A fit brunette in her late 30’s, dressed in a low cut black dress showing off just enough cleavage to make others take notice, walks into the kitchen, while putting on a pair of hoop earrings. She looks around the seemingly empty ground floor of the luxury duplex and calls out.
(Woman): “Ash? Dani? Anybody?”
After a brief pause without a response, she looks across the countertop for a note, but doesn’t find one. Finally, she turns around and faces the refrigerator and sees a quick scribble across the glass dry-erase pad.
“Nice day, going to run through the park after walking the kids to school. Coffees on the counter, see you guys at dinner. ~ Ash”
After reading the note, she turns back and picks up one of the cups of coffee, holding it close to her face with both hands, taking a moment to enjoy the aroma as it woke her senses. A gentle smile crossed her glossy lips as she opened her eyes and took in the view of Central Park. The view was breathtaking even after all these years; after all it is one of the reasons, she insisted on this massive penthouse during the buying process. The tranquil moment only lasted a beat longer.
(Talon): “Do you remember when we used to stumble into the Penthouse about this time, after being out all night?”
The low tone of her husband’s voice jolted Aubrey Wilkinson nearly out of her skin. She thought she was completely alone and only now realized why the second cup of coffee was there. Clearly, he had not left for the day. Taking a deep breath as she turns around, her eyes slowly return to a normal size after her startle.
(Talon): “…now look at us, waking up early and drinking coffee as the sun rises.”
(Aubrey): “Christ, you scared the hell out of me. I thought you were gone already.”
Talon couldn’t help but laugh, running a hand through his grown-out hair, pulling it back into a quick ponytail/bun mess to keep it out of his face as he stepped up to the countertop and reached for his cup.
(Talon): “Yeah, sorry. I heard Ash leave with the kids for school and I thought a quick workout before starting the day was a good call. After all, you’re not the only one with a hot date today.
Aubrey rolled her eyes playfully, shaking her head before taking a sip of her morning coffee; She took a moment to enjoy the taste, her protégé turned surrogate daughter Ashlyn had learned to make a good latte after living with the Wilkinson family for the past year. She initially needed a place to stay to get out of a bad relationship and focus on her wrestling, but even after she had gotten back in a good place it made more sense for her to “rent” a room. She was only asked to help with Talon and Aubrey’s three children. Danielle, their oldest and their only daughter, was 8. Bruce was 7, and Talon II was 5. With them all being in school now, and the city being what it was, it was nice to have an extra family member to take them to their private school, to pick them up, run errands, and generally help wherever they needed it.
(Aubrey): “You keep calling it a date, it’s my weekly lunch with Aurora. Don’t be jealous that I get to look at a nicer pair of tits that you do, on the regular.”
Aubrey sticks her tongue out, the playful banter always fluid between the two even after 9 years of marriage. Talon smiled at his wife, thinking for a moment about all they had been through together. It was shortly after his departure from HWA that the two met. Aubrey was a successful wrestler in a highly popular company, and he was at the forefront of his own business ventures, training talent at the Ice Box Wrestling Academy, running his own wrestling promotion that was on the rise, and still competing part time in big tournaments with some of the top names in the industry. The two started dating and immediately became a power couple in the business. Hated by many in the industry, but loved by the fans, they were married in 2014 and never looked back, but that didn’t mean there were no bumps in the road along the way. Aubrey had a reputation for being a little on the jealous side, and no one wanted to endure the wrath of a scorned AJP. Before their conversation can really continue, the front door opens and Ashlyn comes in, air pods still in as she kicks off her running shoes. She looks up and sees Talon and Aubrey talking and greets them.
(Ashlyn): “Hey, I’m home! How are you guys this morning? I got the mail, we forgot to get it yesterday.”
Ashlyn, a mile a minute talker that rarely spoke just one thought at a time, takes off her fitted Atlanta Braves cap and tossing it skillfully onto the coat rack in the far corner of the room before turning back to the refrigerator, opening it to get a bottle of water while rifling through the stack of mail she brought in.
(Aubrey): “Any trouble with the kids today at drop off?”
(Ashlyn):“They were great, Little T is really getting more comfortable now when it’s time to say bye. Pre-K life is rough though, fam. Believe that!”
Aubrey rolls her eyes at Ashlyn’s slang, she always gave her younger protégé a hard time about how she spoke, the obscure hip hop references, the phrase of the month, all of it, but the 25-year-old brunette was set in her ways. An Atlanta native, she had that southern hip hop culture ingrained in her and she embraced it. Talon on the other hand was around kids and upstarts daily, for him the lingo of the next generation was commonplace, and he’d even throw a few terms out, albeit in a dad-joke way at times; when he wasn’t in mentor/coach mode he was more laid back than he ever was before. Family life and retirement had changed him.
(Talon): Believe that? I haven’t heard that one in a –
Just then, he is cut off as Aubrey’s voice interjects as she looks at the mail as Ashlyn discards it on to the counter piece by piece.
(Aubrey): Whoa, what is this?
She holds up a piece of certified mail shipped overnight, looking at the parcel carefully and seeing her husbands name, she tilts her head inquisitively as she slides it across the counter to him.
(Aubrey): Overnighted, signature required? …The doorman is really taking liberties signing for our shit, seams like a lot of effort. Are we expecting anything?
As his wife inquires and Ashlyn shifts her focus to the same piece of mail, now intrigued by what it could be. Talon takes the envelope and tears it open as he gives a shrug and unsure face back to the ladies, having no clue what it could be. The Penthouse was paid off, all $12,856,000.00 of it. The Car collection was reduced in size, mainly due to a lack of time to enjoy them, and there were not currently any auctions going on, so he had no idea what he would find. After tearing into the packaging, he pulls out a thick envelope with a metallic gold trim. Instantly his face turns from intrigue to disappointment.
(Aubrey): Well? Who’s it from? Open it!
(Ashlyn):Is that like an invitation to the Academy Awards, jeez, fancy ass.
Talon slowly shakes his head, his lips in a tight cluster on one side of his face. He’d received this envelope before, but he was alone when he read it, and he had already thrown it in the trash. He had put the past behind him, the Hardcore Wrestling Alliance was but a distant memory and he was more than happy to keep it that way, the memories of that place relegated to a display case along a wall of career accomplishments in the New York home base of his Ice Box Wrestling Academies. He hadn’t even thought of those three letters H-W-A in over a decade, and now they were sending him a second invitation to their reunion show, a show that was just 2 ¾ miles down the road from his home, a show that was set to take place tomorrow night. He had no intention of attending, and he didn’t want Aubrey to even know about it. She was always happy to dress up in a designer gown for a red carpet or a gala, and to be a wrestling show, he knew that she would want to go. All these thoughts going through his head lead to Aubrey snatching the invitation from his hands, opening it herself. Her eyes scanning every detail.
(Aubrey): Hardcore Wrestling Alliance? What is this, some fancy invitation to a backyard wrestling show?
Aubrey jokes as she opens the invitation, slowly recognizing the logo and putting the pieces together. It was THAT Hardcore Wrestling Alliance, THE HWA. She quickly read the invitation to herself before turning it towards her husband, a look of surprise and speculation in her eyes.
(Aubrey): “Mister Wilkinson, we are trying once again to reach you?” “Since you did not respond to our first attempt to contact you?” “Your office has not returned our calls?” …Uh, Babe? What the actual ####?
She was miffed and rightfully so. Talon’s arms extend as he begins to explain himself, Ashlyn slowly reaching into a bag of white cheddar popcorn, eating in silence as the drama began to unfold before her.
(Talon): Yeah, I’m done with that place. You know how I feel about my time there, and you also know that I’ve done everything I can to distance myself from what it turned me in to.
(Aubrey): I know you went through a lot, but you also carved out a legacy there. You were a staple of their programming for how many years?
(Ashlyn):I think it was like 5 years?
Talon immediately shoots a harsh glare at Ashlyn, she had seen it before, he was the father figure she never had and when he gave ‘that’ look she knew it was best to let it lay. She immediately throws up her hands and bows out.
(Ashlyn):Hey, I’m just eating some breakfast.
(Talon): 2008 to 2012, yeah. It was a major part of my career, but the lows were not like the highs. Winning a Championship or a tournament does not outweigh seeing your brother’s exhumed corpse dragged into the ring, or one of your childhood best friends being paralyzed, or having a wedge driven between you and your sister to the point that she literally hates you. So yeah, I threw away the invitation and didn’t say anything about it. The HWA is better left where it was, in the past.
Aubrey remains silent for a moment. It is easy to forget the intensity of emotions and trauma when you did not experience it firsthand, and this was one of those cases. She felt empathetic for him, but she also was never one to completely shy away from anything.
(Aubrey): I understand that baby, but is it a situation where they want to induct you into the Hall of Fame?
(Talon): No. It’s an invitation to attend the event, catch up with old friends, do the whole nostalgia thing; it’s a damn glorified award ceremony without any awards. Well, outside of an old friend of mine being inducted into their Hall of fame.
(Aubrey): And you don’t want to go support him? That’s not like you. Come on, don’t bullshit me babe, what is going on?
(Talon): I’d love to see Ronnie go into the hall firsthand, but do you remember what I said about the root of my problems? Senester? He’s the owner of the company –
(Ashlyn):Not anymore, reading this article about the HWA’s return right here, it says CBS… blah blah… billion-dollar deal… blah blah… never really shutdown… yeah yeah… oh here it is. Co-owners Butch and Wisdom Pa--
(Talon): PARKER?! Butch Parker? You’re kidding me.
Ashlyn slides her phone across the countertop to Talon, Aubrey leans in to look, remembering the name but not necessarily the gritty details. Ashlyn chuckles to herself, waiting to get her phone back, she begins scrolling through her phone once the couple are done looking, and continue their conversation.
(Talon): Well, Butch. Wisdom. Senester. None of them were my biggest fans, well… yeah. Anyways, I don’t care who they say owns the company, I don’t buy it. …plus ever since everything with Ed..
The room falls to a hush. Talon and Eddie were like brothers. After they had left HWA they continued to be close, training together, starting their company together, it was the one bright spot he took with him when he looked back on the dark times he experienced in HWA; but now even that was gone, Taken from him unexpectedly, and not a single colleague from HWA reached out to Ed’s family, no one attended the funeral that Talon himself eulogized his late friend, recounting stories of their time on the road, in the locker room, and in the ring. As he reflected on that, Aubrey laid her head on his shoulder, comforting him with her presence, her voice softer and more understanding than before.
(Aubrey): I understand babe, we should at least watch the show, maybe it will give you some closure.
(Ashlyn):…or maybe even inspire you to do a one-off for old-time’s sake!
(Talon): Not a one-off. Not a video guest spot via satellite. Nothing. This is a None-Off, Ash. Bet.
Ashlyn gave an exaggerated sigh and shrug at the use of “bet.” But she chuckled.
(Ashlyn):BRUH there it is!! I knew I had it in the cloud!
Flipping her phone around again, Ashlyn shows Talon and Aubrey a photo of a young Ashlyn de Luca in a black t-shirt with three large letters stamped across the front. "F. B. P." Her smile and laughter caused all three to relax and laugh for a moment but that quickly ended when Talon realized something. If they had sent him a pair of invitations surely, they would have tried to send one to Eddie, and that meant one thing.
(Talon): I need to call Pilar!
Talon reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone, dialing Pilar Phoenix, Eddie’s widow as he walks out to get some fresh air.
Message Thread
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