Sean takes a inhalation and lets a deep one gush out as he re-focuses back on his game. But no sooner than he does so, a notification pops up in the top left corner of his computer monitor with the HWA logo, indicative of new content posted in the media section. He drags the mouse up and clicks on the notification and the window expands to take up his whole screen with the layout of the HWA App’s media section. He feels his blood boil, raising his rise as he sees the face of Steven Fallen Angel appear on his monitor. He listens closely to what that piece of garbage has to say. Once he’s finished, Sean doesn’t even bat an eyelid, he instantly sets up his PC to respond and the red light atop his monitor indicates he’s now recording.
(Sean): Fallen, I’m not going to waste much oxygen on you because frankly, I’ve spent enough time with you in my head these past few weeks and with the press conference coming up in Florida in the next week, I don’t want to have to stare at your face, hear that vile voice and think about you for longer than is absolutely necessary… so I’ll make this quick! You want me a thunder cage for Art of War? You got it! I don’t care if it’s falls count anywhere, light tubes, no DQ, a cage, I don’t…give….a crap! All I care about is getting my hands on you and being able to legally beat seven colours of snot out of you for what you did to Michelle. I don’t have anything to prove to her, this is vindication, this is more than you could ever know. You think it was bad what we did to each other in the back of that ambulance? You ain’t seen nothing yet. So yeah, electrified cage, thunder cage or whatever you want to call it? You got it! Either way, that defibrillator you so kindly used on me last week? One of us is gonna need one to bring us back after Art of War! See you in Florida, you piece of crap!
Sean hits upload for his video to upload to the HWA App. He takes a breath as he comes down from his little adrenaline rush from addressing Fallen. He closes his eyes for a moment, counting backwards from ten in his head and exhales deeply. As he opens his eyes, he sees another notification pop up and sees that Michelle has uploaded a new episode of her vlog she had started documenting her personal journey and progress. He instantly felt his mood lift upon seeing her beautiful face appear full-screen. Her blonde hair, her gorgeous eyes and tender smile. Man, he was so lucky. But soon enough, his smile turned to disappointment when he listened to Michelle speak to her parents, listening to her mother’s insistence on her coming home, the disparaging remarks about him, the continued insistence that he was only interested in getting her into bed, that he was selfish. He couldn’t help but feel his temper rising again, his nostrils flaring like an angry bull ready to charge. He thumps his desk with the base of an enclosed fist out of frustration that Michelle’s parents had judged him without even knowing anything about him. However he doesn’t notice that upon thumping his hand off his desk and keyboard, he has accidentally hit stream live on the HWA App. He’s so caught up in his emotional turmoil and frustration with Michelle’s parents, the tell-tale red light atop his monitor goes unnoticed.
He grabs his phone, remembering he still had Michelle’s dad’s number in his phone from when he received an unexpected phone call from him a few weeks ago. He swipes his thumb through his list of recently-taken calls, trying to remember the date. Finally, he recognises the last four digits of Mr Learner’s number and he presses the call-back button. After about fifteen seconds, the dialing tone cuts out and an automated voicemail message kicks in. After hearing the beep, Sean starts to speak again.
(Sean): Mr and Mrs Learner, it’s Sean…Sean Parker… I think it’s safe to say the three of us haven’t shared any sort of extended interaction in the three or so years I’ve known Michelle, let alone in the last few months since she and I, as she likes to say, started going steady. Mainly that’s because you both have made it abundantly clear you have no intention of actually getting to know me as a person, of breaking breath with me, never mind bread at a dinner table.
Sean scratches the back of his head, running his hands through his hair as he tries to formulate his words to Michelle’s parents.
(Sean): I really don't know what to do anymore, I really don't. I've given every reassurance I possibly can about my intentions for your daughter but it's not good enough, is it? Will it ever be good enough? All you've done since day one is look down on me, judge me, cast aspersions on my character and you know what? I'm sick and tired of it! I'm sick of overhearing your voices every time I hear you speaking to Michelle, or when I see one of her Vlogs and she has you on loudspeaker, hearing your condescending voices judging me, calling me selfish, self-absorbed, deriding my character, questioning my dignity, trying to twist Michelle's thoughts about what kind of person I am when you don't even know me from Adam! All every boyfriend wants to do is impress his girlfriend's parents but it's beginning to dawn on me that, barring a miracle, that's never going to happen, is it? Because you made up your mind the minute you found out about me, didn't you? So why should I bother anymore?
Sean looks genuinely hurt. His face looks tired, as if he doesn't have the energy anymore. He reaches up and swabs his face with the palm of one of his hands.
(Sean): I’ll tell you why, because I care very deeply about your daughter, Mr and Mrs Learner. I cannot begin to put into words exactly what your daughter means to me. You know those butterflies you get in your stomach when you're in your car and you go over a big hill? That's how I feel when I see Michelle's name appear on my phone last night when she texts me, it's the feeling I get when I see her face light up when she sees me. When she cuddles into me when we watch a Disney film and I can smell the shampoo she likes to use, the apple one she always buys from Bed, Bath and Beyond, it makes my heart flutter. And when what happened to her happened, it broke my heart more than you could ever know because I couldn't protect her or stop it! I made a pledge to myself, to her, heck, to God himself, that I would spend the rest of my days doing what I could to stop anything like that from happening to her again. And what I'll also do is keep fighting to show you both why you've made a mistake to misjudge me, to dismiss me when you know nothing about me. So, I'm going to tell you both a story..
My full name is Sean David Parker, I was born on 28th February, 1997 in the maternity unit of the Victoria Hospital in the town of Kirkcaldy in Fife, Scotland I was Christened by Reverend Thomas O'Connor at the Cairneyhill Parish Church on March 16th 1997. I lost my dad
when I was five years old he died in a car accident after my mum took off as soon as I was born because she didn't want to have a kid when she was eighteen..
Sean begins to feel emotional as he recalls the emotional events from his childhood, his voice beginning to crack and break.
(Sean):You know, I haven't even told Michelle any of this? She doesn’t know about my mum taking off, she doesn’t know about how my dad died. Heck, she doesn’t know my dad was a practicing Christian, or that I was Christened in the little church in Cairneyhill, the quaint little village where my dad is buried. She doesn’t know the reason I couldn't bring myself to be open to religion was because I couldn't imagine a world where there was deity in existence that could deprive a five year-old boy of his dad after his mum abandoned him. What sort of all-loving, all-knowing idol would allow that to happen? But you know, I still go to that little church every time I go back home to Scotland and Reverend O'Connor still treats me with the same amount of love and devotion as anyone else. Michelle doesn’t know but I’m telling you both this because I want you to know that I am not false, I am not selfish, I am not the person you see on TV you think you’ve figured out.
Sean scrunches his face up, his eyes closing tight as tears begin to form.
(Sean): Did you know I donate 25 percent of my salary to Christians Against Poverty to help people in Scotland who are experiencing financial difficulty? Did you know My Aunty Diana, the woman who raised me like I was one of her own children, she volunteers at the same church my dad is buried in. She runs food banks for underprivileged and community markets for underprivileged families to help them put food on their tables when they might not be able to afford it. No one knows this apart from my aunt and uncle but I’m telling you!
I am not a perfect person, Mr and Mrs Learner, I am flawed, I have made mistakes but I am a GOOD person! You think what I did last week when I launched myself at Steven Angel was to make myself feel good? You think I took after him in a commandeered ambulance, racing through Little Rock because of some adrenaline rush or some twisted personal self-gratification. Tell me, Mr Learner, what would you have done, if given the opportunity to stare into Steven Angel’s face, knowing what he did to Michelle? Would you take the high road and trust in God’s judgement? Or would you smack in the face over and over for daring to touch someone so pure, innocent and loving? I think you’ll find the answer in your heart is different than the answer in your head, Mr Learner.
I am telling you all these secrets about my life, about my childhood, about my life because I want you desperately to understand me. I don’t expect you to like me, I don’t expect you to instantly change your mind…I just want you to take a moment to think about what kind of person I really am…please…
Sean’s voice has fully broken as he fights through the tears as he pours his heart out to Michelle’s parents and, unbeknownst to him, the entire world.
(Sean): …Please…because I am completely, unequivocally, hopelessly in love with your daughter, Mr and Mrs Learner…I love her…
Sean hangs up the call, wiping the tears away from his eyes and cheeks with the back of his hand, letting out another deep exhalation as he switches his laptop monitor off, still unaware of the red light recording live as the scene fades to black.
Message Thread
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