When we last left off…
After taking a few deep breaths, I go around and grab the glasses from the others, walking them into the bathroom to empty and rinse them out. As I finish rinsing, I hear the room door open and shut onto the lock again…
EM: Chris man, seriously, it’s all good!
I walk out of the bathroom while drying the last glass with my head down, before looking up and being stunned to the point of dropping the glass on the floor (thank God for carpet).
Unknown Visitor: It’s been a while, Elijah…
////////////////////////////////////////
EM: Either you planned this, or what just happened before you walked in was just an AMAZING coincidence!
I motion to the cameraman that it’s okay to show the unannounced visitor that has arrived, and it’s… a former XWF Hart and Television Champion, who has been continuing to run his own wrestling school that he opened during his in-ring career… “The X Effect” Brian Cady!!
BC: I have no clue what you are talking about, so we’ll go with amazing coincidence.
EM: I don’t believe a fucking word of that, but I’ll move past it.
I place the hand towel and glass on the end table near me and give Brian a hug. I take a seat on the couch while motioning to him where the alcohol is located, with Brian take a look at the selection.
EM: So… what brings you to Honolulu on this fine afternoon?
BC: Oh don’t worry about that right now, let’s focus on you for the moment…
Brian grabs the bottle of Crown Royal to inspect it quick, before pouring himself a Crown and Ginger Ale. Once he’s finished, Brian grabs his glass and sits down in the love seat to my left.
BC: So tell me, brother… how does it feel to finally be back on the road after your little hiatus there?
EM: Well, now that I have my house unpacked and properly furnished, I feel a lot less stressed out than I was moving into the new place.
BC: Yeah congrats on that, I remember how much you’ve wanted to move into that area, even going back to the first days we met and trained together. It’s been a long time since those times.
EM: Yeah, we’ve certainly come a long way since that storage space you rented out initially for your training ring.
BC: Wow man yeah, those were the days when things felt a lot simpler and low key. Now, if you don’t have state of the art everything, you might as well not even bother trying to get into the training business.
EM: I kinda relate to what you’re saying - no matter what you do, there won’t be any success if you can’t be fluid with the times and learn how to evolve, otherwise you’ll become a dinosaur and fade into the sunset real quick.
BC: And that’s why I handled things the way I did in the end and left my career when I did, go out on my own terms instead of having my body or doctors force me to hang things up before I was ready. I made an action plan, I executed it and then I hung up the boots to focus on the school and train fools like you.
Both guys share a nice laugh about Brian’s last statement and Brian takes a nice sip of his beverage.
EM: I’ve gotta say, I look back at those training days sometimes and I will always appreciate the time and effort you put into pushing me for better every time I stepped into that ring. It may have been tough as hell, but it’s the tough that made it great.
BC: Thanks man, just tried to pay it forward… but enough about the old days, let’s get into the nitty gritty of why I’m here.
EM: I’m all ears, let it out.
BC: (after another sip) Well Elijah, I’m here to give it to you straight like I always do, because I feel like I would be doing you an injustice if I did this any other way. So, to be direct and to the point… I know you’re not okay and I also know WHY you’re not okay.
EM: (while laughing) Okay man, have a few more sips of that Crown and Ginger, because you are nuts!
BC: Nah man, I can see it right thru you and I can even hear it in the insecurity of your voice just now. I had been keeping an even closer eye on you than usual the last couple of months. I’ve always been getting updates on you occasionally from the old crew I ran with in XWF, just to make sure you weren’t doing anything really stupid. But after something I saw a couple months ago, I knew I had to take matters into my own hands and keep watch on you with my eyes and ears.
EM: Oh, well please tell me Master… what the fuck did I do that made you concerned about my career and my well being?
BC: It has absolutely nothing to do with ANYTHING you did involving wrestling.
I sit there for a few moments to think in silence about what in the actual fuck Brian could possibly be referencing, until suddenly…
EM: Nope, nah… no fucking way, we ain’t gonna psycho analyze me about that bitch.
BC: Listen E, you can’t sit there and tell me that breaking up with Lexi didn’t you fuck you up at all.
EM: Brian, we ain’t doing this.
BC: Well if not now Elijah, when the fuck is it ever gonna be a good fucking time?! The quicker you get this shit out of your head and talk about it with someone, the easier it’s gonna be for you to get back to being your old self… A CHAMPION!!
I sit there in complete silence, doing some heavy breathing as if I’m ready to explode like a volcano.
BC: Come on man, you’ve been a little brother to me for all these years… just give me SOMETHING that we can build up from.
EM: I STILL FUCKING LOVE HER, DAMN IT!!
I instantly feel a pain that I can’t describe and bring my hands up to cover my face, as Brian just sits there in shock. After a few seconds of collecting myself, I lower my hands to reveal a couple tears slowly crawling down my cheeks.
EM: She was the one, B… and I pushed her away because I was scaring myself with how much I was in love with her. And no matter what I say or do, that love is never going to disappear. She made me a better man, which in turn made me a better wrestler. And don’t give me any bullshit about how there are always more fish in the sea, because I found my person and I fucked it all up by being a scared little bitch.
Brian just continues sitting there, as he takes a nice size sip of his drink again.
EM: So there, you’re the first person to get it out of me.. not even Page or any of the CCPE boys have a clue about that. I hope you feel accomplished, ya prick.
BC: Yes and no, man… yes because I have always loved getting one up on Page… but no because I don’t like seeing a brother in pain like this. Is there anything I can do in order to help?
EM: Honestly, this is what I needed… the ability to just acknowledge it out loud to someone, just to make sure I didn’t sound like a total idiot.
BC: Yeah dude of course, and you don’t sound like an idiot at all… you sound like a dude who was confused about how to handle his first true love, and now you are dealing with regret about the way you acted. But for now, you’ve got a busy schedule over the next few weeks, so there’s only one thing you can do.
EM: And what’s that, boss?
BC: WIN… EVERYTHING!!
EM: Everything?!
BC: EVERY-THANG!!
I motion for the camera operator to come closer and focus just on me…
EM: Money Oswald, you need to know that the version of Elijah Martin that is stepping into the center of Hill Valley Town Square ain’t the same guy you’ve watched spiral into madness since I lost the Anarchy Championship back in late March. Nah man, this is gonna be the uncontrollable, unbeatable, undeniable, fire breathing SON OF A BITCH… that made the XWF HIS BITCH from last year’s Relentless until I lost that Anarchy Championship. I’ll see you in Hollywood, ya cunt!
The camera zooms back to show me and Brian standing up to share a hug, before fading to black.
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