My shoes crunched in the snow as I walked up the sidewalk. I was standing outside a familiar one-story home. I have many memories of this place. Most of them were good. The ones that were bad...
...Well, most of them were good, anyway.
Even before I knocked on the door I could smell the pot roast cooking inside. I bet she was preparing that all day today. I told her I wasn't going to be able to stay long. But alas, here I was. On her doorstep. In front of the door I was all too familiar with.
I reached a hand out and knocked on my childhood home.
I could hear the sounds of shuffled movement inside.
There was a car that had peeled off down the road. Catching me by surprise, I turned to take a look. Of course, they were gone. And as I heard the door unlock and open, I turned back to see Josephine Berget. My mother. The years were not kind to her; since the accident that left her in memory care for years, she seemed older than she really was. Still, her emerald eyes still had a shine of youth to them, her red hair fading into a dulled silver. And her smile. Her smile was as warm as always. She ushered me quickly inside, as to not let the cold air in. I closed the door behind me, taking off my jacket and hanging it on the coat stand by the door. "Is Benny joining us?"
"Oh no," my mother replied, clicking her tongue. "He has another gig he forgot to tell me about...or something like that."
"I'm sure he told you, ma," I lectured, having slipped out of my shoes. "But that's okay; we haven't had much time together recently, with just the two of us."
Josephine looked behind her with the kind of look in her eye that would surely frighten a younger child. "And whose fault is that, Dio?" she accused, before breaking her serious expression and laughing lightly. "Oh I know what your life is like, Dio. I am just glad I can be a part of it, even if its in a small way."
I walked over to her a placed a hand on her shoulder. "There is always a place in my life for you, mother," I assured, smiling warmly. She then quickly turned to face me, pulling me into an embrace. There was a second or two of silence as her embrace crushed my bruises. I delicately put my own arms around my mother, returning her hug. We just stood there in silence for a minute, not saying any words, but letting the love we had for each other do all the talking.
Hugs from mom are really the greatest thing in the world.
The roast, as always, was amazing.
I might be biased, though. After all, I know the chef.
I helped my mother out with the dishes before setting the coffee pot and turning the conversation to our lives. She retired from teaching after her memory started failing, and it was around that time that Benjamin offered to help her out while I traveled. I trusted him; after all, he was a long time family friend of ours and his family, while still close to each other, had moved out of the twin cities area, and he was looking to help in any way he could. So through this mutual friendship blossomed a deeper affection for one another. He even took the classy route of asking me for permission. It was fine by me; dad was considered legally dead, even though we really weren't sure where he ended up.
She told me all about their trip to Duluth, as part of a quick honeymoon. "It was wonderful, Dio. Benjamin took me to the Bentleyville lights tour and the Christmas train. I convinced him to drive up to Gooseberry Falls for a little winter hiking, too!"
"You? Talked Benny into hiking?" I asked in disbelief. "The only thing he likes walking is his bass lines!"
"I thought so too, but he told me, 'anything to make you happy,' and off we went! We couldn't stay long, though; the park rangers told us that the hiking trails were iced over and no one was supposed to be out there."
I could only imagine how perilous those trails would become after a solid winter storm. I remember going there for a school field trip once and remembering some of the trails near the Lake Superior shores were pretty narrow. Add ice to that and the fact they were along pretty high up cliffs, and one wrong step would end up with the fall of a lifetime.
"Well, at least Two Harbors was close by," I replied as I refreshed my coffee. "Did you get a chance to go to Castle Danger?"
"We did! Some of Benjamin's friends were playing at the brewery and we stopped in to listen to them on our way back to the hotel." It was nice hearing about my mother's adventures, especially after so many years of waiting for dad to come home. She mostly kept to herself when she wasn't working. And Benjamin being a great partner for her made me happy too. She looked at me from across the table, cupping her hands around her coffee mug. "Dio, is everything okay with you?"
I sighed heavily, perhaps moreso than I needed to. "There is something I've been meaning to tell you...I just didn't want to do it over the phone." I swallowed heavily, clasping my hands together and rubbing my thumb across my index finger. "Do you...do you ever think of dad at all?"
"Well of course I do," she stated matter-of-factly, giving me a quizzical look. "There isn't a day where I don't think of him...even if he did abandon us." She said the word "abandon" with such venom. I knew that the separation was hard on her, but perhaps it was just her letting her worry for dad dissipate. "But your father was still an important man in my life. And I see a lot of his goodness in you, Dio. And while I could never forget your father, Benjamin has cared for me all these years, as a friend and now as my partner. I don't have any regrets...but if there was one thing I could wish for, it would be to see him again, just one more time. I want him to see my happiness and know that his place in my life is gone. And if he wants to come back, he will need to earn it."
Her voice quivered while saying all of that. I looked up and saw her face was wet with tears. I reached across the table and took her hang, squeezing it gently to comfort her. "I wanted to tell you...I'm going to find him. Or at least find out what happened to him." She looked up at me, her eyes red from her crying but also wide, and as she opened her mouth to speak again I squeezed her hand a second time, giving her a moment to pause. "I know I said it before, but I'm going to do it. I also think he should see the life you have now. And if he is actually gone...then we should grieve for him properly. Think of it as a belated wedding present."
Her smile was still warm and her laughter so light that even I started tearing up. "You really are too good to me, Dio. I just hope one day you can tell your children that-"
"Here we go again," I joked, rolling my eyes in an exaggerated way.
"I'm serious!" she played along. "Its about time someone nice came into your life and rein you in a little."
"Speaking of reining in," I said, checking my watch and noting the time, "I forgot that I was going to meet my assistant William downtown for drinks with a friend of his." I let go of her hand and stood up, grabbing my coffee cup and taking as long of a drink as I could before dumping the rest into the sink. "Don't want to keep them waiting, y'know?" I stood behind my mother, placing both hands on her shoulders and giving her a kiss on the top of her head. "Have a good night. Don't wait up too late for Benny; I'll message him and let him know to get home right away."
"You too, Dio," my mother replied. "Be safe, and don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"I promise, ma. No wild shenanigans tonight."
I know what you all are thinking. "Well well well. Dionysus, XWF's newest loudmouth, was dismissed from the tournament by the obviously better opponent. Surely, since he failed, he will slink back to wherever he came from."
But tell me this; where have I failed? Sure, I am no longer in the running, but look at what my first match is that does not revolve around a tournament. People who look to flee are not usually handed an offering of gold for the taking, and it is gold that I am pursuing now. That is, with no doubt, due to my efforts in the March Madness tournament. So yes; while I was unsuccessful in claiming victory, upon reflection, the fact I made it as far as I did is an excellent secondary goal. Granted, this would have been done even with the victory. That said, all credit where credit is due; Barney, Mark and Ned were excellent tests for me to see where I would land "when/if" I would be eliminated.
And that brief, yet accurate, summary of events is what led me to stare at the Television Championship...and the woman holding that title for the time being, Dolly Waters.
A keen eye will note that I did not imply that Dolly is a placeholder champion, though given the way it has played hot potato for the last several months, I can see where such an implication can be derived. But rather, her reputation and prestige speak for itself. Many would look at the tale of the tape and see the obvious size disadvantage and think "this is surely a favorable matchup for Dionysus." But I would advise caution, for it is thoughts like this that allow one to ease into a contest and make a dire mistake. I have found that size in these matters is irrelevant, and ability is what makes the difference.
...Boy can't I wait to see how that sentence ends up being twisted.
See, my concern at the moment is less about Dolly's ability as competition for me. After all, I prefer a challenge over a sweep. What does concern me is the unknown. The ability to choose your own match stipulation as a champion surely is a great boon to have. And it isn't as though Dolly is stupid; she can also see the size difference and, being the champion, can decide on a stipulation that puts me at a disadvantage based on that size difference. So you can see the conundrum I am in; I am facing off against a decorated champion in a match which the rules have yet to be established, with less prep time for said match than the champion herself. And yet, I welcome it. Part of it is because I run headlong into the unknown just to see what happens. Hell, I wouldn't have ended up here if I didn't take the risk.
But the other part is that ultimate satisfaction of beating someone at their own game. The look of utter disbelief as their best laid plans are ripped to shreds at their feet. It is like having a friend visit you with a board game they created. they go over the rules with you, they get a few cheeky moves in to really rub it in your nose, and then, out of the blue, you manage to find a janky way to pull ahead and win the game. That slack-jawed expression of incomprehensible frustration is a fun reward on its own. So yes, while I have reservations on what precisely Dolly is going to choose, I'm planning on making the most of it. After all, with gold on the line, my goal should be to win. And make no mistake; I do fully intend to win this contest. Why? Well I have the one advantage that Dolly doesn't have anymore.
Consistency in character.
You all have seen her metamorphosis from good-natured person to utter cretin these past few weeks. Hell, she even went to underhanded tactics to get my friend Blondie eliminated from the March Madness tournament. Now I can understand being deceptive and duplicitous when the need arises, but to what end? Charles still saw himself exited from the tournament, along with yourself. Was your pride so wounded from your loss that you were incapable of assisting Charles in his next bout? ...No, I believe you had your use of Nickels and left him to flounder. After all, why help a partner if it means you yourself are at a disadvantage afterward, right? That must be the logic you were using.
See, you and I have gone through similar struggles. The feeling of doing everything right, doing everything on the straight and narrow, and having that feeling of not moving anywhere. The rut that we end up walking in can be oppressive, and a desire for change hangs above us, close enough that we can almost reach, but far enough away that it takes effort to climb out. The difference is, I still believe being a good person has its rewards in the end. You chose to abandon that life for the more convenient route of selfishness. What many fail to realize when they reach this path, however, is that there is no guarantee that you are happier as a result. In fact, by casting aside your entire being and starting completely anew, those relations you have built in the past will also grow to resent you for your choices.
...Ahh, but I feel you also pay no heed to those who you tread underfoot.
It is this lack of consistency that has plagued the Television title since...well, since my arrival. First Ned Kaye, the man I stood toe to toe with in a fairly even match-up last Warfare lost it to Chris Page. He, in turn, dropped the title to Jenny Myst. And now you, Dolly, are holding this coveted prize, hoping to hold a reign longer than the span of a sneeze. And certainly I will not go far out of my means to ensure this does not come to pass. But you must understand, Dolly, that history can teach us quite a bit about not only the past, but future events as well. A cycle of champions card after card after card, with nary an ounce of consistency for nearly a year. Who can XWF trust to maintain any semblance of order in the area of contendership for the Television title?
...I might offer up a suggestion.
How about a new arrival? The one who has maintained a consistent record of excellent performances. The one whose name is spoken of in dirt sheets and rumor mills across the business. The one who, while ultimately falling in the end, went further in the March Madness tournament than anyone ever expected. Indeed; I, The Lord of the Vine, Dionysus, will meet your challenge and stipulation head on, and walk out of March Madness as the next Television Champion.
And when I do, The Revelry will begin.
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