As he at lunch, he flipped through the June edition of his Astronomy Magazine. Come October there was going to be an annular eclipse, when the sun, the moon, and earth aligned briefly. Depending on his schedule he had planned to visit one of the cities that fell within its visual path. Some might call it silly to travel hours somewhere for an event that was only to last less than 5 minutes but for someone like him, it was well worth it.
He thought then of the conversation the group had last week following Havoc. Ironically, he, Matt, Sean and the girls were starting to align as well, at least in their thinking about things….being pushed and pushing back. Butch had seemed furious about things and had really drew a line in the sand for this week, but he knew that wouldn’t stop some from pushing the limits. Right now, he needed to focus on his match at Havoc with Stu-E. He put his dishes and magazine away and fired up his laptop to log into the HWA portal and address a few things in video.
(Jeremy): It seems we’ve both had rather unexpected weeks haven’t we Stu-E? I’ve been to the hospital and doctor more times than I’d like to, and having to sit around rehabbing my throat to get my full voice back hasn’t been a picnic either. I thought I could push the limits after Havoc, forcing myself to talk but quickly realized the value of adhering to doctor’s orders.
Jeremy rubs his throat, still sore as he thinks on it.
(Jeremy): I’m sure you’ve had your share of injuries over the years. It’s far from fun having your mind racing with everything you want to do, and your body willing to be pushed to do it…but being forced to choose to sit still like a good boy. On the bright side, the downtime has awarded me the opportunity to catch your recent interviews I might have otherwise missed. Joe Rogan last week, Abrams and Frazer this week. You’re making the rounds, and I must admit, it’s made me more curious about you…so I did some digging in the old HWA vaults. You debuted here on Havoc September 15, 2012, smack dab in the middle of a World Tour, but you know what really caught me off guard...Bryan Deas was World Champion.
Jeremy smiles, shaking his head at the irony.
(Jeremy): You seemed to be almost instant friends, offering to help watch his back. The man had dignity back then, fans, respect. And you…you were tag team champion within your first 4 months in the company. Look at Deas now, scum of the earth. Funny how time changes people. At Havoc I’m going to find out if it’s changed you. You may still appear to be the same easy-going guy you were then, but you “veterans” have a way of saying one thing and doing another in the end.
Jeremy looks quizzical for a moment.
(Jeremy): All your kidding aside with Joe and no disrespect to him, but he didn’t get the real answer from you he asked…why did you really come back to HWA Stu-E? HWA didn’t really go anywhere, they didn’t completely shut down…they got knocked down sure, were off television, but reorganized. You would have been making peanuts, but you could have stayed. It can’t be that just because HWA is back on network television, you thought you might as well return too…that’d be too shallow for who you seem to be. It couldn’t be because you got tired, flipping pubs. And I don’t think it’s to travel the globe with your daughter. You seemed well off enough and could do that without the business that doesn’t have the same hold on you as it once did, so you said. Man to man…why’d you come back?
You see I have a theory, I think you did it for her, for Laney, but not the reason you told Rogan. I think she’s daddy’s little girl and is a walking encyclopedia of your career. You’ve probably talked her to sleep over the years with stories of your travels and your matches and she lights up in marvel at her father. I’ve seen her ringside with you, for an eight-year-old she’s pretty disciplined. She knows where to go and stay out of the way, she loves the fans…you’re her hero. I think you want to keep on being her hero Stu-E. I think she’s just old enough now to start to understand all those stories you’ve told her, and you’re both delighted to be in them together now.
How about me and you give her another story Stu-E. At Havoc you and I will write a new one for your nighttime tales and talk about the returning veteran and the rising star meeting in the ring. How between the ropes of the squared circle they tested each other’s mettle in true competition until one was victorious. And after the bell rings, they stood, shook hands, and walked away with a newfound respect for each other. It’s a story about what HWA truly is, what it has been these past years. Individuals lifting each other up, instead of tearing each other down, as my friend Sarah said recently. How about it Stu-E…care to co-author with me? I’ll be seeing you at Havoc and we’ll find out how our story goes.
Jeremy publishes his message, but still seems to have more on his mind and fires up the recording again as he looks across the room, gets up and is off camera for a moment. He returns, sitting a large mason jar in front of him with clear liquid and the note it came with.
(Jeremy): I got your apology package William.
Jeremy stares at the bottle, and the note and chuckles to himself.
(Jeremy): It’s funny, I suddenly just heard Michelle in my head. She’d forgive you right away, ya know. “He must have had a bad day”…“Maybe he was concerned for his son’s safety being there ringside and wanted to get him away.”…she’d rationalize and come up with any number of excuses for what you did, and tell me as she always tells us “God forgives.” I want to believe you, but it’s going to take more than a few words and a bottle of moonshine for me to do it.
Being the veteran you are, you might not think I’ve earned the right to say this to you, but if you’re really sorry…you have to prove it to me. You said you’re “trying to take another better path”… well let me know when you finish trying and you’re on it. It’s not one thing, or two things, and its not going to happen overnight, but just this once, I’m man enough, mature enough and at this moment…level-headed enough not to tell you to go fuk yourself because you made a mistake and apologized for it. I’m not ready to accept your apology, but I’m willing to give you the opportunity to show me its genuine, and to give myself the time to agree. When or if that happens, maybe we’ll share this.
Jeremy holds up the bottle of moonshine.
(Jeremy): But until then, it staying shut, and I’d be fine with that too if it comes it.
Jeremy puts the bottle away on a shelf along with the note as the scene fades to black.
Message Thread
« Back to index