MORE DEAD HORSES THAN THE GLUE FACTORY

THE GALLOWS

I'm not sure why I thought Eddie telling the truth about our altercation would just magically repair my relationship with my daughter, that his lies about me attacking him were the only reason she had decided to distance herself from me. For all I knew, she finally came to her senses and realized that all her hopes and dreams about me turning a new leaf – changing my ways in the ring – would never be anything more than a fantasy. Reality had finally caught up to my baby girl and ripped the veil away from her eyes, exposing me to be the man I've always known myself to be – a man that has never deserved to have someone to love.

I didn't deserve her mother before she was born, and I didn't deserve her now. How could someone like me, a selfish son of a bitch that probably wouldn't even have a job in this industry if I actually said some of the things that I pushed to the back of my mind, expect to have anything but darkness fill my cold, unworthy heart?

She wasn't the only one that imagined things could be different though. I had fooled myself into thinking we could just ignore the fact I had been absent her entire life, that I could just suddenly slip on a pair of Daddy Shark slippers and become the perfect father. I honestly wished Anna Daniels wasn't full of shit, and could take me back to stop myself from doing the awful shit that drove Victoria away in the first place. That I had been a man she felt she could be honest with, tell me the truth about who she really was and why she had become a part of my life, instead of disappearing because things were headed down a road she wasn't prepared to handle.

Truth is, I'll never be able to go back and lean against the rail of her crib, look down at her in awe of what Victoria and I had created. I would never be able to hold her close after she woke from a nightmare, promising her that I would sleep on the floor beside her bed to make sure there were no monsters living beneath it waiting for her to dangle her leg over the edge.

That was obviously impossible, and never going to happen.

I did believe that I would be able to drive her to her first middle school dance, praying no boy would dare have the courage to ask her to join him for a slow one. That I would be there to threaten anyone that showed up to take her out on her first date, then eventually walk her down the aisle if the opportunity presented itself. I wanted to be a part of all the memorable moments waiting to happen in the future, to make up for the ones I missed in the past.

But even that looks like it is never going to happen.

I've tried to focus on other things since she told me to stay out of her life, keep my mind occupied so that the pain punching a hole through my heart is a little more tolerable, but it's only a temporary distraction. The pain never really goes away, because the situation remains the same. I thought winning the PRIME tag team titles would be enough to patch up the hole, that I could paint over it and pretend it was never there to begin with, but I couldn't pull off the win. Instead, Morty – of all people – used what I taught him to get one over on me, and ripped the chance to find out for myself right out of my hands with one swift punch.

Of all the things I feel I don't deserve, happiness seems to be the one that hurts the most.

But hey, at least I beat Clay Byrd.

=_=_=_=_=

THE CALL

“Hello,” I'm not sure why, but the sound of Olivia's voice made my heart beat a little faster.

“Good morning, Liv,” I reply with an extra bit of life in my voice, a ray of sunshine as the sun begins to set in Tokyo. “I hope I didn't wake you up, but it's so good to hear your voice. How have you been doing, kiddo?”

The deafening silence on the other end slowly begins to push my happiness back to the depths from which it came.

“Liv, are you there?”

A few more moments of silence, a little more of the reality that I don't deserve to be happy settles down and moves into the empty room where joy used to live.

“Hello,” a different voice, but a familiar one, fills my ear with a curious tone.

“Hey Victoria,” I answer, a little defeated. “It’s me.”

“That explains a lot,” she tells me after an audible sigh. “I was in the kitchen making some breakfast when Liv walked by the door and mumbled something about someone being on the phone. She didn't even bring it to me, just left it on the coffee table.”

“How much does she hate me?”

“I don't think she hates you,” I can sense the worry in her voice, and it scares me when not much does. “She's even been distant with me lately, stays cooped up in her room all day and won't talk to me about anything. I know something is going on, but if she doesn't tell me what that is…I don't know how to help her.”

“I feel like I should be there,” my left hand balls up into a fist. “Even if she doesn't want me around, I should show her that I want to be. She probably thinks I don't even care about her, that I care more about my career.”

“If you think forcing your way into her life is going to change anything…”

“I'm not talking about making her talk to me, Victoria,” I cut her off, angry with the fact that this is even a conversation we need to have in the first place. “I'm talking about being there when she's ready to. I feel like I just gave up, that I just walked away when things got difficult, instead of showing her that she's become more important to me than life itself.”

“Funny thing is, Antonio,” I can hear the hurt in her heart, and can imagine the streaks of tears she must have on her face. “I have shown her that all her life, and she isn't even talking to me.”

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way.”

“I have to go, Tony.”

“Victoria, I…” and just like that she was gone, making me feel even worse than I already did.

But hey, at least I beat Clay Byrd.

=_=_=_=_=

THE SLAP

Eddie had continued to belittle Olivia and insult her in front of crowds, only to turn around and tell her how much he enjoyed rubbing his hands on her breasts as he pressed against her from behind. The stench from his breath, each time he exhaled while kissing her neck, made her want to vomit.

But she didn't, she barely even let out a tear anymore. At first it was because Olivia didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he actually hurt her, but in doing so she started to become numb to it herself. It never ceased to be something she dreaded, and she hoped he wouldn't try to take things any further.

He said it was their special little secret, as if he wasn't the only one that looked forward to their little rendezvous. Olivia couldn't understand why he thought she enjoyed this, but it was clear to her how much he did…and it disgusted her.

“Why don't you touch me back,” Eddie whispered in her ear. “Or do you just like it more when I rub it against your ass?”

Her eyes clenched shut, as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him, his excitement clearly felt through the slight bulge in his jeans.

“I don't like it at all, Eddie,” she stifled her cry, but she knew it would come out like a flood if he didn't stop soon.

“Why do you always have to be such a bitch,” his tone changed, the anger felt as he pressed himself against her even more. His grasp tightened around her waist, as he squeezed her breast roughly. “You act like you don't like it, but I bet you're all moist.”

He loosened his hold on her, as he reached down between her thighs. She was able to move enough to slap his cheek with the back of her hand, but it only pissed him off even more.

She slammed against the wall hard, but it was the pain in her stomach that made her drop to a knee. He had kicked her firmly in the gut when she pulled away from him, and now had his hands balled up into fists as he rushed toward her. She lifted her hands to fend him off, but he just slapped them away with his left hand before he grabbed her hair to lift her up.

“Are you fucking stupid,” Eddie yelled as Olivia swiped at his face with her hands. “You're just like her, you know that.”

His grip on her hair tightened enough that she could feel a few strands break free from the follicles as he pulled her head closer, then slammed it hard against the wall. She felt her body go limp, and a few more strands came loose from her scalp before he released his grip and watched her crumble to the ground.

“This is your fault,” he said as he kicked her in the back with the sole of his boot. “You made me do this.”

There was no way to hold back the tears anymore, as the pain coursed through her body. Her body curled up in a fetal position as he walked away, and she struggled to breathe between sobs.

She wanted to die, to be free from the repeated abuse. It would be so easy to draw the razor blade across her wrist instead of her thigh, to just bleed out and leave all of the pain behind. The momentary sense of release she had with an inch-long cut on her thigh didn't seem like enough anymore, because there was just so much pain in her life. The way Eddie touched her, talked about her, and looked at her made her want to cry.

The look on her mother's face – the worry in her eyes – made her hurt in a different way. She didn't even want to think about how her father felt – the pain he must be going through – after she told him she didn't want him to be a part of her life. She knew how much it had hurt her to tell him that, to push away the person she had been wishing to meet for so long.

Maybe Eddie was right, this is what she deserved.

=_=_=_=_=

THE TEXT

How we looking?

I wanted to reply not good, to tell Cancer there was too much stuff going on in my head about my daughter that I just wanted to go home. Screw PRIME, and give a huge FU to Jason Snow in the process.

Thing is, as I stared at my phone screen I realized that Victoria was right. There was nothing I could do but wait until Olivia was ready to talk. If I rushed or forced things, it was only going to push her away even further, and I didn't want that.

I'm good.

I'm not sure if that answer is going to be sufficient, but it's the only thing I could think of. I know he's not really worried about me, or what I must be going through. The only thing he's thinking about right now, is me beating Jason and bringing the Intense title into the carton.

Funnily enough, I don't think he even knew there were titles other than the Universal in PRIME until he won the Five Star.

Ha.

Nevertheless, I know what is expected of me. I'm just not sure if I have it in me to get the job done. History shows I have Snow's number, but this isn't two thousand six and I no longer have the benefit of being the plucky little newcomer.

It's been almost twenty years since Snow and I faced off for the first time, but I have to say I'm just as nervous now as I was then. Mainly because I'm not sure I can beat him now. Hell, I'm surprised I was able to beat him then.

Despite having won the Alias, Intense, and Five Star championships before our match, it was really that victory – and the one that crowned me as the Jewel in the Crown champion – that really established me as a main eventer in the Revolution era.

Ha. 

That means as much as my Hall of Fame status nowadays, but you couldn't sneeze without seeing me in a main event match back then.

Cancer would've been so proud. Actually, he may have been a bit jealous. Yeah, definitely more jealous than proud, so I won't even bring it up.

You got this, Champ!

Looks like he has more faith in me than I have in myself. Hope I don't let him down like I did at Colossus, because he just might kick me off the Octane.

Then again, Coral's in charge, so I might be safe.

Would be nice to win though, especially since this is the same order I won the titles the last time I won them. So if history does decide to repeat itself, this would be the perfect time to do it.

Not to beat a dead horse, but I'm probably just kidding myself because nothing ever goes my way.

Well, unless that horse is named Clay Byrd.

=_=_=_=_=

THE YELLOW PAGES

“It's almost been a year, Jason.”

A grin.

“No hello, how are you doing?”

A stool.

“No hey, you're still alive?”

The Grin.

“You never even walked down the same hallway as me, and flipped me the Byrd as you passed.”

More importantly, ladies and gentlemen…

“I thought we were friends, but clearly you're still butt hurt about our past.”

The Stool.

“Still, it hurts.”

Once again here to grace you with its presence, saving you from the dribble of crap that usually escapes the scarred lips of PRIME Hall of Famer, Tony Gamble.

“Not as much as the pain you get in your neck when you fall asleep awkwardly on the couch while trying to binge watch all six seasons of The Sopranos, but I digress.”

Speaking of let downs, Tony’s ReVival has been as impressive as that series finale, so it's understandable he would use that as a reference. You know who hasn't been a let down?

“It's sad that this is going to be the first time we come face to face after more than a decade, and it's in a match for the Intense title.”

If you guessed The Stool, you have no reason to be sad because you are correct.

“Stakes are high, Jason, but I have to say you have the advantage here. You're the champion, coming off a hot win over Daytona Diamonds to do so, and I have to beat you.”

If given the chance, Cancer Jiles probably would have invited The Stool to be a Bandit instead of Tony. The Stool was able to carry Bobby Dean after all, something Jonathon Rhine’s favorite wrestler could never do.

“I'm sure you haven't noticed, but I'm not the Permascar Superstar you remember. I'm not in the main event every other week, making the Big Dog kiss my Converse more than he does Troy's crown. No, what I am is a man that needs to stand atop a couple of phone books in order to even be noticed amongst the crowded and talented roster that PRIME currently has.”

Everyone knows he uses two phone books because if he stood on top of The Stool he would fall short of standing out amongst such greatness, so he doesn't even try to compete.

“I wish it weren't true. I wish that the rest of the roster murmured amongst themselves about how they hoped to never step into a ring against me, that my name carried the same weight as it once did, but it only carries the weight of Two Books nowadays.”

Tony averts his attention away from the camera, toward the floor his feet dangle above.

“I thought about sitting here and telling you that I was riding a wave of euphoria after beating Clay Byrd, that being the one to end his undefeated streak was enough of a boost to my ego that I couldn't lose, but when that camera started rolling all I could think about was how I probably didn't measure up to the Original Villain. Have I ever?”

There's really only a four inch difference…in height.

“Four World championships in PCW, GTT6 champion, two time Five Star champion in PRIME, and you eventually won a Jewel in the Crown tournament. That, in and of itself, is impressive, but to place that cherry on top you retired as Universal champion after holding it longer than anyone else has in the history of PRIME.”

The Stool thinks that's pretty damn impressive.

“My accomplishments pale in comparison. So much so, that beating Clay Byrd feels about as impressive as beating Peter Vetra. Still, I'm going to go out there much like I have any other time we've been scheduled against each other, and do what I always do…give it everything I have and make sure that after the bell rings you know the outcome was deserved.”

I'm sure everyone knows who's going to win this match, The Stool knows who it's rooting for.

“It may not be enough, and I may walk away with my head down as you hoist the Intense title over your head after another victory.”

That grin widens as he shrugs his shoulders.

“But hey, at least I beat Clay Byrd.”