”Daaaaaaad!?” Frankie called from somewhere in the house.

”My bathroom!” I hollered back as I was fixing my hair.

Today was a big day.  It was the first formal public date for Frankie and Penny, and it was also my first formal public date with Lucy Wylde. Kinda cool that it was sort of a double date.  While I'm certainly not dressed in my absolute best, I am dressed well for the themed occasion.  The XWF charity ball at Radio City Music Hall was something I've been looking forward to for months.  That anticipation only grew once I started dating Lucy.

”I can't get this stupid tie,” Frankie said as he entered my bathroom.

”You look good,” I encouraged him.  He smiled slightly and took a seat on the closed lid of the toilet as I started helping him with his tie.  ”I'm sure Penny will love that she has a hot date.”

”Oh my godddd why do you say those things?” he laughed as he asked.  ”It always makes me cringe!”

”Yeah, that's why I say them,” I laughed.  ”Let's talk about some things, okay?”

For the better part of this year, I've sorta let Frankie run a little wild.  I allowed him to use me for his own vengeance and I have to stop him.  It was a mistake on my part to allow him such freedom.  Letting him claim control over those that hurt him is important, but I failed at also teaching him restraint.

”I dropped the suit against your mom,” I informed him.

”Why the hell would you do that!?” he asked somewhat angrily.

”Because we don't use money and influence to put those less fortunate in a damn stranglehold.”

”This is bullshit,” he said quietly.  ”You said you'd do whatever I wanted and now you're goin’ back on your word.  You said…

”I said a lot of things, Frankie.  But your mom doesn't have that kind of money to give if she were to lose,” I argued.

”That's kind of the point!” he protested.  ”You're not the only one she left.”

”I know and I'm sorry,” I replied.  ”But while I still believe getting revenge on people that betray you is important, it's equally important to show restraint and not do the things, you're fully capable of doing.”

”But why?” he asked as I sat on the edge of the bathtub.

”Mercy,” I told him plainly.  ”Just because we can, doesn't mean we should.”

Frankie sighed as he straightened his tie and leaned back against the toilet tank.

”Like fat girls in yoga pants,” he finally said.

”...what?” I asked with a laugh.

”Just because they could, don't mean they should,” he smiled.

”That's a little mean but, yeah something like that.  I guess that's one way to look at it.”

---

Barney Green, welcome back to relevance.  No, I don't mean by joining CU:LT wrestling or by winning their New World Championship.  Winning gold in an irrelevant promotion isn't what brought you back to the table.

It was me.

It was the moment I laid out the open challenge.

It was the moment you dragged your big ass from the depths of mediocrity.

It was the moment you stepped beneath the lights of Warfare.

That's what made you relevant again, Barney.  But unfortunately for you, I don't plan on losing on the biggest stage beneath the brightest of lights.

See, Relentless is my show.  I don't just excel on that stage, I go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure every man woman and child gets the value back on every penny they spent on the show.

Why?

Because I can.

I'll go on record though, and thank you.  Not for comin’ home, but for stepping up when I know stairs, at your age and maybe your size, are a problem for you.

We danced before, you and I.  It seems like a decade ago but once upon a time Barney, you were a dream opponent.  Not because of your technical skills, because you have none.  It wasn't because you aren't a submission specialist because I'm not even sure if you know a submission hold.

You were a dream opponent then, and I welcome the chance to relive that dream today, because of your brutality.  Make no mistake that whatever you lack in actual in ring ability and in the win column of your record, you more than make up for with toughness, viciousness, and brutality.  I've always admired that about you.

See, the problem is, I have this idea in my head that I want to get back in the ring more often and I fear that since I stay out of the ring, people might forget just what I'm capable of.  They forget my toughness.  They forget just how vicious I can be.

Barney, they look at you and they know what you're about when that bell rings.  They look at me, and they forget what I’m capable of because I stay pretty. They forget because I'm ruggedly handsome with a billion dollar smile.  They don't look at me and see toughness.

That's always been an asset.  See, they look at me and on the surface, I'm just a family man rich boy from New York.

Then the bell rings.

And they see the competitor in me.

And they feel that toughness first hand.

And they feel the aches and pains that I no doubt give them by the end of it all.

I may live a posh life, but that doesn't mean I can't get down and dirty with the most downtrodden and dirtiest of us all.

Barney, you know what I'm capable of.

So now I will thank you for coming home and reminding everyone just what it means to face the Lionheart.

---

”Dad?” he called out again, causing me to look at him.  ”Can we talk some more?”

”Absolutely,” I replied as my heart grew.

”There's more things I wanna talk about,” he informed me.

”You know the drill, kid,” I reminded him.  ”I'm always down to talk about whatever you wanna talk about.”

”Even sex?”

”’Cept that,” I laughed.

”Well tough,” Frankie insisted.  ”That's what I wanna talk about.”

”But whhhhyyy?” I asked.

”Me ‘n’ Penny been together like a year and I'm curious,” he answered truthfully.

Emitting a sigh, I almost remembered too late where I was sitting and attempted to lean back.  Frankie snorted as he laughed while I nearly fell into the bathtub.

”You're not even 14,” I said once I gathered myself.  ”You're not ready yet.”

”How do you know that?” he asked.

I've had many adult conversations with this boy over the years.  This one, I'm not remotely ready for.  I understand growing up and hormones and changes to bodies and more specifically, changes to body parts, and other things of that nature, but I find it difficult to look at him and not still see the innocent and adorable 9 year old boy that I met four years ago.

”Because you're not mature enough to make that decision yet and neither is Penny,” I argued calmly.  ”Besides that, if you did do something with Penny, Kat would kill me.  And after she was done with me she'd kill you next.

“You didn't yet… right?”

Frankie sat quietly and cocked a half smile at me.

”Francis Robert!?”

”I'm kidding!” he revealed as he busted up laughing.

”Frankie,” I said as I dramatically clutched my chest.  ”This is exactly how I know you're not mature enough yet to handle that responsibility.”

”What do you mean?” he asked.  ”It was just a joke.”

”That's my point,” I insisted.  ”It's all fun and games in here when we're just talking about it.  But it's a huge responsibility.  It's a serious subject and isn't something to laugh about.”

”It's fun though right?” he asked.

God dammit.

”I just mean if it wasn't, then people wouldn't do it, right?”

”Frankie, imma level with you, I really don't know how to answer that question.”

”Honestly,” he replied way too quickly.

I really hate when he's right.

”It's only fun because we're aware of the risks, because two consenting adults who truly care about each other want to share themselves with each other.  It's only that way between two people who are fully aware of what their bodies are telling them,” I paused, praying like hell to a God that I don't even believe in, that he was understanding what I was saying.

”My body tells me every day,” he argued.

”Uggghhhhhh, god.” I might regret this.  ”What do you mean?”

”When I wake up,” he began.  ”Randomly in school, randomly at home, all hours of every day. When a slight breeze picks up.

“It's literally all the freakin’ time.”

”Frankie, I hate to break it to you,” I couldn't help but smile.  ”That won't ever stop.  And that doesn't mean what you think it means.”

”Then what does it mean?”

”Most of the time it doesn't mean anything at all,” I informed my aspiring protege.

”What about the other times?”

”Well for now, I know you know how to take care of that yourself,” I joked but only sort of.

”Daaaad,” he pleaded as his face turned red.

”Look at me,” I said as I leaned forward.  Placing my hands on his knees, I waited until he looked me in the eyes.  ”Buddy it's not what's in your pants that tells you when it's time okay?

“It's what's in here,” I paused as I placed my palm on his chest.  ”That's what tells you when it's time.

“Please tell me you understand that.”

”I do,” he replied.  ”It also makes sense that you were a big slut.”

You little shit.  Leaning away from him, I feigned taking offense.

”Your weiner had a louder voice than your heart,” Frankie concluded.

”Can we not talk about my weiner?” I joked.

”But I'm right, right?”

”It's considerably more complicated than that,” I admitted willingly.  ”At least that's what my shrink tells me.  But, in a nutshell, yeah.

“You're right.

“Please.  Frankie, I beg you to use me as your cautionary tale.  What I was doing was wrong.  I don't want that for you.  You don't want that for you.”

”I will,” he replied.

”Promise me something,” I began in conclusion.  ”When your heart starts talkin’ and tellin’ you it's time, that we'll have this conversation again.”

”Okay,” he answered quickly.

”Give me your word, Francis,” I insisted.

Saying nothing, he extended his right hand toward me.  I extended mine back, but stopped short.

”Wait, you didn't just…”

”Dad!” he laughed.

”I'm glad we have these talks,” I said as I shook his hand then ripped him into a tight hug.  Normally, he'd fight me on it.  Today, he just hugged me back.

”As uncomfortable as they are sometimes, I always want you to be able to come to me about anything.”

”Dad,” he said with a muffled voice as his face was squeezed into my chest.  ”You're messing up my hair.”

---

So why did you leave?  You said for years that the XWF was home, but I question whether or not that's actually true.

See, I don't normally like to condemn other promotions, but how in the hell did you, Barney Green, ascend to such great heights in CU:LT if they weren't the irrelevant promotion that I claimed they were?

Barney Green.

World Champion.

And I don't mean to criticize your talent, but I can't help myself.  Here you are doing the world of professional wrestling a massive favor by helping me remind them all just what the fuck I'm capable of and I repay you by calling out your in ring prowess.

See, that's why it's inside Hell in a Cell.  I hate to bang the drum and remind you or anyone else just how good I am between those ropes but you and I know, and so does the rest of the world, that if this match at Relentless were a traditional wrestling match, I'd wipe the mat with you.

I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with your style.  What I'm saying is, if this were traditional, then you just couldn't keep up.  So, consider me putting this match inside a cell as a big sign of respect.  Throwing out traditional professional wrestling rules gives you the chance to do something you couldn't do otherwise.

Beat me.

I mean, he won't, but at least I was a gracious enough host to CU:LT's World Champion that I gave him a fighting chance to somehow do what he's never done in the history of his long career… beat a legitimate main event talent.

---

”Fine,” I relented and let him go.  He leaned away as he fixed his hair.  ”You gonna fix your unibrow, too?”

Frankie sat motionless and I watched with a silent and stoic pleasure as the color drained from his face.

”I don’t have a unibrow,” he said quietly and with much more than just a hint of denial.

”Come here,” I said as I stood up and faced the vanity mirror.  ”It’s faint, but it’s there.”

”Nooo,” he said quietly as he leaned in closer and closer to look at the light but darkening hair over his nose connecting one eyebrow to the other.  ”No, no, no, this can’t BE!!”

And people say I’m dramatic.

I mean, I am but still.

”What the hell am I gonna do!?” he asked in a panic as he turned to face me, then started panicking.

”Relax,” I laughed.  Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but I kind of enjoyed sending him into a cosmetic crisis.

”What the hell do you mean relax!?” he asked as he got in my face.  ”I have one eyebrow and nobody even told me!”

”Well, with only one eyebrow, far fewer girls are gonna wanna…”

”You’re not helpinnnng!”

”Good.  You’re far too young for me to be your wingman anyway,” I joked but only sorta while I pulled an electric trimmer from the drawer.  ”Calm down and come here.”

Frankie looked at me, then at the trimmer as I turned it on, then at me before stepping forward.

”Please don’t make them crooked,” he pleaded.

”Oh, is it them already?”

”Dad,” he sighed.  ”I hate you so much right now.”

With one quick little pass, his one brow became two again.

”Maybe, but Penny will have the best looking guy at the ball,” he smiled.

He was out of the bathroom as soon as he could be.  I finished fixing my hair and intended to follow him shortly, but…

”Hey dad?” he called from my room.

”Yeah?” I answered, my voice garbled by floss.

”Did you see this?” he asked.

”See what?” I asked in response as I poked my head through the doorway.

Frankie didn't answer, but he sat on the edge of my bed with the nightstand drawer almost all the way out and reading what appeared to be a letter.  He has a watch inside that table that his mom always kept for him.

”What’s that?” I asked as I left the bathroom and joined him on the edge of my bed.

”Wait,” he said under his breath.  ”Did you know about this?” he asked and handed me what he was reading.

Looking it over, scanning rather than reading it completely, I was a bit confused.

”I never saw this before,” I replied as I finished.

”It was taped under my watch,” Frankie said quietly.

”It doesn't change anything,” I tried to reassure him.

”How not?” he asked.  ”It proves that the letter she put out in public was bullshit.”

When Lauren left, she left a scathing letter behind.  No one and nothing was safe from her wrath.  Not even my kids.

”Because she still left,” I answered honestly.  ”She broke the rules we set when we got married.  Frankie, I love your mom.  But it'd take a hell of a lot more than a nice letter to put things back.”

”Good,” he replied coldly.

In my haste to let him down easy, I kind of forgot just how hurt he really was when she left him.  Her making that letter public was just icing on the cake.  She could've said anything she wanted about me.  But Frankie?  An orphaned boy that chose her to be his mother?  A couple of 3 year old kids that only ever knew her as mom and loved her as such?

And it's not just simply hurt.  It's anger.  It's a feeling of betrayal.  That doesn't just go away with a few nice words.

”Lucy will be here soon,” he said as he stood and started to walk away.

”Frankie,” I said as I grabbed his wrist and pulled him back onto the bed. He stumbled and landed back first across my thighs and just… remained there. ”What do you think of her?”

”Mom?”

”Lucy,” I corrected.

”Ummmmmm,” he paused and stalled to gather his thoughts.  ”I wanted to hate her at first.”

I do admire this kids honesty.

”How come?” I asked as he leaned off of me.

”Because I looked at her like a reminder that mom left,” he admitted.

”And now?”

”I like her,” he began.  ”She's really nice and she really likes you.”

”You think so?” I smiled.

”She makes you laugh, smile, other things I don't wanna think about,” he laughed.  ”Lucy makes you happy again, Dad.  It's hard to hate that.”

”I'm proud of you,” I admitted to the boy.  ”That's a very grown up answer.”

”Grown up, huh?”

I just knew I was gonna regret that word choice.

”She'll be here soon,” he says, figuratively dropping one foot before the other.  ”Think I could pull the Buick out of the garage?”

”Sure, why not?”

I barely started my answer and he was already bolting for the door.  It's a 1958 Buick Special, to be precise.  He's loved that car since he first put eyes on it a few months ago.  He's claimed it for prom, claimed it for inheritance.

He likes to remind me of our miniscule Age difference.  He likes to tell me that when I'm 70, he'll already be pushing 60.  What he's doing is hinting that he wants his inheritance early.  I haven't told him, but I'm happy to oblige.  When he graduates college, he can have the car.  I'd give the entire world to this kid if I could.  It's already his.

I'm just living in it.

---

It should be studied, really.  The amount of promotions that rise and ultimately fall in quick succession.  I remember places like Project: Honor and Level Up and yes, even CU:LT.  They'd rise seemingly from nowhere and in six months, a year, maybe two if they're lucky… they're gone and fading from memory.

25 years.

For 25 years the XWF has defied the odds and beat expectations.  In no small part, thanks to the blood that runs through my veins.

I remember CU:LT specifically.  I remember them coming up.  I remember them having legitimate main event worthy names like Johnny Bacchus. A man that once held that title you now possess, Barney Green.  Names like Serenity Holmes and Driftwood.

And again, you, Barney Green.

That can only mean one thing and that's just how close they are to succumbing to their own demise.  I mean you no ill will, Barney.  I don't mean to belittle that company but when you are their world champion, what choice do I really have?

I mean, I guess congratulations are in order, huh?  The promotion may be breathing its final breaths, but at least you climbed to the top of their mountain.  At least you added a world championship to your resume before they close and you ultimately slink on back home, right?

I mean, I get it. This ocean here in the XWF it's far too deep.  It's way over your head.  But I'll do you and them a favor when I beat you.  I will hold the New World Championship high.  I will display it for the world to see on the XWF's biggest stage.  I will give it the rub from actual greatness that a title of its standing truly deserves.

Before it's all said and done, I thank you Barney.  It didn't have to be you, but I'm glad it is.  And not for tick marks on a stat sheet, but because our first dance in the playground was an instant classic.

I have no doubts that this one will be too.

My thanks are genuine, Mr. Green.  I haven't had a lot of return guests over the course of my career.  Not for any other reason than been there, done that, what's next?  You are in elite company.  You get to dance with me in the very match of the next 25 years of the XWF.

So, I cordially and genuinely welcome you… to your sequel… of the Thaddeus Duke Show.