HWA Message Board: Planning for the Future

Several hours post-Havoc
Off-Camera

Michelle and Sean had landed in LAX and made their way home. It had been a long night for the Mr and Mrs Parker to-be. Michelle had dropped her bombshell on the original Mr and Mrs Parker that she would not be renewing her HWA contract. And then Sean had dropped his bigger one that he was contemplating walking away from professional wrestling completely too; something that had knocked Michelle here for a loop.

Finally back at home, Sean was stretching in his room, sitting cross-legged, back straight and eyes closed. It had been a while since he’d practiced Kokoro No Michi - the ancient technique passed down to him by Sensei Kiriyama. And, at this point, given everything that happened, he needed it, especially since Havoc was playing on the TV in the background and everything that both he and Michelle had been through in the last month or so. Sean took a deep breath, trying not to be distracted by the chaotic end of DreamMaster brawling with the Draconis family, the return of Stu-E Price and the squabble over the HWA World Championship. But he didn’t see Michelle come into the room, standing in the doorway, watching Sean meditate.

She had a tentative look on her face. She’s just come from the kitchen fixing Sean a little snack from what little he had in his fridge. She wanted to make sure he ate something as he had a tendency of late to neglect his diet. She didn’t want to leave him, but she was eager to get home. It had been a few weeks now she’d been by his side nonstop since the hospital and hadn’t been home. Her plants were likely dead or dying by now and she knew her own fridge was bare. Living off the few clothes she had just packed for the weekend trip for Fatality was now a challenge with dwindled toiletries and she was quite tired of wearing the same clothes and getting them cleaned every few days. She stood there still in the doorway looking at him. The thought of disturbing him hurt her. This was the most serene she’d seen in him a while and, suddenly she gasped out loud. Her eyes caught part of the end of Havoc seeing Jesse in a pool of blood and Hans driving DreamMaster through a car window. Her loud gasp caught Sean’s attention, breaking his concentration and she looked at him remorsefully.

(Michelle): I’m sorry!

She glanced back at the TV squeamishly as if it were someone whose company she was uncomfortable being around. That world had ended now. She’d say a final goodbye to the fans and close that chapter of her life. She looked back at Sean, unsure how he’d handle her absence. Perhaps now back in his own space his level of calm might be better than it was on the road, or certainly than the hospital the other week.

(Michelle): I didn’t mean to disturb you. I’m going to get going, but I’ll be back in the morning. Is that ok?

She looked at him hesitantly, trying to assess his reaction. Of course she’d stay if he needed her. Or if he wanted, he could come with her, certainly he’d find that agreeable as well. As if they were on the same wavelength, Sean said pleasingly.

(Sean): Can…can I come with you? I’m sorry, I feel like I’ve smothered you since Fatality… it’s just been a lot… with everything that’s happened. And I figured, since we’re going to be married soon, we’ll be in each other’s company a lot more… Maybe we should see about getting our own place?

Sean stood up, tentatively stretching his shoulder. He had more range of movement than he did before but he was still cautious about overexerting himself.

(Sean): You don’t have to move in here, I could move in with you? Or we could get our own place? We have enough money to put a down payment anywhere we like… here in LA? Or maybe back home in Salt Lake for you? You could be closer to your family, to your congregation?

She looked at him with great tenderness and approached him, kneeling down beside him taking his sweet face in her hands and looking into his green eyes mirroring both the depth and subtle darkness of a forest with which they are colored. Her touch was one of reassurance as she smiled at him.

(Michelle): Of course you can come with me. We’re together, Sean, how could you be smothering me silly?

She takes his hand and stands guiding him up from the floor, and gives him a playful look of disappointment.

(Michelle): Salt Lake? Really, Sean? You’d be miserable there, and at this point…maybe I would too.

For a brief moment her thoughts drift back to home, being with her family but also being amongst the bubble of the Mormon community she had chosen to leave so she could experience the world outside. She just as quickly snapped back to the present moment.

(Michelle): No, we’ll find some place of our own, right here.

Sean managed a weak smile, still holding onto Michelle’s hand and nuzzling his face into it before kissing the top of it.

(Sean): I was serious, you know. What I said in Hampton. I’ll happily retire right here, right now. I don’t care anymore. I’ll be a content creator, I’ll stream video games, I don’t care. I just want us to be happy together. No stress, no looking over our shoulders. You’re the most important thing in the world to me, Michelle and nothing else comes close.

She understood how all of this was new to him. Her decision to step away from the business was entirely different from his experience. He had lived his life for this and while what he was saying wasn’t impossible, she was cautious about him meaning it and perhaps even more importantly, selfishly wished it to be true. There was nothing more in the world she’d love than to just live her life with him. It made her absolutely giddy that people might start referring to them as hybrid names like they did with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie….they could be Michean, or Seanchelle. Her eyes diverted to the television for the briefest moment, and she was relieved to find that Havoc was off the air and Big Brother was now on the air.

(Michelle): You don’t have to decide anything right now, especially not because of me. The only thing you have to focus on now is getting better….here…

She touched his shoulder.

(Michelle): …and here….

She placed the palm of her hand gently on his chest over his heart.

(Michelle): ….and here…

She kissed his forehead and leaned back with a smile. She looks like a blushing schoolgirl in his presence.

(Michelle): Oh, and this guy I know kind of asked me to marry him and I kind of said yes, so there’s that to focus on too.

Sean’s smile was more sincere this time, coupled with playful eye roll.

(Sean): Yeah… you know… whilst everything in the ring is kinda… on hold for now… maybe we can kick this wedding thing into overdrive? I know I’m not allowed in the temple for a wedding so I’m willing to go with anything you or your parents want. I just want to be your husband and you to be my wife. I want to get my kilt sorted too, I haven’t worn one in years but there’s a shop back home in Dunfermline I know can get it personally made.

She couldn’t help but notice how Sean had gone from “I’ll happily retire right here, right now. I don’t care anymore” to “everything in the ring is kinda… on hold for now.” She knew he was struggling with the thought of dueling prospects…return to the ring or walk away as she had done and enjoy the life of a newlywed. Another thought suddenly crossed her mind, but she dared not speak it, she dared to even think it. It was bad enough she felt that his decisions were being influenced by her own…it would be unimaginable to add more weight to his already heavy shoulders. She took his hand into hers smiling.

(Michelle): Let’s finalize the venue and maybe we can get invitations out this week…give everyone enough time to make any travel plans. I know you’d be just as happy going to the courthouse, but it’s your day too…you should have some say in things. I don’t want my folks to get too carried away. Have you decided who’s going to be your Best Man? Are you ummm…

She suddenly felt uneasy, although she couldn’t explain why…she had no doubts about Sean but many of her own insecurities were still unresolved and a struggle.

(Michelle): I mean…do you want to have a bachelor party?

Sean pursed his lips and a contemplative look crossed his face. Truth be told he hadn’t really thought of a bachelor party or a Stag-Do as they called them in the UK. He hadn’t really drank a lot aside from an occasional beer.

(Sean): I hadn't really thought about it. All day drinking? Strip clubs? A three-day hangover and my head in a toilet bowl? I’d rather go out for dinner with Uncle Butch, Hans, Jeremy and Sensei… and Matt…

Mentioning his friend caught Sean off-guard. He didn’t even know where he was and Jeremy had been so caught up in his war against Maniac, he didn’t even want to ask.

(Sean): What about you? Do you want to have a bachelorette party?

Michelle was relieved at his response. The thought of some untoward woman a friend of his hired as a stripper was unsettling. She knew he'd probably kick her out but the thought of her showing up to begin with was unnerving, and she knew he didn't drink but there were games she heard people play....games with sexual content or themes and goodhearted as some might be she wasn't sure about his interest. He wasn't raised in a bubble like her and perhaps it had been a fun idea to him. She suddenly looked bashful thinking of those games she'd heard about.

(Michelle): Goodness no…..at least not the kind you know of...other than Sarah and Alexis...I don't have many adult friends here....maybe we can do brunch but....No...no party for me.

She was quite ready to change the subject and looked him over, half dressed as he was.

(Michelle): Come one, let's get you ready...we should head out soon. You can eat your snack in the car. You really must eat, Sean, you have to keep your strength up or...

She caught herself...the truth was that up until this very moment she'd kept him on a schedule of eating and staying hydrated regularly to help his transition back to the ring when his arm had healed but now she found herself with a similar unsureness as he seemed to have. If he truly wasn't going to go back, there was no rush to build his strength back and fortify his recovery, but if he was then she didn't want to be responsible for delaying it when she could have helped.
She didn't continue the sentence. Instead she turned away and found his luggage still on the floor and took it to the hall where the washer was.

(Michelle): I'll just get these all ready for the wash while you get ready.

While Sean dressed Michelle distracted herself throwing his laundry in the wash. It wasn’t long before they were on the road to her place and the entire drive a question…the question…had nagged at her. She told herself she wouldn’t raise the subject but now that she had left HWA her immediate future was uncertain and in some way she was a little desperate for some direction. During the drive she kept sneaking peeks in Sean’s direction. She doesn’t think he noticed her, he was either looking out the window or changing the radio station in between songs.

She loved how comfortable he seemed to feel in her space. He took his shoes off, his top shirt and casually plopped on the couch as if he were in his own place. It was heartwarming that he felt safe here, with her amidst all that he’d endured the last few weeks. Her wedding magazines were sprawled on the coffee table and she saw him flip through looking at the pictures.

(Michelle): I got a few ideas from some of them. Most of them are so lavish and fancy…I don’t know about all that stuff, but I do like the idea of something outdoors. What do you think?

(Sean): For the ceremony? I love it. Although, we did talk about having a small private one, so maybe somewhere away from prying eyes? I know it’s too much but I would’ve loved it if we got married where Uncle Butch and Aunt Wisdom had their ceremony back home… but the hotel got burnt down. Or the quaint little church where my dad is buried….

Sean went quiet for a moment. It was the first time in a while he’d thought about his dad. The man he’d never met except in pictures and a hand-written, blood-soaked letter.

(Sean): Sorry… pipe dreams.

She could see that the subject of his father struck a nerve and her heart went out to him. She went over and sat by his side taking his hand and looking at him.

(Michelle): He’ll be there. He’ll be there with us and I can’t imagine how proud of you he is, you have to know he is. I mean…look at you, Sean. Look what you’ve been through, what you’ve done with your life….what parent wouldn’t be?

Sean offered a half-smile, leaning his forehead onto Michelle’s looking at their hands clasped together. Whilst he didn’t believe in God per sé, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of relief knowing how strongly Michelle believed and that maybe somehow, his dad was them.

(Sean): I still think of her too, y’know… my mum. I didn’t meet her either. Uncle Butch says she walked out after I was born, that she couldn’t face up to looking after me after getting pregnant so young. I wonder if she’s still alive…. and if she is… if she knows who I am…

Sean blinked his eyes rapidly, trying his best to shake the unexpected subtle tears welling up in his eyes.

(Sean): Sorry, trust me to put a dampener on things eh?

(Michelle): Do you think you might want to find her?

Sean puffed his cheeks out.

(Sean): God, I hadn’t really thought about it. I wouldn’t know where to start. I don’t know if she’d even want to see me. What would I say to her?

Sean then shook his head defiantly.

(Sean): You know what? To hell… I mean, I don’t need her. I have Aunt Wisdom, Aunt Di, and I have your mum…. I think that’s plenty of motherly love for one guy and I’m lucky to have them.

He genuinely seemed content with what he said and returned to the magazine, nestling his head on her shoulder. But this talk of his parents….it was gnawing at her now, God help her but she had to ask. Inside she prayed that she wasn’t making a terrible, terrible mistake and placing him in a horrific position of having to choose.

(Michelle): Sean?

He wasn’t looking at her, but said “Yeah?” as he flipped through the pages of a wedding magazine.

(Michelle): Were you serious about what you said? Are you truly ready to leave the business behind?

His attention was no longer on the magazine that he now closed as sat upright and looked at her with both sincerity and seriousness.

(Michelle): Ummm, after we’re married, after we get a place of our own and settle in a while…I was wondering if…. Well…I was thinking that I’d no longer be wrestling and if you were not on the road anymore that we might…

She was nearly sweating. Her heart was racing. She told herself that she should just leave things alone, they hadn’t even had relations but some natural, organic sensation had washed over her in his presence that won over her apprehension.

(Michelle): I was wondering if we might……start a family.

Her eyes quite fearfully searched his face for an immediate reaction, unsure what it might be. Meanwhile, Sean felt his heart skip a beat. His eyes widened but his mouth spread into the widest smile. He cupped Michelle’s face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

(Sean): Are you serious? I would give up everything for us to do that. That’s all I want, Chelle. You, me and a family of our own. Apart from marrying you, nothing would make me happier. No championship in the world can beat that!

A smile broadened on her face.

(Michelle): Really? I wasn't....well...I wasn't sure if you were ready. I know how much you love the business and I wouldn't want to compromise that in any way...you know that.

She searched his face for assuredness.

(Sean): Chelle, I’ve been ready since the day I fell in love with you. It’s always been you. I’d give up everything for you… for us.

He leaned in and kissed her again, with a little bit more passion this time but just enough softness.

(Michelle): That's just it Sean...I don't want you to give up anything. You keep saying that and you shouldn't have to. I don't want this to be a choice of one thing over another.

(Sean): It’s not! I’m just saying that’s what I’d happily do. I know you’re not asking me to because I know you’re not like that. I’ve wanted to be a professional wrestler for as long as I can remember. But I’ve wanted to be a husband, a dad… for even longer… I don’t care what I’m doing as long as it’s you, me and…

Sean leans down and places a tentative hand on Michelle’s tummy.

(Sean): Our future family.

She places her hand over his, overjoyed and begins to tear up as she looks at him.

(Michelle): I love you so much. I can't imagine my life without you. Actually, I think I'd be back in Utah and miserable back in the life. I can't wait to be your wife. To be Mrs. and Mrs. Parker. To start our new life and just be happy...God knows we've earned it.

Sean wiped Michelle’s tears away with his thumb, gliding it gently across her cheek before leaning in, his forehead on hers.

(Sean): We certainly have. And I love you too. And for the record, you’re going to be an amazing mum.

The two pressed their lips together in a delicate kiss as the scene faded to black.