O. Henry was famous for his surprise endings. The Ransom of Red Chief was one I read in high school, in which a young boy is kidnapped. But the kid who gets napped was sufficiently naughty that the nappers ended up paying his father to take him back. 

The Gift of the Magi is another that pops up at Christmas time, especially when you are ransacking the stores to find that perfect gift. In the story, two love birds want very much to give one another something uniquely special, and in the process of procuring it surrender their most cherished possession. O. Henry hints that their actions were foolish, but then reneges the criticism and claims that they are wise beyond measure. 

I can only recall reading these two examples of what has become known as an O. Henry ending. But I notice the plot twist when it shows up in real life.

It can be tempting to slide into complacency about how our destiny will play out. This marriage will not change course. These children will keep rolling in the same direction. Habits that are as regular as a dribbling basketball will never speed up or slow down. 

Still there are instances of people who bounce off in an entirely unexpected direction, like one of those toys that came out of a gumball machine. My cousin who was a hard core bachelor got married in his late forties. A friend who was apathetic about religion became deeply spiritual after a near death experience. An alcoholic got sober and became a counselor as a second career. Superman himself was rendered paraplegic and devoted his life to advocating for handicapped children. 

One month before we left California I co lead a workshop at a La Leche League Conference. The title was Large Families and one of the founding mothers joined us. She had eight children as did my co leader. I was the one with a paltry brood of seven. But precisely nine months after that weekend we were blessed with twins which made us the biggest family after all.