Post by oldprydeaccountdoesnotwork on Mar 20, 2014 12:53:50 GMT -5
"Are they themselves to blame, the misery, the pain?
Didn't we let go, allowed it, let it grow?
If we can't restrain the beast which dwells inside,
It will find its way somehow, somewhere in time.
Will we remember all of the suffering?
Cause if we fail, it will be in vain"
What would you say would be a child’s number-one goal?
Would it be learning to read and write? Something educational? Or would it be more specific, like deciding which toy to play with, or eating every piece of candy in the world? Maybe for some them, the spoiled little brats who have rich fucking parents, this would be their goal.
But I would think the number one thought in a child’s mind would be, how do I please my parents?
A kid hates it when their mother yells at them for getting caught in the cookie jar, or when their dad gives them a disappointed look when they bring home a bad report card. They’re always trying to find ways to earn their parent’s respect, to show them that they ARE learning, and that they ARE growing. They just want their parents to be proud of them.
Pride. It always comes back to that, doesn’t it?
So when one of your parents deserts you, and the other decides to use you for a human punching bag, maybe your feelings get hurt just a touch. Maybe you find yourself in a whole new pit of hell, with only bad options sitting in front of you. You have one of two ways to go when something like this happens. You either let yourself weaken and give up on life, or you let yourself harden and shield yourself from the pain. You make the choice, and live with it.
There are reasons I am the way I am, Mario. Some of those reasons I chose on my own. Some of them were out of my control. Life has made me the man I am today. I may not have grown up in Italy, getting to live in luxury and staying in the best hotels. But I have the knowledge and the skills of a hard life, and that’s going to be why I can’t be stopped this weekend at Black Out 2.
Bring all your strength and experience. Bring your two Hall of Fame rings that you are rightfully proud of. But don’t expect to win. Because my journey to my own Hall of Fame induction runs right through Orlando, and right through you. Prepare for the fall, you son of a bitch.
Time – The Past
~The man is walking down the street. Walking is a generous term; he’s barely staying upright. He’s unshaven, and might not have showered before leaving the house. Or all week. The bag under his arm is from the nearby liquor store. Luckily it was in walking distance. The man gets closer, and we see it is the father. He is now a former doctor, one who hasn’t worked for the last month. No one will hire him. No one will bring an alcoholic into their clinic. Starting his own branch hasn’t paid out either, because they are talking about suspending his medical license. Everything has fallen apart, and his son hasn’t helped, either, due to him being so injured the last few weeks, due to ‘accidentally falling down the stairs’. Multiple times. The last job hunt went similar to the rest, but the father’s recent stop has him in a better mood~
Father: I'll take, take you ho-me again, Kathleen, ac-, across the o-, ocean wild and wide
~It didn’t take long for the father to start drinking again once he left the store. He’s singing an old Irish ditty, as he makes his way back to his house. He feels glad that he at least had saved some cash for a rainy day. Sure it was supposed to be for a college fund but they needed it now, didn’t they? He gets to the door still singing, trying to unlock the lock for 20 seconds before realizing the door was open~
Father: Whasthis? You left the door ophen? Stupid godfo’saken son o’ mine.
~The father trips over the entry but gets in slamming the door behind him. He puts down the bag, taking out a half-drunken bottle to take with him. He goes upstairs to see why the door was open. Being drunk, it’s not an easy climb, but he makes it. He bangs on his son’s door~
Father: Get out here, and esplain to me, why, why the do-or was open. Son? Son? Answer me, you fuckin
~The father grabs the doorknob and gets it open, stepping in. He sees the made bed, the cleaned-up room, the note on the bed. He also sees the empty dresser with the drawers pulled out and the open closet. Many hangers are without clothes now. Unable to figure it out, the father steps forward and sits/falls on the bed, finally reading the note that’s there~
Son’s Note: Your time beating on me and blaming me for your fuckups is over. All I ever wanted was you to be proud of me. Not anymore. I’m done with you. I took my share of the money that was owed to me from the lockbox. You will never see me again.
~The father reads the note, and reads it again. He comprehends it the third time and wads it up throwing it away. He stands up and starts beating on furniture, throwing the dresser over on its side~
Father: You fucking ungrateful son of a whore! You walk out on me? You too? You cunt-licking bastard! You god-damn mother-fucking shit-ass son of a bitch!
~The destruction continues. The mirror shatters from a thrown alarm clock. The mattress is rolled over and thrown aside. The closet door gets several more dents. The fury is unstoppable for minutes. Finally the father falls to a seated position, his knuckles bloody and his breathing rapid. He reaches over and gets a picture that had been knocked to the ground. It’s a picture of the young boy, his father, and his mother, together for one of the last times. It was the most prized possession of the son, and it speaks volumes that he didn’t take it with him when he left. The father starts to cry, realizing all that he has lost~
Father: My son. My family. What have I done? What have I done?
~The father keeps repeating this line. “What have I done?” he mutters, over and over. He stays in that room a long time, ignoring the alcohol, ignoring the destruction around him, just staring at the picture in front of him, which now has blood on it thanks to his bleeding hands. The sun starts to set and the shadows grow in the room. Still he sits, speaking that line. Fade out~
Time – The Present
~We are inside the SunTrust Center, the tallest building in the Orlando area. It is a grand office building, with its own coffee bar, Simple Puur, handling customers to the side. Charging up the middle of the lobby are two men. One is the father of Trix, a man who is trying to make up for mistakes in his past. The other is the masked man, Pryde, Trix’s friend, who is in danger of having failed her in the greatest way possible~
Pryde: The stairs! Where are they?
Trix’s Father: Over this way!
~The two men rush over to the emergency stairs, yanking open the door. Coming in behind them is the ex brother-in-law of Pryde, Grant, who is already breathing hard just from the short dash across the lobby~
Grant: Guys, wait! It’s thirty fucking floors! The elevator’s faster, and won’t kill you!
~Trix’s father comes back around immediately to where Grant is pushing the button. Pryde considers the stairs a few more moments. He knows even with thirty floors, he could run up them pretty fast. Containing himself in a closed elevator and being forced to not move sounds frustrating. But common sense wins over his heart, so Pryde turns and joins the two men as the elevator opens~
Grant: Everyone in! Next stop, the top floor!
~The button is pressed, and the elevator starts up. All three men are anxious, having learned that Trix might be about to attempt suicide from the roof of the skyscraper. Is she falling even now, passing them on the way down as they go up? Will they be there in time?~
Trix’s Father: I can’t believe it has come to this. I know it has been bad for her, but suicide?
Pryde: We will stop her. Do not worry.
Trix’s Father: My baby, she might be dead already! Press the button again, we’ve got to get there!
~Grant knows pushing the button doesn’t make a difference. They’re already moving. But he also knows not to argue when two guys are both dying from anxiety. He pushes it repeatedly, willing the elevator to give just that much more speed. The door opens, and Grant steps aside to let the other two push their way out~
Trix’s Father: Where now?
Pryde: This way.
~Pryde points, and they go to another doorway to stairs, this time with only one floor up higher. The entrance to the roof lies there. They head up, seeing immediately that the door has been bashed open by a fire extinguisher. The safety bar has been violently disengaged. They hurry out and blink in the sunlight, trying to see Trix, and dreading the thought that she might be there. Pryde spots her first~
Pryde: Trix!
~Trix is sitting on the ledge of the building, looking down. She is between the two large triangle-shaped structures, with her feet hanging off where the SunTrust name is imprinted on the wall. She looks over her shoulder, seeing the three men who have tracked her down. She looks away, back out over the building’s edge~
Trix: Go away. All of you. I’m not worth it.
Trix’s Father: Please, please, come back off the ledge. We can talk about this!
Trix: What is there to talk about? Everything I’ve failed at? Everything you hate about me?
Trix’s Father: There’s nothing I hate about you! You’re my daughter!
~Pryde wants to add in his two cents, but it becomes clear that this first part needs to be between father and daughter. He reluctantly stays back with Grant, looking for a way to come near enough to Trix to grab her. It’s not going to be easy~
Trix: I’ve made so many mistakes, dad. My whole life, has it been worth anything?
~Trix’s father moves closer, reaching into his back pocket. He pulls out his wallet, doing it slowly to not startle her. He begins pulling out pictures~
Trix’s Father: Do you remember this? I think it was from elementary school. You were such a beautiful little girl. Your mom always wanted you to enter those beauty pageants.
~Trix can’t help but laugh through the tears at the memory. She focuses on the picture in her father’s hand~
Trix: I remember that. She never got her way on that, I hated posing.
Trix’s Father: And how about this? This was from that fishing trip we took in Colorado. You caught that catfish, remember?
Trix: You were so jealous that I caught the first fish when you were teaching me.
Trix’s Father: You couldn’t stop gloating about it, for weeks afterwards.
Trix: I remember.
~Trix’s father has gotten closer and now is kneeling before his daughter. Grant and Pryde have slipped in on either side, but they’re still too far out to stop anything. It’s all on the father~
Trix’s Father: I’m so sorry for how things have been between us. Your mother and I, we feel so awful about the choices we made. We just want you back in our lives.
Trix: I miss the way things used to be. But I don’t know if we can go back to it.
Trix’s Father: We can’t. But we can be together, and make things better. Please, give us the chance to do it. Let’s be a family again.
~Both of them are crying. Even Grant looks like he’s tearing up. Pryde’s mask keeps any sign from being seen. Trix slowly reaches out her hand, tentatively, and Trix’s father lets her put it in his hand. He pulls her back off the ledge, and they hug. Pryde breathes a deep sigh of relief. They weren’t too late. Trix starts crying hysterically~
Trix: Oh, father! I’m so, so messed up!
Trix’s Father: We’ll get through this. We love you. Thank god your friends called.
~Grant and Pryde step back, as the two family members continue to hold each other. Police are coming through the stairway door now, rushing to the scene before realizing that the drama is thankfully over~
Grant: No problems here, officers. Everything’s cool.
~The police move in to ask some questions, as Trix and her father are helped further from the roof’s edge. The image changes to downstairs, outside the SunTrust Center, where another tearful reunion is underway between Trix and her mother. Their comments to each other are their own, as we focus to the side where the three men are standing~
Trix’s Father: This could have ended so badly, if you hadn’t been able to track her down.
Pryde: Thank Grant. He was the one who remembered what Trix had said.
Grant: Don’t look at me, Pryde figured it all out.
Trix’s Father: Both of you have given us something that we can never repay. If there’s anything you want, it’s yours.
~Grant lights up at this, knowing that Trix came from a wealthy family. But Pryde just shakes his head~
Pryde: Just make sure she receives the care she needs. She’s still got a tough road ahead of her.
Trix’s Father: Don’t worry, we’re going to get her checked into that place we first met you at. She seems to want to give it a try.
Pryde: Good. Don’t forget, she needs you more than ever now.
Trix’s Father: And we will be there. Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.
~Trix’s father extends his hand, and Pryde matches it, shaking together. Trix’s father then heads for the side and helps Trix get into her parent’s car. The mother sits in the back with her while the father gets in the driver’s seat. Pryde can’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy, at the happy family coming together. But it is a small feeling, one that can easily be repressed. As the father starts the car, Trix looks out the window at Pryde. She is shaking from all the emotions that have channeled through her today, but that doesn’t stop her from nodding her thanks to him and blowing a kiss. The car pulls away, disappearing into traffic, as Pryde and Grant turn back to their own car~
Grant: Glad that all worked out well. I was legitimately scared there for a few minutes.
Pryde: You and me both.
Grant: I can't believe you didn't ask for money, though. He could have paid for our travel or our hotel room or something!
Pryde: We don't need those things.
Grant: Need, no, but want, yes!
~Pryde looks around where the car went~
Pryde: I thought I was going to lose her.
Grant: You mean, we.
Pryde: Yes, that’s what I meant. We were going to lose her.
~Grant grins knowing that Pryde slipped up. Whatever lies under the mask, there are still feelings for Trix bottled up in there~
Grant: We need to get going. Universal Studios won’t stay open forever.
Pryde: Working out to prepare for Maurako would probably feel good about now. Do you think that they will already have the ring set up for training?
Grant: They might. Or if not, there’s always the Incredible Hulk Coaster!
Pryde: I could use a few more twists and turns to stretch me out. I’ll need to make a couple of phone calls when we get there, though. As you said, it’s time to start making plans.
~The two friends get in the car and drive off, working to find their way back to the road to Universal Studios. Fade out~
Time – The Recent Past
~A soft wind is blowing across the field of grass, causing them to flutter back and forth. Walking across the field of grass is the man we’ve come to know as Pryde, wearing his traditional mask to cover his features. He knows where he is headed, having gotten specific instructions on where to go. He arrives at the tombstone he was seeking. The name on the tombstone is blurred out, keeping the viewers at home from knowing who exactly it is~
Pryde: Father.
~With that one word, many things become clear~
Pryde: When I heard you had passed away, I decided I couldn’t be at the funeral. Too much had passed between us. Too many things had happened. But things are changing for me now.
~Pryde takes a knee in front of the tombstone, speaking towards the ground as if his father can hear him~
Pryde: I’ve gotten another chance. The owner of Online Championship Wrestling, he’s given me an opportunity to restore myself. To make a fresh start. You and I know it’s not the first time I’ve chosen this path. I’ve dropped my past to have a new future.
~Pryde pulls on the mask, still getting used to its feel. He knows he has to wear it almost everywhere from now on, to keep his identity a secret~
Pryde: In order to do this, I need to put some things behind me. That includes you. We were happy, once. I hang onto those memories, probably to block out what came later. The bruises. The breaks. The pain.
~Pryde puts a hand on the tombstone to steady himself. The memories crashing back on him are hard to get through, but he manages it~
Pryde: I can’t forgive you for what you did, the way I can’t forgive Mom for leaving both of us. But I can put it past me. Things could have worked out differently. We could have been happy. But life is life. We can’t change what’s happened before. We can only make the best of what we have now. I just hope, somewhere, you feel proud of me for what I’m going to do.
~The wind picks up for a second. Pryde looks at the swirling leaves and thinks he may have gotten an answer~
Pryde: Pride. That’s a good name. I may use that. It’s not just my redemption I’m looking for, you know.
~Pryde stands up, taking a second to stare again at the tombstone. He thinks about all he’s been through in his life, to get to this point. It’s time to make that journey worth it. Pryde turns and walks away, leaving the tombstone, and his past life, behind him. Fade out~
