Post by Roger Wright on Jan 10, 2024 15:39:38 GMT -6
Warm yourself by the fire, son
And the morning will come soon
See where I should be angry, I am happy, where you should be happy, you are angry. That is the turn of events that has happened, the fundamental change that you have been required to endure. Me, I am free, released from the prison that I had caged myself into. That is the rub, while you want me as your hero but discarded what I offered, you only worked to free me from the prison I had placed myself in. One might be mad, but I say thank you, thank you for turning your back on me, for showing me the way to what I never even knew I needed.
Now here we are, NEW is back, Jesse is power hungry, and you clamor for me. You beg for the old Roger to come back, you beg for me to willfully walk back into that prison that I spent so much time in for you. But there is no going back, there is no putting Roger back in the box. What you are left with is what you created, a man with no strings, with no worries, and a simple desire to do what he wants, you are just lucky that what I want is to get my hands on Jesse.
Your problem right now just happens to be my problem. I was happy, content sitting at home living my life off the grid. Content not having to deal with the problems of a company, to deal with someone like Jesse telling me what I was going to and not going to do. I was a happy man living the life that I had always wanted. But that changed when Jesse came a calling, it changed when I got back into the ring, and it changed when he screwed me, not once, not twice, but now three times.
I get it just like you, Roger is opening the show, just the first step of punishment for Jesse to dole out to me this week. Look I would take the time to look up my opponents but what is the point, they are two newcomers probably, or two people with something to prove who haven’t shown anything the last few weeks, or some combination, and so they get to get into the ring with Roger Wright. Enter the rub, they get to beat Roger Wright because Jesse will make sure I lose, just like he did with Johnny, just like he did last week.
It’s okay though, because the early show will have its best ratings since we came back, the concessions will sell stronger because more people will be here when things kick off, and that's not because they want to see Jesse, but because they want to see me. See Jesse isn’t a moron, he understands how this works, and so do I. It’s okay though, you won’t be sad by my loss, just mad at Jesse, mad at watching your hero lose again, and deep down you will tell yourself that Roger is coming back. That this loss is what will trigger the return, what will make that music play that you have longed to hear before I come to the ring.
Let me save you the pain of thought, the holding of your breath, I am not going to be that man, I am going to simply do what I must, and that is ensure that Jesse’s reign of tyranny comes to an end. Then I will walk away, not thinking about you, not caring about what you wanted, and not wanting anything else. This is the only thing I can promise you, the only thing that I offer, take it or leave it, either way I am unaffected.
Before we packed our bags
And left all this behind us in the dust
EARLY MORNING
“You don’t have to do this. We go way back, you could just treat me like a human you know, we have known each other long enough to be cordial.” Shane pleaded as he leaned against the shovel.
“Are you done?” Roger asked back.
“Yeah, looks good right?” Shane asked, an error of skepticism in his response, deep down he knew the answer would be no, but he hoped, hoped there was a shred of empathy in Roger’s heart.
Roger reached into the bag of jerky he held in his left hand and tossed a piece onto the floor. “Eat it.”
Shane looked down at the piece of jerky then back up at Roger, his eyes sank pleading with Roger for a change in response. Once more he looked down and again back to Roger, still pleading with his eyes for a change in response. “But it is on the ground of a horse stall.” Shane finally managed to get the words out of his mouth.
“You said it was clean, so eat it.” Roger stood stoic.
“No.” Shane shot back defiantly.
“Then get back to work, you are not done until you are willing to eat off the ground.” With that Roger turned and walked away, Shane left to simply stare at him as he went.
Roger emerged from the horse barn to find Matthew waiting for him. “He eat it?” Matthew asked, sick smile across his face.
“Nope.” Roger said, no change of expression to his face. “He will learn, he will be freed from the shackles and maybe then things can move forward.”
“I say fuck him, I don’t know why you keep trying to get him to understand. Cut your losses and move on is what I say, he isn’t worth your time, just like all of them out there.” Matthew pointed off at nowhere, and yet it seemed to be pointing at someone specific.
“Who are you pointing at?” Roger asked.
“All of them watching. You know they can see, they know.” Matthew smirked as he said the words, and Roger shook his head. “But fuck em, let’s get some grub, maybe dipshit will get that done and we can move onto the next phase.” Matthew slapped his brother on the shoulder and skipped off, Roger following along with a purposeful stride.
We are the angry and the desperate
The hungry, and the cold
Roger strode into the dining area to find Marie sitting at the table plowing through a mixing bowl full of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, swimming in what had to be half a gallon of milk. “Morning Peanut.” Roger said as he gave her a pat on the head.
“Uncle Matthew is out there talking to the wind again.” Marie said as she pointed out the back window.
Roger smiled, took a deep breath and poured a cup of coffee and stared out the window at Matthew. He could see him waving his arms around and pacing as if delivering a monologue to some unseen person. With a deep breath and shoulder shrug Roger stepped past Marie and gave her another rub on the head before stepping out into the crisp cold morning air with nothing more than his shorts on.
“Yeah ya mother fuckers don’t know who you are messing with. This is the beginning of the end, Shane is the start. We have plans for all the fuckers in the world that are trapped, confined and held by the shackles that society has placed on you. All will be known, we are coming for you like you have never known, there is no more Mr. Nice Guy here.” Matthew continued to bounce and move, arms flailing as he spoke.
“Jesse can put Roger into this match with Abigail and River, but we all know what it means, what he wants. This is a blatant attempt to try and sabotage the career of a man he has always been jealous of. It’s why Jesse turned to XXX, why he gave him so much power, let him run the roost like he did, because Jesse knew that Roger was too big, he had too much power over the company, and Jesse was the owner. It’s the classic power play, just think about it.” Matthew Stopped, smiled and then continued.
“Take nothing away from Abigail, but she, I think it’s a she, if it isn’t she has a she name and so therefore will forever be known as a she. Where this a fair scenario Abigail wouldn’t even be able to breathe the same air as Roger, but instead she gets to climb through those ropes and with the assistance of Jesse has a shot at a win over the greatest champion the NEW has ever had. River gets that same opportunity.” Matthew again stopped, smiled wide then continued.
“Because you can make no mistake, this is nothing more than a simple punishment, an attempt to bring down a man Jesse has never been able to control, a man that Jesse wishes he was. So how does Jesse do this? He puts Roger into the ring with a woman whose name screams nunnery, and another woman whose name screams 12 year old girl listing her wishes for her first date.” Matthew gave a subtle jump as he began to get into it.
“Let’s not even skip over the fact that Johnny is just as jealous, pulling the strings of his cousin, trying to do what he never could do on his own, and that is bring down Roger. All the times they went for it, never did Johnny get the edge on his own, he always needed someone’s help, but that is the story of Johnny’s life, so why would it be any different the last time around, as Johnny did what he does best, he got help.” Matthew took a breath and kept going.
“So now the two wonder twins have brought in two bitches to do their dirty work, but in the end it will mean nothing, because no matter the outcome, no matter how hard he tries Jesse and Johnny can’t destroy a legacy they helped to build while laying on their backs. It is their fault that Roger has climbed as far as he could, because they couldn’t stop him when they had the chance, and now they play shadow games sacrificing lambs to the slaughter hoping they can end the career their ineptitudes help make.” Matthew smiled as he stopped.
“Are they applauding?” Roger asked, placating the crazy that he had become sure that Matthew harbored inside.
“No, they should, but no they don’t. They are scared of you Roger, all of them, you are the wild card right now. They want their hero, they want their golden boy, but you haven’t come back and they hold their breath waiting for your return.” Matthew shook his head. “They want what they think is the real Roger Wright, because they can’t accept that what they have now is the real Roger, and the man they want is gone.”
“They will learn, just like everyone else. For now though, we need to figure out a way to get Jesse to the ring, though it won’t be hard, he will show. Abigail and River can fight it out, they can have the match, I just want to get my hands on Jesse, that is your job.”
“Yes sir.” Matthew said with a smile as they walked back to the house.
But we've been sweating while you slept so calm
In the safety of your home
LATER THAT DAY
Roger strode to the horse stall, pulled a piece of jerky from a bag and tossed it onto the ground. Shane knelt down, retrieved it and took a bite. “Good, we can move to stage 2.” Roger replied with a wave of the hand for Shane to follow. Both men stepped out into the sun and Roger pointed to the work crews arriving from the lunch break. “Fire all of them, find me twice as many men that will work for ¼ the price and take their pay under the table.”
“But…”
“I don’t care Shane, there will be no more people mooching off of me, so do what needs to be done, then when you are done I have more things for you to do.” Roger waved the man off as he strode back to the house where an eager Marie awaited, with both her and Roger’s horses being led by the reins.
And the morning will come soon
I'll tell you stories of a better time
In a place that we once knew
For the longest time I tried to be the hero you wanted, the hero I thought you deserved. But you didn’t want a hero, you wanted a tragedy, a tale of woe that you could clamor for, that would make you forget about your lives. Now I return, and you want your hero back, the hero you didn’t want anymore, the hero you didn’t deserve. But your hero is gone, what is left is the man that you made, the man that earned. You can cheer for me, you can boo me, but you know the only thing standing between Jesse and a rampage of tyranny is me, I am the hero you need, not the hero you want. See where I should be angry, I am happy, where you should be happy, you are angry. That is the turn of events that has happened, the fundamental change that you have been required to endure. Me, I am free, released from the prison that I had caged myself into. That is the rub, while you want me as your hero but discarded what I offered, you only worked to free me from the prison I had placed myself in. One might be mad, but I say thank you, thank you for turning your back on me, for showing me the way to what I never even knew I needed.
Now here we are, NEW is back, Jesse is power hungry, and you clamor for me. You beg for the old Roger to come back, you beg for me to willfully walk back into that prison that I spent so much time in for you. But there is no going back, there is no putting Roger back in the box. What you are left with is what you created, a man with no strings, with no worries, and a simple desire to do what he wants, you are just lucky that what I want is to get my hands on Jesse.
Your problem right now just happens to be my problem. I was happy, content sitting at home living my life off the grid. Content not having to deal with the problems of a company, to deal with someone like Jesse telling me what I was going to and not going to do. I was a happy man living the life that I had always wanted. But that changed when Jesse came a calling, it changed when I got back into the ring, and it changed when he screwed me, not once, not twice, but now three times.
I get it just like you, Roger is opening the show, just the first step of punishment for Jesse to dole out to me this week. Look I would take the time to look up my opponents but what is the point, they are two newcomers probably, or two people with something to prove who haven’t shown anything the last few weeks, or some combination, and so they get to get into the ring with Roger Wright. Enter the rub, they get to beat Roger Wright because Jesse will make sure I lose, just like he did with Johnny, just like he did last week.
It’s okay though, because the early show will have its best ratings since we came back, the concessions will sell stronger because more people will be here when things kick off, and that's not because they want to see Jesse, but because they want to see me. See Jesse isn’t a moron, he understands how this works, and so do I. It’s okay though, you won’t be sad by my loss, just mad at Jesse, mad at watching your hero lose again, and deep down you will tell yourself that Roger is coming back. That this loss is what will trigger the return, what will make that music play that you have longed to hear before I come to the ring.
Let me save you the pain of thought, the holding of your breath, I am not going to be that man, I am going to simply do what I must, and that is ensure that Jesse’s reign of tyranny comes to an end. Then I will walk away, not thinking about you, not caring about what you wanted, and not wanting anything else. This is the only thing I can promise you, the only thing that I offer, take it or leave it, either way I am unaffected.
Before we packed our bags
And left all this behind us in the dust
We had a place that we could call home
And a life no one could touch
EARLY MORNING
“You don’t have to do this. We go way back, you could just treat me like a human you know, we have known each other long enough to be cordial.” Shane pleaded as he leaned against the shovel.
“Are you done?” Roger asked back.
“Yeah, looks good right?” Shane asked, an error of skepticism in his response, deep down he knew the answer would be no, but he hoped, hoped there was a shred of empathy in Roger’s heart.
Roger reached into the bag of jerky he held in his left hand and tossed a piece onto the floor. “Eat it.”
Shane looked down at the piece of jerky then back up at Roger, his eyes sank pleading with Roger for a change in response. Once more he looked down and again back to Roger, still pleading with his eyes for a change in response. “But it is on the ground of a horse stall.” Shane finally managed to get the words out of his mouth.
“You said it was clean, so eat it.” Roger stood stoic.
“No.” Shane shot back defiantly.
“Then get back to work, you are not done until you are willing to eat off the ground.” With that Roger turned and walked away, Shane left to simply stare at him as he went.
Roger emerged from the horse barn to find Matthew waiting for him. “He eat it?” Matthew asked, sick smile across his face.
“Nope.” Roger said, no change of expression to his face. “He will learn, he will be freed from the shackles and maybe then things can move forward.”
“I say fuck him, I don’t know why you keep trying to get him to understand. Cut your losses and move on is what I say, he isn’t worth your time, just like all of them out there.” Matthew pointed off at nowhere, and yet it seemed to be pointing at someone specific.
“Who are you pointing at?” Roger asked.
“All of them watching. You know they can see, they know.” Matthew smirked as he said the words, and Roger shook his head. “But fuck em, let’s get some grub, maybe dipshit will get that done and we can move onto the next phase.” Matthew slapped his brother on the shoulder and skipped off, Roger following along with a purposeful stride.
We are the angry and the desperate
The hungry, and the cold
We're the ones who kept quiet
And always did what we were told
THE NEXT MORNINGRoger strode into the dining area to find Marie sitting at the table plowing through a mixing bowl full of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, swimming in what had to be half a gallon of milk. “Morning Peanut.” Roger said as he gave her a pat on the head.
“Uncle Matthew is out there talking to the wind again.” Marie said as she pointed out the back window.
Roger smiled, took a deep breath and poured a cup of coffee and stared out the window at Matthew. He could see him waving his arms around and pacing as if delivering a monologue to some unseen person. With a deep breath and shoulder shrug Roger stepped past Marie and gave her another rub on the head before stepping out into the crisp cold morning air with nothing more than his shorts on.
“Yeah ya mother fuckers don’t know who you are messing with. This is the beginning of the end, Shane is the start. We have plans for all the fuckers in the world that are trapped, confined and held by the shackles that society has placed on you. All will be known, we are coming for you like you have never known, there is no more Mr. Nice Guy here.” Matthew continued to bounce and move, arms flailing as he spoke.
“Jesse can put Roger into this match with Abigail and River, but we all know what it means, what he wants. This is a blatant attempt to try and sabotage the career of a man he has always been jealous of. It’s why Jesse turned to XXX, why he gave him so much power, let him run the roost like he did, because Jesse knew that Roger was too big, he had too much power over the company, and Jesse was the owner. It’s the classic power play, just think about it.” Matthew Stopped, smiled and then continued.
“Take nothing away from Abigail, but she, I think it’s a she, if it isn’t she has a she name and so therefore will forever be known as a she. Where this a fair scenario Abigail wouldn’t even be able to breathe the same air as Roger, but instead she gets to climb through those ropes and with the assistance of Jesse has a shot at a win over the greatest champion the NEW has ever had. River gets that same opportunity.” Matthew again stopped, smiled wide then continued.
“Because you can make no mistake, this is nothing more than a simple punishment, an attempt to bring down a man Jesse has never been able to control, a man that Jesse wishes he was. So how does Jesse do this? He puts Roger into the ring with a woman whose name screams nunnery, and another woman whose name screams 12 year old girl listing her wishes for her first date.” Matthew gave a subtle jump as he began to get into it.
“Let’s not even skip over the fact that Johnny is just as jealous, pulling the strings of his cousin, trying to do what he never could do on his own, and that is bring down Roger. All the times they went for it, never did Johnny get the edge on his own, he always needed someone’s help, but that is the story of Johnny’s life, so why would it be any different the last time around, as Johnny did what he does best, he got help.” Matthew took a breath and kept going.
“So now the two wonder twins have brought in two bitches to do their dirty work, but in the end it will mean nothing, because no matter the outcome, no matter how hard he tries Jesse and Johnny can’t destroy a legacy they helped to build while laying on their backs. It is their fault that Roger has climbed as far as he could, because they couldn’t stop him when they had the chance, and now they play shadow games sacrificing lambs to the slaughter hoping they can end the career their ineptitudes help make.” Matthew smiled as he stopped.
“Are they applauding?” Roger asked, placating the crazy that he had become sure that Matthew harbored inside.
“No, they should, but no they don’t. They are scared of you Roger, all of them, you are the wild card right now. They want their hero, they want their golden boy, but you haven’t come back and they hold their breath waiting for your return.” Matthew shook his head. “They want what they think is the real Roger Wright, because they can’t accept that what they have now is the real Roger, and the man they want is gone.”
“They will learn, just like everyone else. For now though, we need to figure out a way to get Jesse to the ring, though it won’t be hard, he will show. Abigail and River can fight it out, they can have the match, I just want to get my hands on Jesse, that is your job.”
“Yes sir.” Matthew said with a smile as they walked back to the house.
But we've been sweating while you slept so calm
In the safety of your home
We've been pulling out the nails that hold up
Everything you've known
LATER THAT DAY
Roger strode to the horse stall, pulled a piece of jerky from a bag and tossed it onto the ground. Shane knelt down, retrieved it and took a bite. “Good, we can move to stage 2.” Roger replied with a wave of the hand for Shane to follow. Both men stepped out into the sun and Roger pointed to the work crews arriving from the lunch break. “Fire all of them, find me twice as many men that will work for ¼ the price and take their pay under the table.”
“But…”
“I don’t care Shane, there will be no more people mooching off of me, so do what needs to be done, then when you are done I have more things for you to do.” Roger waved the man off as he strode back to the house where an eager Marie awaited, with both her and Roger’s horses being led by the reins.
Don't hold me up now
I can stand my own ground
I don't need your help now
You will let me down, down, down!