person they want.

"Sophia Elway" someone says and I look up. I get waved over before taking in a big breath. Here goes nothing.

I walk into the room and they had a fake camera crew set up to do some trial runs and I smile a little. The bright lights and cameras never scared me. I quite enjoyed them actually. When I was little I was a cheeky little bastard. And as I got older I never really stopped.

So we start off with me reading some practice scripts and them recording. Some things will be live so it was important to know if I can read stats and information as we learn about certain situations like injury updates and lineups and stuff too. I feel like I do pretty good on that part before they let me sit down for the real interview. We go over some of the things I would do like research and interviews and I assure them I know how it goes. As the interview wraps up they open up to ask questions and I try my best to give them the real me so they can take it or leave it.

"Why do you want to do this" they asks me.

I laugh a little because I've been asking myself this question a lot the past few days. "I just really love what sports means to so many people. How someone so different than me can find joy in the games I love so much. Growing up I didn't understand why my dad played on the same team for a decade and a half. How he never got bored from waking up every day and doing the same damn thing, over and over again.

But then I realized sports aren't some game, not to the players and not to the fans. As a player they want to give a show to the fans, give us something to tell our kids and our kids kids about. And as a fan they want to know that whoever it is they're rooting for, they wake up and the reason they do the same things over and over again is to make them happy.

As a sideline reporter I can be the bridge between the two. Walk the line between the news story that sells but making sure our athletes are protected too. I've been in this business my whole life. This isn't just the players who make sacrifice but the families too. These guys put their bodies on the line and for what? For glory? For their name on a big metal cup? Once you win it's not the end, it's only the beginning and for a city like this who thrives off their championships, off the guys who made this city their home, they deserve someone who understands from the athlete and from the fans perspective just how much sports mean to this town. And that's all I want to do" I explain.

The man smirks a little before writing something down. They ask a few more questions before I was allowed to leave. I won't know if I got the job until Tuesday which gave me a few days to sit here and wonder. I feel like I did good but who knows at this point. Being a women in this line of work, nothing is guaranteed. I'm damned if I don't get this job and damned if I do. But it would be really cool to work alongside Patrick and my brother. Give the fans a little insight on two of the bright stars of the city and remind them that they're human just like we are.

I text Patrick that I was done and we decide to go to Portillos for dinner. It's the off-season for him and that means junk food is allowed. He's already doing off ice preparations to prepare for next season so it's not like it's gonna kill him. Everyone deserves cheese fries and a cake shake every once in a while. So we grab some food and decide to eat outside where not as many people are.

"I can't explain to you how proud I am" he starts as I roll my eyes.

"I don't even know if I got the job yet" I remind him.

"That's not why I'm proud. I'm proud because you applied in the first place. I know this is hard for you and you're afraid to commit to the wrong things. But I have a good feeling about this" he claims.

"I'm starting to think commitment isn't such a bad thing" I start. He raises his eyebrows assuring me he didn't believe me.

"Really" he asks.

"People change Pat. I change daily. But sometimes it's not so much change as... as a realization. And I realize commitment, attatchment, sometimes we need that in our lives. It gives us purpose beyond what we understand. That's why it's so scary. But maybe we just need to realize in order to change" I shrug.

"I think you might be on to something" he smirks.