Post by Divewire on Mar 23, 2024 20:37:18 GMT -6
Divewire is lying face up on the canvas of his training ring in Scarborough, a borough of Toronto, Ontario. The lights are off as candles flicker all around the ring. The heat of the workout is wearing off and the gym has turned cold. Divewire stares at the dark lightbulb on the ceiling above him as the candles flicker and the moon shines in through a window. His breath has just begun to blow out as steam.
“I'm staring into the face of everything I’ve ever wanted… and it terrifies me.”
He quickly sits up and rolls out of the ring. After pulling a steelblue hoodie over his head, he goes around the ring and blows the candles out one by one.
“This is the biggest challenge I've ever faced and I dont know how I’m gonna make this work! I am at a complete loss.”
He blows out another candle and another…
“On the one hand, I truly believe I've done everything I can. Have I made mistakes along the way? Sure. Yeah, I’m nowhere near a perfect human. I’ve had off days. I’ve had cheat days. I’ve screwed up. I’ve fallen far and hard and it’s been my fault more than once. I know where rock bottom is. It’s why I choose to ignore gravity as a rule.
But, my ring game is at an all time high. My cardio is peak. My minor injuries aren’t nagging too badly these days. And I’ve been getting wins. Big wins. My momentum should hurl me into the stratosphere! But... it's Sally.”
He stops short of extinguishing the final candle. Arlington picks the candle up and carries it with him towards the door.
“It’s our Extreme Wrestling Corporation Undisputed Champion Sally Talfourd. If I let her, she has the power to bring me to my knees! When Prime comes to San Juan on the 31st, she and I are gonna make sure that March goes out like a LION.
Every time she opens her mouth, she makes me cringe. She strikes something deep within me that makes me want to step up and make a moment at her expense. And that’s all this is, right? Making moments. Find the proper collection of circumstances, sprinkle in a measure of competition or even confrontation, and add heat. Spotlights work well for that. Good thing the sky will be dripping with spotlights when I step right up and stand toe to toe with you in San Juan.”
Having paused at the door, he now blows out the last candle, leaving it on a side table. He exits and locks up the gym for the night. Divewire walks a short distance to his beat up old sedan and opens the door using the key in the keyhole. He slumps blissfully into the driver’s seat and pulls the door shut with a sigh. He traces the crack in the windshield with his eyes.
“Sally. The opulence that you are accustomed to is far from anything I’ve ever known in my entire life. We struggle to keep the lights on here at the training gym. I struggle to pay the mortgage. I worry about my next paycheque and my partner is not much of a partner at all these days. Relationships over time… I don’t know why I’m even talking about it.
I have a lot going on in life, but all of that is gonna be focused on you, Sally, when I ascend the ropes a lil’ quicker than you’d imagined; when I come flying out of nowhere before you even knew I had you in my sights. I’m elusive. It’s a thing. It’s the thing. And I’m bringing that to our one on one Prime Main Event next Sunday night! No-Title is just perfect for me. I’m not that yet, That ain’t me. I’m just a kid from a ghetto-ass neighbourhood who never wanted to be anything but great!”
Divewire fires up the eng– um… Whirrrrrrrr. Sputter sputter sputter… staaaaalllllllll out and stop. Arlington gets out of the car and kicks the tire. He takes a deep breath and looks deep into camera.
“This is MY CHANCE to get UP!!! Sally Talfourd, don’t you dare sleep on me. Take me down.”
Just then, the lights come on inside the gym. Fade to black.
