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Past is Prologue
Topic Started: Oct 7 2016, 10:18 PM (53 Views)
Drew
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"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why." -- Mark Twain

A lot of people have asked me, since Redemption abruptly closed its doors in late January of 2016, what's left for a guy of my tenure in this business. "Would you move on to something else? Maybe retire gracefully? Perhaps start that family you have been avoiding since Trinity left?" I usually smile politely, mutter something nonsensical to throw them off the subject, or just walk away. Honestly, it's a list of questions I really don't feel like answering.

January 27, 2016... I didn’t have to answer any of those. Life was good. I was Television Champion, the second Grand Slam winner in Redemption's 4-year history, and everything was firing on all cylinders. We were about to broadcast the latest edition of Salvation that next day.

And then January 28th happened.

I showed up to work, but there was no work to be done. The investors, I guess, had packed up and done what investors do--they cut bait. Now, this wasn't the first time a company I worked for that had shuttered the doors with zero notice; you can't be in this business for as long as I have and work for just one company your entire career. But this one... this one stung more than most. Why, you may ask?

Have you ever been part of something from the start? Actually getting involved with a company on the ground floor? That was Redemption for me. I was in the first ever main event, and I was damn close to the last main event, four years later. Many faces had come and gone, but ol' Slade stayed around. That place was just as much mine as it was Tony Field's... or Derek Daughtery's... or whoever it was that was in charge at the end. The day those doors closed, they took a piece of me with them. A piece of me that I thought I'd never get back; lost in the aether of time and space.

But that’s all changed now, isn't it?

Time for this old dog to get back into the fight.



------------


Location: Smith Residence, Odessa, TX
Date/Time: 26SEPT16, 1539 Hours CDT


So I'd been unofficially retired for just about 8 months. Retirement, for those who don't know, is the greatest thing since sliced bread--if you're smart with your money. Now, when I first started in this business almost two decades ago, someone told me to sock some money away because "it could all end tomorrow". He was right. Word to the wise: get your money right. Back to the story.

I'm sitting on my couch, camped out in front of the TV; Roxy and I are catching up on this season of American Horror Story. I sat down beside her with a big ‘any time of day’ bowl of Cap'n Crunch when the house line rings. Not my cell phone, and not Roxy's phone; the house line, which is like the Big Red Phone on the President's desk in every movie ever. Only three people in the world had this number.

*RING!*

Roxanne Spaulding: Is that--?

Slade: I'd almost forgotten what that phone sounded like.

*RING!*

Roxanne Spaulding: Well, who knows the number?

Slade: There's Bobbi, your family, and--

*RING!*

Slade: My agent.

Roxanne Spaulding: I just talked to Mom and Dad a little bit ago, but not on the Bat-phone.

Roxy's parents--foster parents, that is--were good about keeping in touch with her, and my sister, Bobbi, was a part of the 'no news is good news' camp. Besides, that phone line is supposed to be for strict family emergencies only.

Slade: Then I guess somebody should get it.

Roxy, who was having her own bowl of cereal, looked at me.

Roxanne Spaulding: You get it.

*RING!*


Slade: You're closer though.

Roxanne Spaulding: And the Cap'n waits for no one. You get it.

*RING!*

Slade: Come on...

Roxanne Spaulding: Okay, we can settle this democratically... Rochambeau for it?

I sighed and set my cereal down on the coffee table.

Slade: Fine. On "shoot".

*RING!*

Slade: 1...

Roxanne Spaulding: 2...

Slade: 3...

Both: SHOOT!

I went with trusty old rock. Rock never loses, right? She went with paper. I was screwed. She laughed at me, but it was a playful laugh.

Roxanne Spaulding: Better hurry up, big guy.

*RING!*

Slade: Two out of 3?

Roxanne Spaulding: You lost... take it like a man!

*RING!*

I got up and grabbed the telephone. As I was about to press the button, the answering machine finally picked up the call.

Slade: *tinny, through speaker* If you have this number, you had better leave a message. *BEEP!*

Since the machine already had it, I didn't bother to stop it. Instead, I chose to listen.

Woman: *tinny, through speaker* I hope this is the right number; it sounded like Slade's voice on the recording--

Jeannie Duarte? What in the world would she be doing with this number?

Jeannie Duarte: I guess you aren't home, so I'll try again later--

I pressed the "TALK" button on the cordless phone, ending the recording.


Slade: Jeannie Duarte! What a surprise! How's it going, kid?

Before she could answer, I hit the "SPKR" button, so Roxy could be included too.

Jeannie Duarte: Hey Slade... didn't know if this was the right way to get a hold of you, but Pop has this number in his Rolodex on the desk with a note: "If he won't answer his cell".

Slade: You had me worried there... this line's pretty much for family use only. Did you try my cell and I missed it?

Jeannie Duarte: Well...

Roxanne Spaulding: I got my phone right here; didn’t hear that go off either.

Jeannie Duarte: I know, but--

Roxanne Spaulding: Is this your first time?

Roxy didn't like Jeannie very much. I think she's still holding the schoolgirl crush Jeannie had on me when I was Silvio Duarte, Esquire's first--and only--client. Not sure why, though; Jeannie married her MMA instructor, Isaac, three years ago.

Slade: *quietly* Rox... *at regular volume* So what's up? You've got us both now. And I normally hear from your dad directly; is everything okay?

Jeannie Duarte: Yeah, actually. Pop just left a couple days ago for a vacation. Said he needed to take some time away from it all, so I'm minding the store while he's away.

Silvio Duarte, Agent to the Stars, on vacation? The thought seemed absolutely foreign to me.


Slade: No shit…

Jeannie Duarte: Yeah. Anyways, the real reason I'm calling you is because a message showed up on my desk about an hour ago that made me think of you two.

Slade: Message?

Roxanne Spaulding: And both of us, not just Slade?

I silently admonished Roxy, who stuck her tongue out at me while covered in Cap'n Crunch cereal bits. She could be so juvenile sometimes, but I couldn't be without her.

Jeannie Duarte: It's from Teresa LaChance: It says that--

Roxanne Spaulding: Redemption is reopening.

Jeannie Duarte: How did you know?

Roxy ignored her request, staring at me with those wild eyes she got when it was time to fight.

Slade: You think?

Roxanne Spaulding: What else could it be?

Jeannie Duarte: Hey guys?

Slade: They could just want to finally put me in the hall of fame.

Jeannie Duarte: Guys...

Roxanne Spaulding: Maybe, but then why would they ask about me too?

Slade: I dunno, maybe they think we're a package deal?

Roxanne Spaulding: That's true.

Jeannie Duarte: GUYS!

We both stopped talking at that point.

Jeannie Duarte: Still on the phone.

Slade: Right. Sorry.

Roxanne Spaulding: Just call them back and tell them we're in.

Slade: We are?

Roxanne Spaulding: How can we not be? If I have to sit at home one more day when we could be tearing things up like we used to...

Slade: Fair enough. We're in. Call us back with the details, and you don't need to use the house line. Okay?

Jeannie chuckled a little. It was always nice when I could make the tough-as-nails Jeannie smile. She's got a pretty smile, when she let her guard down enough for people to see it.

Jeannie Duarte: Okay, okay, no more house phone. Give 'em hell, you guys.

Slade: Thanks, kid.

I hit the button to close the call.

Slade: We’re back in the show.

Roxanne Spaulding: Damn right we are, big man.

Slade: We're back in the show!

Roxanne Spaulding: Beats tutoring Chris King any day of the week, huh?

She jumped up from her seat and ran into my arms, laughing with me. As I held her close, I looked at my now-soggy bowl of cereal.

Slade: Shit.

Oh well. I could buy more cereal now. I was back, baby!

Slade: He wasn't so bad. Just in a bad place. We need to pack.

Roxanne Spaulding: You UNpacked?

She grinned at me, dashed over to the closet and pulled out her purple and black rolling bag with "Freefall" embroidered on the side.

Roxanne Spaulding: I was just waiting for you to get bored and start calling around.

Slade: And so the mountain has come to Mohammed...

She reached into the closet again and took out a fully-stocked bag of mine as well.


Slade: You packed my bag.

Roxanne Spaulding: Days ago. Come on! Let's get on the flight to St. Louis already!

I love this woman.

------------

Dante Saffron; or, as you were known when I first met you, prisoner 2363827 in the Texas Department of Corrections registry. Scourge of my existence. The eternal rock in my boot. The Lex Luthor to my Superman. The Joker to my Batman. The... is it Sinestro? Whoever opposes Green Lantern a bunch. That's you, to me.

But none of that really matters anymore, does it, inmate? Because it's all a lifetime away from who we are now. Motives change, situations change, everything changes. You said it yourself; you became a family man after Redemption closed. And while the idea of you rutting over a nice person like Chase Martelle may turn my stomach on a level I don't want to discuss, I respect your right to do so.

But things aren't as different about us as you'd like people to believe. We've always been at opposite ends of the spectrum, but our goals have been the same.

You say pride will be my downfall. Tell me: what should I not be proud of? I'm proud of my accomplishments in this business. I'm proud of my stature in the company. I'm proud of how many asses I've put in seats all across the globe. I'm proud of the man I am today. And I'm proud that it doesn’t hinge on your approval.

Your downfall will be hubris; your cockiness that borders on sheer arrogance when it comes to fighting me. I've never been too proud to admit my mistakes. Can you say the same? You can't even stand across the RING from me and admit your faults.

...Look, I've never been a fan of the runaround, so I'm going to cut to the chase.

I don't like you. You don't like me. That'll never change; especially after conning me into that rebellion you spearheaded, only to drive into the ground for money or revenge or whatever your real reason was.

So instead of boring you with hours and hours of talk, how about I just do what I've always done and let my knuckles prove my point?

Mark Twain once said that "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why." My first important day is October 8, 1973. My second? October 13, 2016. The day I finally exorcise the demon. And the day I start on my path to history.

See you Thursday, bitch.
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