Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2019 18:51:04 GMT -6
Roadside Motel @ Toronto, Ontario, Canada | September 17th, 2019
After touching down at the private airstrip, I wasted no time gunning it out of there and hightailing it to the compound. My heart was racing. What the fuck was Allison thinking? I know that I wasn’t myself lately, and I couldn’t be completely honest until the job was done, but it was for the safety of her and the babies. All I can think about right now is how our conversation is going to go. The airstrip was only about a half an hour away from the Compound, when you followed speed limits. I made it to the front gates in seven minutes, the exhaust pipe on my bike was glowing hot as the bike sputtered on the approach to the Riggs Estate. I hadn’t even reached the house yet when I saw what looked like a gang coming down the front steps. Allison was in the lead and she looked to be fuming. I killed the bike, leaned it on its kickstand and barely had a chance to get my helmet off before Allison slapped me and started to hit me with closed fists. Ani and Voodoo were about to grab her before I waved them back. My princess needed to release her anger and I was man enough to stand there and take what I had coming to me. She was mid punch when she turned into a blubbering mess of tears, sniffles and hyperventilation. As Allison collapsed, I caught her and knelt down to the ground with her in my arms. I looked up and saw Voodoo, Angelique, Kal, Murphy, Sarah, Ani, Roger and Marie, I nodded for them to take off. This was something that needed to be resolved between me and my princess.
DANE
“Baby, I need you to focus on your breathing. Try to calm yourself…”
The look she gave me was a mixture of anger, confusion, and relief all at once. Before leaving Canada, I made sure that I was showered and shaved so I didn’t look like the fucking mess she thought I’d reverted back to. How was I going to tell her that I hadn’t really been on a bender. She reaches up and rubs my cheek where she slapped me, it stings to the touch. Her breathing steadied, if only slightly, enough for her to start the tongue lashing.
ALLISON
“How could you do this to me? How could you do this to us? To our family.”
DANE
“Oh princess, I don’t even know what to say right now. I know what you think was going on, but I promise you it wasn’t what you think it was.”
ALLISON
“Oh really? You want to know what I think? What it looked like was you breaking a promise to me. You promised me that you would never put me through that again. And you went and did it again.”
DANE
“It had to be that way. I was called away to do some driving for Dylan and Bishop. They told me it was undercover and that I couldn’t tell anyone. Not even you. They said I’d still be able to meet my contractual obligations, but I had to stay away from the Compound. Away from you and the kids…” I had to clear my throat to tell her this next part. “I saw people die the first night I was driving for them. I had a couple of drinks afterwards to take the edge off. A couple times I blew off more steam than I should have, because I have to be honest, I wanted to shit myself on these stings. But most importantly, being away from the three of you, it was more than I could bear.”
ALLISON
“You couldn’t even tell me, Dane? You would rather have me think you were a lying piece of shit that would have rather hit the booze than to let me know? Do you know what I have been through these past few weeks? Do you know that every time to phone rang I was expecting it to be the cops, for me to come down to the morgue to identify your body?”
DANE
“I know what you must think of me. I wanted to tell you. I really did. But these were some fucked up people. I helped save lives. I helped Dylan and Bishop put away some really terrible people. I know that’s not an excuse for lying and it’s certainly no excuse for me nursing the bottle again. But I need you to know, that job is done. I’m back home and I am finished with alcohol. And I’ll do whatever you need me to do in order to make things right again. But first, what in the Hell was going through your head? You launched the Chevelle into Kal’s fucking lake!?! I told you I needed a bit more time, I told you I was coming back and you went and did that!?!”
ALLISON
“You’re not the only one who can drink and do crazy things, Dane. I was mad. You know how I can get when I’m mad. I am my father’s daughter after all. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I thought I had lost my husband and that he was never coming back.”
DANE
“I told you I just needed a little more time. I’m back now. And I’m not leaving like that again. But we’re going to have a serious talk about your anger issues and how you deal with them. My dad was like that. Your dad is like that. Granted, my dad was piss drunk and your dad is a professional wrestler. Even so, what you did was fucking reckless. You could have died Allison. I grew up without a mother. Did you even stop to think for one second that your decision could have left Luke and Leyla without a mother? Does that really seem like the right thing to do?”
ALLISON
“...Not at all. All I cared about was hurting that car as much as I was hurting. I didn’t even think about my babies, Jesus, what kind of a mother am I that I would do something like that? Damn, Ani’s a better mother than I am right now.”
DANE
“Now that’s just crazy talk there, Princess. There is no other woman that I know that dotes over her children as much as you do. And I won’t stand and listen to you talk in that manner about yourself. It’s my fault you’re feeling this way, I never meant for this to happen.”
ALLISON
“Kal is so mad at me right now. I feel like I have made a mess of things. If my Dad and Jenna knew what I did. Oh God, Dane, everyone must think I am crazy.”
At almost that exact instant I felt my iPhone start vibrating in my pocket. We look at each other with our eyes wide having the same “oh shit” moment. I pull my phone out and I see several missed calls from Damon. I give Allison a look and slip the phone back into my pocket and get to my feet helping her up as I stand. I nod in the direction of the garage and we start walking.
DANE
“Your father can wait. You’re not a child anymore. This is something that you and I will work through. Together. What kind of shape is the Chevelle in anyway?”
ALLISON
“Really Dane, you want to talk about that now?”
DANE
“Yeah, I kinda do. Because we are going to rebuild it together. Again.”
ALLISON
“Okay, then I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you that it’s totaled.”
DANE
“I have yet to meet a car I can’t rebuild…”
I barely finish my last word when we walk into the garage and I see the extent of the damage on the Chevelle. The entire front clip was crushed; bumper, grille, fenders and hood, all crushed. The car was parked under some bright shop lamps, which can get pretty hot, Kal’s doing I would guess, which works out perfectly to help dry the car out faster. I turn and give Allison a scolding look when she gives me an uneasy smirk and a shrug in return.
DANE
“You really did a fucking number on it didn’t you…”
ALLISON
“Can you stop already? I’m not proud of what I did, alright?”
I unzipped my vest and reached into the front pocket of my hoodie, pulling out the fat envelope with the money I received for helping my brother and Bishop. I handed it to Allison and gave her a nod to open it.
ALLISON
“Where did all this cash come from, wait do I even want to know?”
DANE
“It’s all perfectly legal. Not like we needed it, but it will more than pay for the rebuild. As long as the frame is still straight, I can work with it. Just gotta give it a good once over to make sure it’s still mechanically sound.”
Allison handed the cash back to me and I slid it back into the front pocket of my hoodie as I continued to inspect the car.
ALLISON
“I should also tell you that the tranny was sticking between shifts…”
DANE
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that was user error…”
I look back to see her staring daggers at me with her arms across her chest. I go to her and kiss the top of her head before taking her by the hand and led her over to the car. Just like the first time the car was rebuilt, we would be doing it together.
All of a sudden we see LA Johnny Stylez step into the frame with a cocky ass smirk on his face. He has a joint hanging from his lips, and he is almost certain somebody paid him to take this guest spot as he is holding a money clip full of one hundred dollar bills. As he inhales deeply he blows smoke out into rings and then he smiles like he thinks we should know what's coming.
It's 4:19!
GOT A MINUTE!?
You know something? I've never seen two bigger got damn phonies in my entire life! I mean Dane you, and I have gone through some got damn wars that no man should ever walk through and you're going to tell me that you love your wife after she picked you up by your got damn johnson, and eliminated you from the rumble!? You have a lot of pride bruh, and I know you as a man still have not gotten over that yet. You may tell yourself that in secret but I know that's yet another reason why you take a drink because you can't get over the fact that there are people in this world that are better than you
AND ONE OF THEM IS YOUR OWN GOT DAMN WIFE!
PHUCK! I honestly don't know how I'd take that punch to the gut! You spend all the time talking about how you're not yourself but I've never met a dishonest drunk Dane, and that means your marriage is in trouble because Allison is just another whore you couldn't say no too. You wanted the truth right? You're being so phuckin honest with yourself, with your "Princess" and here's another thing I noticed. You made a lot of crying noises.
BUT THERE WASN'T ANY GOT DAMN TEARS!
That's why you wanted Anicka, Kal, and Voodoo gone because they can all see through your bull shit! Why me Dane? Nobody knows you quite like I do right? I mean what do you actually call a man whose phuckin woman drags him around by his johnson? I guess the better question is what kind of man would rather rebuild a car than his own got damn life!?
SOAK SOME UP!!!!!
Stylez then exits the frame as the scene fades out.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In layman's terms what Dane Preston was feeling was called a hang over brought on by a night of excessive drinking. Often to the point of being what's referred to as "black out" drunk. In light of this you're often to talking to the disease which is sad. These type of people often bottom out more than once, and lie to their families often. Even the threat of losing them isn't enough to get them to stop, and some how, in some shape the reward of a wrestling title will be enough to stop Dane Preston from his descent into darkness. The devil's hidden corner. Whatever you'd prefer to call it. It's not a matter of it but when. When will Dane Preston bottom out to the point of no return?
I am the disease, and yet I don't care. In some instances the disease can be over come through complete honesty, and in other cases in cannot. How much can any of us abuse our bodies before they permanently shut down for good? That is the question nobody wants to answer because they do not want to face their own mortality. They're scared to face it head on. They do not believe in it. You don't have to believe in the disease of alcoholism. The disease of alcoholism believes in you. It will destroy you, and everything around you. Before you know it you will be left with nothing but a memory of what could have been, and a family in mourning, only you'll never be there to see it. Nobody escapes death. Once you're dead you're second chance to correct things is gone. Does Dane Preston seem to care? No he doesn't. Like the decadent life he leads all he can do is live in the past, and from what we've seen all that has gotten him is a bunch of excuses, and a hurt family. The man is no prince, and he has no princess. He is a broken, man with a broken family.
"You could probably call Dr Phil but not even Dr Phil would touch that train wreck! As Dane Preston continued to bull shit himself, and those around him that was one of the most amazing, and humorous things of all! He really sincerely thought that everybody around him would think that people are suppose to repackage this like it is the year 2010! If there was ever somebody who lost a step you damn sure were looking at him!"
It was a beautiful sight to see a cedar deck with a propane barbecue grill placed upon it, and river spread out for as long as the eyes could see. The water had a very alluring fashion and it was very mirror like. It was quiet among the moon and the stars. While Dane Preston had chosen to go, and hide after facing the shame of not only failing himself but his entire family there was no shame to be had out here tonight. Especially surrounded by the Tiki torches. There was an open bar that was open all night if you had enough restraint to treat yourself but given what we now know about Dane Preston he'd probably be cut off after showing his license! This was the ideal N.E.W. promo spot, and for once we were catching James Wolf in rare form because usually the world would see him come out in the as the druid being very solemn while holding a pillar of fire or a torch but tonight we saw him bundled up in a leather jacket, and gloves, along with a knit hit since there was an obvious chill in the air. It did not help matters that he was by a river deck but the view was too much to pass up. It was also too much to pass up hitting a wounded Dane Preston where it hurt!
"First off, let me stop you right there Dane. You see I'm flattered you can even remember back to what some people would refer to as the gold age of wrestling because the fact of the matter is you've been swimming in booze for so long its a wonder you've even got any brain cells left? Mental Retardation, has not set in yet Dane? I thought for sure both of your sons would have all ready seen the signs of it setting in. With you being so honest with us? Right? It seemed more like you and Allison wanted a day time Emmy, or a Golden Globe than being the pillars of taking on the debilitating addiction of Alcoholism! So let me be the first to say it that you two are both faker than shit! But the wrestling world all ready knew that! That's never been a secret! Just like the fact that you've never let the past go! That you think you're the greatest wrestler that ever walked on two legs. I mean I could go on and provide you with examples, but everybody all ready knows I'm right. When it comes to picking out your flaws. There's not much to be wrong about. Let me wrap this up in a way that you'll understand because you've had a really hard time before understanding, and comprehending simple English. Nobody gives a fuck about your trip down memory lane! You're boring us, and the N.E.W. are losing ratings the longer you keep it up. So next time please just move the fuck on!"
"Since the booze has been eating a hole right through your brain let me remind you that there was absolutely nothing special about seeing some schmuck waste an hour talking about himself, and then watching some two that thought he was a ten win a title. Sorry if that is what you thought wrestling was back then, and that left you wanting more clearly nobody told you had a drinking problem back then either! Sorry to burst your bubble, and ruin what little bit of a child hood you had but I doubt your memories extend past Allison sucking your dick, and all those other secrets you hid from Allison while you were drinking. Because Dane you've broken more than one promise, and you're going to have to fix more than one car to fix your marriage. To fix yourself, you have to do more than think about what wrestling use to be I'll tell you that fucking much!"
As James sat there at the Tiki Bar he was beginning to enjoy the breeze more and more. It was almost like it spoke to him as crazy as that sounded. Carried Dane's words to him. So he’d send a message back to Mr. Preston. A message that he would not enjoy either. James was sure Preston just saw this as an opportunity for title, but James saw it as an opportunity for more!
"You know Dane I am a man who is big on Irony. I'm sure you know the meaning of that word right. That's good because I won't have to explain it to you. You see Dane its ironic that you mention the short bus stars of the ring, and those who are not specifically here any more versus those who are. Now you're proving my point on this whole irony thing. Nobody gives a fuck about those wrestlers you mentioned. They're retired, or dead. Who gives a fuck? I don't but apparently there is something in your boozed up brain that thinks its important for you to mention them when it's not! You know Kyle Manson might be insulted considering he was hoping to be apart of your family but I guess that's a feud for another day isn't it? See the problem with these drunken benders is you're a black out drunk. When you come to the next day, you have no idea what's going on! It took somebody like me to fill you in. I guess Nomad, and Anicka are going to thank me now huh? Somebody, get Dane Preston a fucking Jager bomb on me, because somebody whose that's goddamn stupid deserves another round on the merry go round of misery! A never was! That's the best you can do Dane? You came all this way to tell me I was a never was! Wow, now I know you started drowning your brain in booze during your promo. Your wife, and children aren't going to be very happy when you don't know what year it is, and you're slumped over in your favorite chair after pissing your pants! New Edge Wrestling should have a stipulation that you must do your promos sober. We can call it the "Dane Preston" rule because this promo your released was so goddamn stupid it made your father in law wish that his daughter had been a lesbian because at least then she would have actually did something that made sense with her life!"
"The truth is you only make my laugh! You're a fucking joke, and the whole world can see it! You talk tough, but I'm use to that from drunks because you'd rather turn to the bottle than actually step into the ring, and prove it! Your words mean nothing because they come from a man who is nothing. A man who can't prove he's a man. And a man who can't over come his demons. You make a good comedian though. Even if you're not a funny one. Hey you, and the Joker do have something in common after all. The only difference is you'll still remain a failure, and you'll drown yourself in a bottle after you see this because you're too weak minded to come up with your own material. I've heard this all before, and it doesn't phase me. Nice try, but no cigar as they would say! Your problem is you give yourself too much credit, and you give you family way too much credit. I don't give a fuck about them. Never have, and never will. I sure as shit don't care about you! If it's your intention to drink yourself to death before our match then you're making my job a lot easier! Your family doesn't own the wrestling business, and even if they did they couldn't hold me back. This often happens when you're a narcissist. I get it. It's all about you. Yadda, Yadda, Yadda! Its old! We live in the present! How about you join us? Or you be a man, finish the fucking job, and make your wife a widow, and orphans of your kids. That's what you really want isn't it? You disguise your insults at another person because deep down you hate yourself right Dane? Do it! Be a man. Kill yourself, or overcome, what's it going to be? We're not talking about your family we are talking about us. We've all ready established that you're a drunk, a narcissist, a liar, and you're detached from the current reality, you're also dependent on other people to do the work for you. That's why you needed your wife's help before. Tell me Dane, will your wife be holding your johnson again this time or do I need to be the one to do what you can't and put her in her place?"
"Dane, I've noticed that you love to hear the sound of your own voice, and I really wish somebody would invent a human muzzle so we could attach one around your head! Do you ever stop talking? I mean ever!? You want to face some more reality than we can face more reality. The fact is I've made my name in this business, and your father in law is a fucking scrub. The whole world knows it. He ain't coming out of retirement. I don't give a fuck what you've done so you can talk until you're blue in the face, its just in one ear, and out of the other for me. Not sorry for being honest. You know whats funny? All of those survival stories you mention, and then you go drown yourself in the bottle! Kill yourself, while you destroy YOUR family. Giving me the advantage in our match because you'd rather choose alcohol over everything else. You're not talking the alcohol is. I know all about alcohol, and that struggle, and I know what it takes to over come it, and I know how to be the disease. You can't over come me. This isn't about some title Dane. You're going to be honest with yourself if it kills you, and it probably will, but first I'll kill you, and rob you of every opportunity to get that belt because I'll be the first champion before you get too. I'm sure the NEW wants somebody who isn't dependable and would rather pawn his title for another drink. You'll choose alcohol over everything. Your promo was very enlightening. Very enlightening indeed. You can't even focus with what you're going to say. You're a drunk Dane. They can name a title after you but it won't be "Battle Born" it'll be the dead in the gutter title because that's exactly where they're going to find you. You'll be just another statistic. Another name lost to the disease. You're getting everything wrong because you're mind is clouded with the booze. No car can be rebuilt to fix it. You have to fix yourself, and that takes time."
"While you were getting expelled from schools I was actually working with lawyers to escape an alcoholic father so I could get out on my own and work to win my first world title. But hey wonderful work on being damaged! Again I don't give a fuck! We all have our struggles, war stories, and victories to celebrate! Can't always live in the past there Dane! Somebody should have taught you this by now! You call yourself a bad ass? That's rich Dane even for you? You can't even get the events that happened in another person's life right much less talk about yourself being a bad ass! How much alcohol did you drink before you cut your little promo? I bet you hit the liquor store without telling Allison. Maybe you had a hooker on speed dial, while you drank your fifth of whatever. The more you talk the more it sounds like you're slurring your words!"
James motions for an ice water and takes a moment to just enjoy the atmosphere. He laughs to himself. Never before has he believe he was watching a live comedy special before his eyes. He wouldn't say Dane Preston was something something special. No, in fact Dane Preston was just another drunk whose body hasn't shut down on him yet. He could die in the ring, in front of his wife, or the greatest irony, of all in front of his children. Nobody wanted that, but it most certainly was in the realm of possibility.
"Your father in law has nothing on me boy! For all the talent you claim to have the only person who will end up in a coffin is you! Because you love to over indulge, and there is only one way that ends. You don't have the balls to put me in a wheel chair, and I've been in a coffin before. They're not very comfortable. Escaping them is even trickier, if you survive feeling sorry for yourself I might just share the trick. Because that's the topic you truly want to avoid isn't it? You can stand up to me but you can't stand up to yourself isn't it? Blame the world for what happened because you couldn't stop it? Likely story, and we've all been there but you can't be a man until you actually stop fucking over your family. If Kal was smart you'd never see Allison, or your kids again until you never touched another drop of booze. I've never been related to his family, but that man and I have had our wars. Let's talk about Deacon Horrible. He was a tool. I found out it was Brandon Moore who was responsible for what happened, and then guess what I did. I gave in to my darker impulses just like my daughter had. You can fight a losing war or you can be happy. Turns out I didn't end up fighting the losing war and it lead me here. Funny how that works out right? Dane you might have planted a suggestion but I'm not puppet and you don't control me, just like I can't force you to stop killing yourself during our match but you'll continue to kill yourself because you can never admit you're wrong. You always have to be right. You can ask any body and they'll admit that I'm right. Ultimately that plays to my strength and your weaknesses. You claim I'm dumber than rocks, but its you that is drinking himself to death in front of his families very eyes! Right!?Seems like you're the one out of sorts there. As a matter of fact you've gotten every thing about me wrong! It may also warm your heart to know that I'll never be Morbid Wolf ever again. EVER! See I've grown over time into a better man, into a more vicious, methodical, black hearted man who just simply doesn't give a fuck about anybody but myself and the few allies I pick up. Anybody else can go drink themselves to death. You fit that description and all ready have a head start so don't let me stop you. Or, its as if they're not there! Dane, I want you to know that when Kal finds you dead in a ditch, the gutter, the bed, or the ring, of a possible heart attack, or whatever the cause of death is that alcohol can bring on I'll call up my brother Adam Storm and Allison can fall in his arms and see what a real man looks like because you are not it! Don't worry though alcohol causes you to lie through your teeth, and judging by the chill that's in the air you've had plenty, and it's time to stop before you die. On second thought, just finish the job, and kill yourself!"
James then gets up, and heads toward his hotel which happens to be a few feet from the bar as we now come to a close.
After touching down at the private airstrip, I wasted no time gunning it out of there and hightailing it to the compound. My heart was racing. What the fuck was Allison thinking? I know that I wasn’t myself lately, and I couldn’t be completely honest until the job was done, but it was for the safety of her and the babies. All I can think about right now is how our conversation is going to go. The airstrip was only about a half an hour away from the Compound, when you followed speed limits. I made it to the front gates in seven minutes, the exhaust pipe on my bike was glowing hot as the bike sputtered on the approach to the Riggs Estate. I hadn’t even reached the house yet when I saw what looked like a gang coming down the front steps. Allison was in the lead and she looked to be fuming. I killed the bike, leaned it on its kickstand and barely had a chance to get my helmet off before Allison slapped me and started to hit me with closed fists. Ani and Voodoo were about to grab her before I waved them back. My princess needed to release her anger and I was man enough to stand there and take what I had coming to me. She was mid punch when she turned into a blubbering mess of tears, sniffles and hyperventilation. As Allison collapsed, I caught her and knelt down to the ground with her in my arms. I looked up and saw Voodoo, Angelique, Kal, Murphy, Sarah, Ani, Roger and Marie, I nodded for them to take off. This was something that needed to be resolved between me and my princess.
DANE
“Baby, I need you to focus on your breathing. Try to calm yourself…”
The look she gave me was a mixture of anger, confusion, and relief all at once. Before leaving Canada, I made sure that I was showered and shaved so I didn’t look like the fucking mess she thought I’d reverted back to. How was I going to tell her that I hadn’t really been on a bender. She reaches up and rubs my cheek where she slapped me, it stings to the touch. Her breathing steadied, if only slightly, enough for her to start the tongue lashing.
ALLISON
“How could you do this to me? How could you do this to us? To our family.”
DANE
“Oh princess, I don’t even know what to say right now. I know what you think was going on, but I promise you it wasn’t what you think it was.”
ALLISON
“Oh really? You want to know what I think? What it looked like was you breaking a promise to me. You promised me that you would never put me through that again. And you went and did it again.”
DANE
“It had to be that way. I was called away to do some driving for Dylan and Bishop. They told me it was undercover and that I couldn’t tell anyone. Not even you. They said I’d still be able to meet my contractual obligations, but I had to stay away from the Compound. Away from you and the kids…” I had to clear my throat to tell her this next part. “I saw people die the first night I was driving for them. I had a couple of drinks afterwards to take the edge off. A couple times I blew off more steam than I should have, because I have to be honest, I wanted to shit myself on these stings. But most importantly, being away from the three of you, it was more than I could bear.”
ALLISON
“You couldn’t even tell me, Dane? You would rather have me think you were a lying piece of shit that would have rather hit the booze than to let me know? Do you know what I have been through these past few weeks? Do you know that every time to phone rang I was expecting it to be the cops, for me to come down to the morgue to identify your body?”
DANE
“I know what you must think of me. I wanted to tell you. I really did. But these were some fucked up people. I helped save lives. I helped Dylan and Bishop put away some really terrible people. I know that’s not an excuse for lying and it’s certainly no excuse for me nursing the bottle again. But I need you to know, that job is done. I’m back home and I am finished with alcohol. And I’ll do whatever you need me to do in order to make things right again. But first, what in the Hell was going through your head? You launched the Chevelle into Kal’s fucking lake!?! I told you I needed a bit more time, I told you I was coming back and you went and did that!?!”
ALLISON
“You’re not the only one who can drink and do crazy things, Dane. I was mad. You know how I can get when I’m mad. I am my father’s daughter after all. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I thought I had lost my husband and that he was never coming back.”
DANE
“I told you I just needed a little more time. I’m back now. And I’m not leaving like that again. But we’re going to have a serious talk about your anger issues and how you deal with them. My dad was like that. Your dad is like that. Granted, my dad was piss drunk and your dad is a professional wrestler. Even so, what you did was fucking reckless. You could have died Allison. I grew up without a mother. Did you even stop to think for one second that your decision could have left Luke and Leyla without a mother? Does that really seem like the right thing to do?”
ALLISON
“...Not at all. All I cared about was hurting that car as much as I was hurting. I didn’t even think about my babies, Jesus, what kind of a mother am I that I would do something like that? Damn, Ani’s a better mother than I am right now.”
DANE
“Now that’s just crazy talk there, Princess. There is no other woman that I know that dotes over her children as much as you do. And I won’t stand and listen to you talk in that manner about yourself. It’s my fault you’re feeling this way, I never meant for this to happen.”
ALLISON
“Kal is so mad at me right now. I feel like I have made a mess of things. If my Dad and Jenna knew what I did. Oh God, Dane, everyone must think I am crazy.”
At almost that exact instant I felt my iPhone start vibrating in my pocket. We look at each other with our eyes wide having the same “oh shit” moment. I pull my phone out and I see several missed calls from Damon. I give Allison a look and slip the phone back into my pocket and get to my feet helping her up as I stand. I nod in the direction of the garage and we start walking.
DANE
“Your father can wait. You’re not a child anymore. This is something that you and I will work through. Together. What kind of shape is the Chevelle in anyway?”
ALLISON
“Really Dane, you want to talk about that now?”
DANE
“Yeah, I kinda do. Because we are going to rebuild it together. Again.”
ALLISON
“Okay, then I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you that it’s totaled.”
DANE
“I have yet to meet a car I can’t rebuild…”
I barely finish my last word when we walk into the garage and I see the extent of the damage on the Chevelle. The entire front clip was crushed; bumper, grille, fenders and hood, all crushed. The car was parked under some bright shop lamps, which can get pretty hot, Kal’s doing I would guess, which works out perfectly to help dry the car out faster. I turn and give Allison a scolding look when she gives me an uneasy smirk and a shrug in return.
DANE
“You really did a fucking number on it didn’t you…”
ALLISON
“Can you stop already? I’m not proud of what I did, alright?”
I unzipped my vest and reached into the front pocket of my hoodie, pulling out the fat envelope with the money I received for helping my brother and Bishop. I handed it to Allison and gave her a nod to open it.
ALLISON
“Where did all this cash come from, wait do I even want to know?”
DANE
“It’s all perfectly legal. Not like we needed it, but it will more than pay for the rebuild. As long as the frame is still straight, I can work with it. Just gotta give it a good once over to make sure it’s still mechanically sound.”
Allison handed the cash back to me and I slid it back into the front pocket of my hoodie as I continued to inspect the car.
ALLISON
“I should also tell you that the tranny was sticking between shifts…”
DANE
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that was user error…”
I look back to see her staring daggers at me with her arms across her chest. I go to her and kiss the top of her head before taking her by the hand and led her over to the car. Just like the first time the car was rebuilt, we would be doing it together.
All of a sudden we see LA Johnny Stylez step into the frame with a cocky ass smirk on his face. He has a joint hanging from his lips, and he is almost certain somebody paid him to take this guest spot as he is holding a money clip full of one hundred dollar bills. As he inhales deeply he blows smoke out into rings and then he smiles like he thinks we should know what's coming.
It's 4:19!
GOT A MINUTE!?
You know something? I've never seen two bigger got damn phonies in my entire life! I mean Dane you, and I have gone through some got damn wars that no man should ever walk through and you're going to tell me that you love your wife after she picked you up by your got damn johnson, and eliminated you from the rumble!? You have a lot of pride bruh, and I know you as a man still have not gotten over that yet. You may tell yourself that in secret but I know that's yet another reason why you take a drink because you can't get over the fact that there are people in this world that are better than you
AND ONE OF THEM IS YOUR OWN GOT DAMN WIFE!
PHUCK! I honestly don't know how I'd take that punch to the gut! You spend all the time talking about how you're not yourself but I've never met a dishonest drunk Dane, and that means your marriage is in trouble because Allison is just another whore you couldn't say no too. You wanted the truth right? You're being so phuckin honest with yourself, with your "Princess" and here's another thing I noticed. You made a lot of crying noises.
BUT THERE WASN'T ANY GOT DAMN TEARS!
That's why you wanted Anicka, Kal, and Voodoo gone because they can all see through your bull shit! Why me Dane? Nobody knows you quite like I do right? I mean what do you actually call a man whose phuckin woman drags him around by his johnson? I guess the better question is what kind of man would rather rebuild a car than his own got damn life!?
SOAK SOME UP!!!!!
Stylez then exits the frame as the scene fades out.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In layman's terms what Dane Preston was feeling was called a hang over brought on by a night of excessive drinking. Often to the point of being what's referred to as "black out" drunk. In light of this you're often to talking to the disease which is sad. These type of people often bottom out more than once, and lie to their families often. Even the threat of losing them isn't enough to get them to stop, and some how, in some shape the reward of a wrestling title will be enough to stop Dane Preston from his descent into darkness. The devil's hidden corner. Whatever you'd prefer to call it. It's not a matter of it but when. When will Dane Preston bottom out to the point of no return?
I am the disease, and yet I don't care. In some instances the disease can be over come through complete honesty, and in other cases in cannot. How much can any of us abuse our bodies before they permanently shut down for good? That is the question nobody wants to answer because they do not want to face their own mortality. They're scared to face it head on. They do not believe in it. You don't have to believe in the disease of alcoholism. The disease of alcoholism believes in you. It will destroy you, and everything around you. Before you know it you will be left with nothing but a memory of what could have been, and a family in mourning, only you'll never be there to see it. Nobody escapes death. Once you're dead you're second chance to correct things is gone. Does Dane Preston seem to care? No he doesn't. Like the decadent life he leads all he can do is live in the past, and from what we've seen all that has gotten him is a bunch of excuses, and a hurt family. The man is no prince, and he has no princess. He is a broken, man with a broken family.
"You could probably call Dr Phil but not even Dr Phil would touch that train wreck! As Dane Preston continued to bull shit himself, and those around him that was one of the most amazing, and humorous things of all! He really sincerely thought that everybody around him would think that people are suppose to repackage this like it is the year 2010! If there was ever somebody who lost a step you damn sure were looking at him!"
It was a beautiful sight to see a cedar deck with a propane barbecue grill placed upon it, and river spread out for as long as the eyes could see. The water had a very alluring fashion and it was very mirror like. It was quiet among the moon and the stars. While Dane Preston had chosen to go, and hide after facing the shame of not only failing himself but his entire family there was no shame to be had out here tonight. Especially surrounded by the Tiki torches. There was an open bar that was open all night if you had enough restraint to treat yourself but given what we now know about Dane Preston he'd probably be cut off after showing his license! This was the ideal N.E.W. promo spot, and for once we were catching James Wolf in rare form because usually the world would see him come out in the as the druid being very solemn while holding a pillar of fire or a torch but tonight we saw him bundled up in a leather jacket, and gloves, along with a knit hit since there was an obvious chill in the air. It did not help matters that he was by a river deck but the view was too much to pass up. It was also too much to pass up hitting a wounded Dane Preston where it hurt!
"First off, let me stop you right there Dane. You see I'm flattered you can even remember back to what some people would refer to as the gold age of wrestling because the fact of the matter is you've been swimming in booze for so long its a wonder you've even got any brain cells left? Mental Retardation, has not set in yet Dane? I thought for sure both of your sons would have all ready seen the signs of it setting in. With you being so honest with us? Right? It seemed more like you and Allison wanted a day time Emmy, or a Golden Globe than being the pillars of taking on the debilitating addiction of Alcoholism! So let me be the first to say it that you two are both faker than shit! But the wrestling world all ready knew that! That's never been a secret! Just like the fact that you've never let the past go! That you think you're the greatest wrestler that ever walked on two legs. I mean I could go on and provide you with examples, but everybody all ready knows I'm right. When it comes to picking out your flaws. There's not much to be wrong about. Let me wrap this up in a way that you'll understand because you've had a really hard time before understanding, and comprehending simple English. Nobody gives a fuck about your trip down memory lane! You're boring us, and the N.E.W. are losing ratings the longer you keep it up. So next time please just move the fuck on!"
"Since the booze has been eating a hole right through your brain let me remind you that there was absolutely nothing special about seeing some schmuck waste an hour talking about himself, and then watching some two that thought he was a ten win a title. Sorry if that is what you thought wrestling was back then, and that left you wanting more clearly nobody told you had a drinking problem back then either! Sorry to burst your bubble, and ruin what little bit of a child hood you had but I doubt your memories extend past Allison sucking your dick, and all those other secrets you hid from Allison while you were drinking. Because Dane you've broken more than one promise, and you're going to have to fix more than one car to fix your marriage. To fix yourself, you have to do more than think about what wrestling use to be I'll tell you that fucking much!"
As James sat there at the Tiki Bar he was beginning to enjoy the breeze more and more. It was almost like it spoke to him as crazy as that sounded. Carried Dane's words to him. So he’d send a message back to Mr. Preston. A message that he would not enjoy either. James was sure Preston just saw this as an opportunity for title, but James saw it as an opportunity for more!
"You know Dane I am a man who is big on Irony. I'm sure you know the meaning of that word right. That's good because I won't have to explain it to you. You see Dane its ironic that you mention the short bus stars of the ring, and those who are not specifically here any more versus those who are. Now you're proving my point on this whole irony thing. Nobody gives a fuck about those wrestlers you mentioned. They're retired, or dead. Who gives a fuck? I don't but apparently there is something in your boozed up brain that thinks its important for you to mention them when it's not! You know Kyle Manson might be insulted considering he was hoping to be apart of your family but I guess that's a feud for another day isn't it? See the problem with these drunken benders is you're a black out drunk. When you come to the next day, you have no idea what's going on! It took somebody like me to fill you in. I guess Nomad, and Anicka are going to thank me now huh? Somebody, get Dane Preston a fucking Jager bomb on me, because somebody whose that's goddamn stupid deserves another round on the merry go round of misery! A never was! That's the best you can do Dane? You came all this way to tell me I was a never was! Wow, now I know you started drowning your brain in booze during your promo. Your wife, and children aren't going to be very happy when you don't know what year it is, and you're slumped over in your favorite chair after pissing your pants! New Edge Wrestling should have a stipulation that you must do your promos sober. We can call it the "Dane Preston" rule because this promo your released was so goddamn stupid it made your father in law wish that his daughter had been a lesbian because at least then she would have actually did something that made sense with her life!"
"The truth is you only make my laugh! You're a fucking joke, and the whole world can see it! You talk tough, but I'm use to that from drunks because you'd rather turn to the bottle than actually step into the ring, and prove it! Your words mean nothing because they come from a man who is nothing. A man who can't prove he's a man. And a man who can't over come his demons. You make a good comedian though. Even if you're not a funny one. Hey you, and the Joker do have something in common after all. The only difference is you'll still remain a failure, and you'll drown yourself in a bottle after you see this because you're too weak minded to come up with your own material. I've heard this all before, and it doesn't phase me. Nice try, but no cigar as they would say! Your problem is you give yourself too much credit, and you give you family way too much credit. I don't give a fuck about them. Never have, and never will. I sure as shit don't care about you! If it's your intention to drink yourself to death before our match then you're making my job a lot easier! Your family doesn't own the wrestling business, and even if they did they couldn't hold me back. This often happens when you're a narcissist. I get it. It's all about you. Yadda, Yadda, Yadda! Its old! We live in the present! How about you join us? Or you be a man, finish the fucking job, and make your wife a widow, and orphans of your kids. That's what you really want isn't it? You disguise your insults at another person because deep down you hate yourself right Dane? Do it! Be a man. Kill yourself, or overcome, what's it going to be? We're not talking about your family we are talking about us. We've all ready established that you're a drunk, a narcissist, a liar, and you're detached from the current reality, you're also dependent on other people to do the work for you. That's why you needed your wife's help before. Tell me Dane, will your wife be holding your johnson again this time or do I need to be the one to do what you can't and put her in her place?"
"Dane, I've noticed that you love to hear the sound of your own voice, and I really wish somebody would invent a human muzzle so we could attach one around your head! Do you ever stop talking? I mean ever!? You want to face some more reality than we can face more reality. The fact is I've made my name in this business, and your father in law is a fucking scrub. The whole world knows it. He ain't coming out of retirement. I don't give a fuck what you've done so you can talk until you're blue in the face, its just in one ear, and out of the other for me. Not sorry for being honest. You know whats funny? All of those survival stories you mention, and then you go drown yourself in the bottle! Kill yourself, while you destroy YOUR family. Giving me the advantage in our match because you'd rather choose alcohol over everything else. You're not talking the alcohol is. I know all about alcohol, and that struggle, and I know what it takes to over come it, and I know how to be the disease. You can't over come me. This isn't about some title Dane. You're going to be honest with yourself if it kills you, and it probably will, but first I'll kill you, and rob you of every opportunity to get that belt because I'll be the first champion before you get too. I'm sure the NEW wants somebody who isn't dependable and would rather pawn his title for another drink. You'll choose alcohol over everything. Your promo was very enlightening. Very enlightening indeed. You can't even focus with what you're going to say. You're a drunk Dane. They can name a title after you but it won't be "Battle Born" it'll be the dead in the gutter title because that's exactly where they're going to find you. You'll be just another statistic. Another name lost to the disease. You're getting everything wrong because you're mind is clouded with the booze. No car can be rebuilt to fix it. You have to fix yourself, and that takes time."
"While you were getting expelled from schools I was actually working with lawyers to escape an alcoholic father so I could get out on my own and work to win my first world title. But hey wonderful work on being damaged! Again I don't give a fuck! We all have our struggles, war stories, and victories to celebrate! Can't always live in the past there Dane! Somebody should have taught you this by now! You call yourself a bad ass? That's rich Dane even for you? You can't even get the events that happened in another person's life right much less talk about yourself being a bad ass! How much alcohol did you drink before you cut your little promo? I bet you hit the liquor store without telling Allison. Maybe you had a hooker on speed dial, while you drank your fifth of whatever. The more you talk the more it sounds like you're slurring your words!"
James motions for an ice water and takes a moment to just enjoy the atmosphere. He laughs to himself. Never before has he believe he was watching a live comedy special before his eyes. He wouldn't say Dane Preston was something something special. No, in fact Dane Preston was just another drunk whose body hasn't shut down on him yet. He could die in the ring, in front of his wife, or the greatest irony, of all in front of his children. Nobody wanted that, but it most certainly was in the realm of possibility.
"Your father in law has nothing on me boy! For all the talent you claim to have the only person who will end up in a coffin is you! Because you love to over indulge, and there is only one way that ends. You don't have the balls to put me in a wheel chair, and I've been in a coffin before. They're not very comfortable. Escaping them is even trickier, if you survive feeling sorry for yourself I might just share the trick. Because that's the topic you truly want to avoid isn't it? You can stand up to me but you can't stand up to yourself isn't it? Blame the world for what happened because you couldn't stop it? Likely story, and we've all been there but you can't be a man until you actually stop fucking over your family. If Kal was smart you'd never see Allison, or your kids again until you never touched another drop of booze. I've never been related to his family, but that man and I have had our wars. Let's talk about Deacon Horrible. He was a tool. I found out it was Brandon Moore who was responsible for what happened, and then guess what I did. I gave in to my darker impulses just like my daughter had. You can fight a losing war or you can be happy. Turns out I didn't end up fighting the losing war and it lead me here. Funny how that works out right? Dane you might have planted a suggestion but I'm not puppet and you don't control me, just like I can't force you to stop killing yourself during our match but you'll continue to kill yourself because you can never admit you're wrong. You always have to be right. You can ask any body and they'll admit that I'm right. Ultimately that plays to my strength and your weaknesses. You claim I'm dumber than rocks, but its you that is drinking himself to death in front of his families very eyes! Right!?Seems like you're the one out of sorts there. As a matter of fact you've gotten every thing about me wrong! It may also warm your heart to know that I'll never be Morbid Wolf ever again. EVER! See I've grown over time into a better man, into a more vicious, methodical, black hearted man who just simply doesn't give a fuck about anybody but myself and the few allies I pick up. Anybody else can go drink themselves to death. You fit that description and all ready have a head start so don't let me stop you. Or, its as if they're not there! Dane, I want you to know that when Kal finds you dead in a ditch, the gutter, the bed, or the ring, of a possible heart attack, or whatever the cause of death is that alcohol can bring on I'll call up my brother Adam Storm and Allison can fall in his arms and see what a real man looks like because you are not it! Don't worry though alcohol causes you to lie through your teeth, and judging by the chill that's in the air you've had plenty, and it's time to stop before you die. On second thought, just finish the job, and kill yourself!"
James then gets up, and heads toward his hotel which happens to be a few feet from the bar as we now come to a close.