Morning Again

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February 22nd, 2019

Boston, Massachusetts

Off Camera

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Our Lady of the Annunciation Catholic Church towers high into the Boston, Massachusetts sky, looking ever so regal and majestic with its gothic architecture.  Standing outside, in the parking lot area, looking up with awe struck eyes at this awesome building, is Marie Annabelle Jones.  Despite being raised  Roman Catholic, despite being raised in this specific church, Marie is still impressed each and every time she sees the magnificent structure that now stands before her.  White marble steps lead up to a pair of impressive large brown oak doors.  The sides of this building are beautiful red brick that towers high into the sky, topped off by a white cross at its peak.  Jones wears a long flowing black maxi skirt, black high heeled pumps underneath, a white silk blouse, and a matching floral print black blazer.  Her long red hair hangs unrestrained to shoulder length.

The parking lot is practically empty with the exception of a handful of other vehicles.  Marie is the only person standing outside of her vehicle as she still stares at the awesome structure.  It’s approximately one hour before the start of mass and that is when the local priest tends to do confession.  She is here not just for that purpose, but for another reason; something else is troubling the mind of Marie Annabelle Jones on this day.

In fact, quite a bit has been bothering Marie for the past several weeks.  The fourth and final Breakdown of Katya’s total control over booking SCW has come to its conclusion and Marie is left in the same position she was in before; she was screwed out of a world championship and still unsure of who she can really and truly trust.  It’s the ultimate conundrum regarding the wrestling world; something her mother tried to warn her about long before she made her wrestling debut.

The backstage politics of professional wrestling are very crooked and you really cannot trust anyone except yourself and maybe family.  It’s a message that has been drilled into Marie’s head from day one, since her debut, and yet here she stood, side by side not with her mother but with Katya and Dark Fantasy, all in the hopes that they would do right by her.  And whether they have done right by her remains to be seen.

It bothers Marie because if they have indeed manipulated her this entire time, then she has gone up against her own family for nothing.  The one group that she knew she could trust she fought against; all for the slim hope of a world championship.

Yet that isn’t even the worst thing that has been bothering Marie lately.  It wasn’t but a few days before her world championship match against Syren when Marie’s husband, Arthur Pond, committed suicide.  Marie blames herself because they had the big argument, it was Marie who kicked him out of the house, but what she didn’t realize until much later was that Arthur had severe bouts of depression ever since the affair with Blake Mason came to light.

She wants to try and hear as much information about her husband’s fight with depression as she can.  It may not be a good idea, it may hurt her a lot more than it helps, but she has to know how big of a role she played in his depression and eventual suicide.  It’s doubtful she could get the psychiatrist he was seeing to tell her anything (privacy laws and all) but she knows that Arthur has been a lifelong attendee at Marie’s church, Our Lady of Annunciation Catholic parish.  There is a chance Arthur shared some of his problems with the priest, an elderly priest who has served this church for as long as the Jones family can recall; Father Larry Heiney.

Will Father Heiny tell Marie what she needs to know?  Doubtful.  Priests are also sworn to a certain level of secrecy and privacy, but there is a better chance of her getting information out of him than she has at getting anything out of the psychiatrist.  Father Heiney, at least, knows the Jones intimately.  There is a chance he might make an exception for old friends.

She notices another vehicle rolling into the parking lot.  Marie decides then to go ahead and make her way towards the church. It is best that she not get behind a long line of people wanting to go to confession.  Jones walks across the parking lot and up to the marble steps that lead to the front door.  Jones pulls the doors open and steps inside into the narthex where she immediately sees the vestibule, a large, standing font or pool used to perform the sacrament of Baptism.  Smaller, wall-mounted holy water fonts are found near the interior church doors.

The Phoenix approaches the inner doors, touches the holy water with her fingers, and makes the sign of the cross on her forehead and bows her head and mutters a low, quick prayer to herself, before entering the church sanctuary itself.  The sanctuary is carpeted with red carpeting which is very soft and comforting.  Two columns of pews are on either side of Jones as she looks down a long center aisle that leads up to the front of the church, the altar.  The altar and the pews are separated by a rail where worshipers may kneel if they so choose.  The altar itself is just behind the rail, as is a crucifix which is mounted on the wall.  Finally a pulpit is to the left.  Behind the pulpit is a beautiful life-size statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  On the opposite side of the Mary statue is a life sized statue of Joseph, holding the infant Jesus.

Marie takes in a deep breath and sighs as she approaches the altar where the Blessed Host rests for Eucharistic Adoration.  She reaches the front, takes another bow, and then walks over to one side of the railing and kneels at the altar where she begins to pray.

“Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.  Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.”

“O Christ Jesus, when all is darkness and we feel our weakness and helplessness, give us the sense of Your Presence, Your Love, and Your Strength.  Help us to have perfect trust in Your protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us; for, living close to You, we shall see Your Hand, Your Purpose, Your Will through all things. Amen.”

Marie crosses herself and then takes some time to wipe tears from her eyes before resuming her prayers.  The next one, being as important as it is, she knows it in Latin.

“Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.”

At that moment, The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling feels a hand on her shoulder.  “Ms. Jones?”

Startled she turns with a bit of a jerk to see Father Larry Heiney standing just behind her.  His comforting, firm but gentle, right hand rests upon her shoulder.  Marie was so caught up in her own inner thoughts and spiritualism that she didn’t even realize he was approaching.  That or he’s just so quiet and stealthy like a ninja.  But this is who she came to see, so she lets out a sigh of relief.

“Hi, Father.  Are you doing well?”

“I’m doing fine, thank you.  But you are a little early, don’t you think?”

“Early?”

“For mass.” Father says with a pleasant smile. “But our Lord never turns anyone away.  If you want to continue worshiping here or if you wish, I am ready to take confessions at any time.”

“That’s nice, Father, and I think I will take you up on that offer for a confession later but…” her voice trails off, she pauses for a moment “...but there’s something else I need to speak with you about.  Heck, I’m not even sure you will be able to help me but I felt I should at least try.”

“It can’t hurt.” Father Heiny responds with a shrug of his shoulders.  “You and your family have been members of this parish for ages, since I’ve been here at least, and you know I would do anything to help you.”

“That’s good to hear, Father.” Marie says with a big sigh. “Because I want to know anything that you can tell me about my late husband Arthur.”

“I see.” The pause and the look on the elderly priest’s face confirms to Marie that he is having difficulty with this request.  At the very least, he is unsure as to where she plans to go with this and thus whether or not he can actually help her in the way she wants.  Marie braces herself for a negative response when finally…

“Follow me.” He motions to a side door the left of the altar.  Marie stands up and follows the elderly priest through the door and into a hallway area.  The walls are lined with portraits, icons, and other images of various saints, depictions of  Christ, and The Blessed Virgin Mary.  It is a rather long hallway for it is a rather large building but once they reach the end of the hall they make a sharp right and enter into an office, presumably Father Heiney’s office.

The office was a state of half organized clutter; it was painted grey, and it had only one floor-to-ceiling window, which faced the main road.  On the mahogany desk we see a desktop computer, several stacks of paperwork, pens in a tin, floor to ceiling bookshelf, books leaning against one another different directions, a notebook lying open, and a stack of papers sitting under a turtle-shaped paperweight. In a corner, the air conditioner was blasting at medium, and there was a swivel chair in the middle of the office. A bookshelf, bursting with books was in a corner, with yet another stack of papers under a paperweight that was shaped to look like a tuft of grass. A few pens were lying on the papers, but some had fallen onto the top of the bookshelf.  Off to the side was a filling cabinet with paper work stacked on top, water dispenser with no cups.

“Have a seat.” Father Heiney instructs Marie, motioning to two chairs in front of the mahogany desk.  Father Heiney, meanwhile, takes his seat in the black swivel chair behind the desk.  Marie sits down and faces Father Heiney, awaiting his next response.

“I hope you do not mind that we speak back here in my office.  It’s just that I know that you must still be grieving over your loss, I’m sure you prefer the privacy as well.  Plus, I honestly have no idea what you are about to ask me about your husband but whatever you ask, I will do my best to answer.”

“Thank you, Father.” Marie nods her head and then takes in a deep breath, letting it out, before she prepares her question. “And I understand the need for privacy.  Some of what I may want…need to know may have been revealed in confession.  And I know how important it is to maintain the secrecy.”

“It isn’t really secrecy we’re trying to maintain when it comes to confession, Marie.  The standard of secrecy protecting a confession outweighs any form of professional confidentiality or secrecy. When a person unburdens his soul and confesses his sins to a priest in the Sacrament of Penance, a very sacred trust is formed. The priest must maintain absolute secrecy about anything that a person confesses. For this reason, confessionals were developed with screens to protect the anonymity of the penitent. This secrecy is called ‘the sacramental seal,’ ‘the seal of the confessional,’ or ‘the seal of confession.’  Without this seal, without the trust my parishioners have in me, they would never again come to me for penance, to get the sin off of their soul.”

“Oh I know,” Marie nods her head “that’s why I said earlier that I’m not even sure you can help me with this problem I have.”

“I do hope that I can help you.” Father Heiney continues. “I hate to see anyone grieving the way you have.”

“Thank you.” She crosses her legs and brushes some of her hair out of her face.  She’s fidgeting, as this is painful for her, but she knows she must get through this. “Do you recall when I confessed to you that I broke my marital vow?  That I had an affair.”

“Yes, I remember this.” Father Heiny nods his head solemnly. “You were quite shook up about it and you were very penitent.”

“It hurt Arthur very badly and it nearly destroyed our marriage.” Marie says quietly with shame in her voice.

“But you worked things out, correct?” Father Heiney asks.

“I thought we had worked things out…” Marie’s voice trails off as tears begin to reemerge.  Father Heiney hands her a tissue.  She nods her head to thank him and then wipes the tears from her eyes before continuing. “...but I didn’t realize just how much Arthur had been holding back his pain.  I had no idea how much Arthur was still hurting until shortly after he killed himself.”

“I see.” Father Heiney says slowly with a look on his face that indicates he seems to realize where this is all going.

“Don’t ask me how she found out, but my sister Kimberly found out that he had been secretly seeing a psychiatrist to deal with a severe bout of depression ever since the affair came to light.  And then he and I had this big fight and I kicked him out and I…” Marie cannot finish the sentence.  It is too painful.  But Father Heiney knew exactly what she was going to say.  It wouldn’t be hard for anyone to figure out what she was about to say.

“Do not blame yourself, Marie.  This was not your fault.”

“It’s easy for you to say but I refuse to believe it until I have proof.  Father, it seems painfully obvious to me that he was on the edge already and I pushed him over that cliff by kicking him out of the house.” She shakes her head. “I never would have done it had I realized what condition he was in at the time.”

“You had no way of knowing, Marie.”

“That doesn’t excuse anything and it doesn’t explain to me why it isn’t my fault.  I pushed him to kill himself. I did it.” She sighs. “I may as well have pulled the trigger.”

There is a long pause as a stillness enters the room after Marie makes that statement.  She is looking down at the floor in shame, unwilling and unable to look the elderly priest in the eyes as she is thoroughly convinced that she pushed her husband to kill himself.  The silence goes on for several more seconds before Father Heiney finally breaks the ice…

“You know something, Marie; everyone just assumes that a priest can never ever disclose the discussion between the clergy and the penitent.”

“But that’s the truth.  You can’t tell me anything Arthur told you in the weeks leading up to this.”

The elderly priest shakes his head, indicating that Marie is mistaken. “No, a priest cannot disclose what goes on behind the confessional doors.  However, a priest may ask the penitent for a release from the sacramental seal to discuss the confession with the person himself or others.”

“Really?  I did not know that.”

“Most like to hear only the parts of our church’s rules that they want to hear while ignoring those rules we honor just as equally.  And to answer your next question, yes, your husband did grant me permission to discuss his problems with you but only in the event of his demise and only if you asked.” The priest sighs. “He felt that if you didn’t ask then that meant you had moved on just fine without him and that you didn’t need me to dredge up the problem all over again.”

Marie is shocked to hear this and at first is delighted that she will get to hear the answer to her question, because Father Heiney was released from his sacramental seal by Arthur before he died.  But then a realization of what this means hits her.  If she is right, that she is at fault, Father may be just moments away from confirming it.  Does she really want to hear the answer to this question?

“So tell me.  I have to know, am I directly responsible for Arthur going over the edge and killing himself?”

“I tried telling you this entire time that you are not responsible.  You are not to blame.  But if you need further proof, Marie, then I can tell you that Arthur, unfortunately, had been suffering from this severe depression for a very long time.  His battle with depression had been going on since before you even met the poor man.  Your affair with Mr. Mason, though it was sinful, was not what drove him to depression.  He already was in that state long before he met you.”

Marie nods her head.  It is at least somewhat comforting to know that she did not directly drive him into a state of depression.  Still, she silently thinks that the affair combined with her kicking him out of the house may have been the straw that broke him mentally.  Is she to blame?  Marie no longer thinks that she is to blame.  But she does wish things could’ve turned out better for him.  She wishes that he didn’t have to go to the drastic lengths that he did.

“Thank you, Father.” Marie stands up, as does Father Heiney. “I appreciate this more than you will ever know.”

“I am glad that I could help.” The elderly priest leans in and embraces Marie in a tight hug. “Like I said, I want to help you in any way I can to get over this grieving process.”

“This was just another step in that direction, but at least it was a step forward and not a step back.  Arthur was just…” she sighs and shakes her head “...for all of his faults and flaws, he was very good with my kid.”

“Yes, Sean is very important to you.”

“Of course.” Marie nods her head. “That’s why I went above and beyond the call of duty to try and make things work out between Arthur and I.  Arthur was a good father figure for Sean.”

“Forgive my intrusion into your business, but may I ask you one question?”

“Sure, Father.  Anything.” Marie responds.

“Do you really think your son NEEDS a father figure in his life?”

“Um, yes, of course.” Marie stammers over her words as she was taken aback by the priest’s question. “I never got a real father figure in my life.  My father was taken from me.  I wanted my son to have the father I never got.”

“I understand that, and he is your child to raise how you wish, but I want you to consider something as you try to move on with your life.  Your mother and your aunt lost their mother and their father abandoned them when they were thirteen and twelve respectively.  Their entire teenage lives and most of their adult lives was spent without any father OR mother figure in their lives.  Then look at your sister…”

“Which one?  Kim or Jessica?”

“Kelly.”

Marie nods her head.  With her super busy schedule wrestling for SCW it becomes easy for Marie to forget about little Kelly, the youngest of Angelica’s children.  She was born to Angelica and her third husband Sean McBride.  Angelica and Sean broke up shortly after Kelly’s birth. 

“Kelly has never had a male role model in her life, am I correct in that observation?”

“Yes.  Mom swore off men for good after her relationship with Sean fell apart.”

“And Kelly has come along just fine without a father.  She’s ready to take First Communion soon.”

“So what you’re saying is that my son doesn’t need a father?” Marie asks quizzically.

“Not necessarily.  If the right man were to come along then wonderful, God has granted you and your son a gift.  But your son is strong, he has that Jones blood running through his veins, he can survive without a father.  Besides, there are plenty of good male role models in his life.” Father Heiney places a hand on her shoulder. “And I think you’re doing a fine job of raising him as it is.  Who says a woman can’t raise a child by herself if she has to?  Certainly not me.”

Marie smiles warmly. “Thanks, Father.”

“It’s just some advice, because I have been a part of your family’s life for a very long time.  I’ve seen your ups and your downs.  And I have seen you fall into this trap, desperately trying to get a steady relationship with just about any man you think might make a good father for your son.  It hasn’t worked out for you thus far, has it?”

“I guess not.” Marie shakes her head. “Damian was physically abusive and Arthur, while he may have meant well, was emotionally and mentally abusive.”

“I’m not here to judge.  Judge not lest ye be judged.  But I am here to warn you not to put all your eggs into one basket, so to speak.  Don’t go looking for a relationship only for a father for Sean.  You are an important person as well, Marie Annabelle.  Never forget that.  Never forget that YOU are just as important in the eyes of Our Lord as all of his other wonderful creatures.”

                                     

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On Camera

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The yellow shining sun started rising from the ground. It filled the sky with mighty colours of red and splashed the clouds with endless rays of pink.  Sunlight filled the sky, pure scattered light; its hue ambitiously illuminating each crevice of the land. Sparrows chirped an explicit background melody.  The trees shone as if they were wearing golden crowns and the vast sea was not able to absorb the bright sparks of the sun.The tides on the sea were racing among each other to reach the horizon from where the mighty godlike sun appeared.  This morning’s sunrise was a breathtaking display of radiant colors. Bright streaks of red, pink, and orange slowly overcame the dark blue and purple of the twilight sky. The sky resembled a prism; all the colors blended perfectly into each other. The sun itself was just peeking out of the horizon, and its brilliant rays already shined brightly and began to warm the air.

It is at this point that we see a beautiful young lady stepping into the scene from stage left.  This young lady has shoulder length straight red hair and she is dressed in a black leather mini skirt that extends to just above the knee and a long sleeve black sweater.  Her feet are encased in black leather pumps and she stares intensely at the camera.  This is “The Phoenix” Marie Annabelle Jones.

“To quote the fortieth president of the United States, it is morning again in Supreme Championship Wrestling!” She snickers. “Ok, well, maybe The Gipper didn’t exactly say it like that but you get the point. There were a lot of people happy to see him elected and there seems to be just as many people thrilled to see the four weeks of Katya and Dark Fantasy rule in SCW coming to a close.”

“I thought I knew what I wanted when I chose to throw my lot in with Katya.  I thought her and Dark Fantasy had my best interests at heart.  Now, after the four weeks are over, I’m left still just as confused as ever.  I’m still left feeling just as I felt before...like I cannot really trust anyone except for myself…”

“Therein lies the lesson I learned throughout this whole ordeal.  If there is any silver lining amongst the dark clouds of doubt that now have come after the four weeks of Katya and now the sudden revelation of Mr. D stepping down, it is the fact that at least I now have learned the hard way that at the end of the day, the only person who I know will always have my back and who will always do right by me is myself.”

She holds up two fingers. “Twice now I’ve had opportunities at the world championship.  I have no problem admitting that Sienna Swann got the better of me at the End of the Year Show.  There is no shame in losing to her.  Hell, there is no shame in losing to Syren but I had her dead to rights until everyone and their mother decided to stick their nose into my business.”

“So from now on I trust no one but myself and the decision that I make will be for my best interests, not Katya or Sasha or anyone else.  Just me.  Twice now I’ve taken world champions to their limit only to be denied, once by my own fault and another by someone else’s.  Now I step into the ring against someone I legitimately am honored to step into the ring and face off, someone I’ve wanted to test my skills against since I signed with SCW years ago.”

“Make no mistake about it, Kennedy, I’m not just going to push you to your limit. I’m going to push you past your limit, past anything you’ve ever been able to take, and then I’m going to make you realize that on this night, the night of Breakdown, you will be completely and utterly unable to hang with The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling.”

“We’ve taken similar paths, you and I.  We’re both from wrestling families...the Streets and the Jones...we’ve both taken darker paths and done things that we’re not exactly proud of but we’ve both battled back from that and earned our redemption…”

She winks into the camera “...no relation to James and Angelica, by the way.”

“But when I think about sunrise, when I think about a new morning I think about the beginning of a new day.  A new days means a new chance and a new opportunity to make things right.  Perhaps things were not exactly made right at Making Things Right?  Maybe I haven’t made all the right decisions lately.  I’m going down that path right now and I’ll decide for myself where my loyalties lie but regardless of whether I’m Team Sasha or Team Katya or Team SCW or Team Wonderland, regardless of whether I’m cheered and beloved by the fans or hated and reviled, regardless of all that, one thing stays the same about me.”

She holds up one finger. “The desire to compete and be the best.  And the old saying is that to be the best you have to beat the best.  Kennedy, whatever you think of me and the choices I have made, I do think of you as one of the best to set foot inside of an SCW ring.  Which is why it is now my duty to take you down, not for Katya and damn sure not for Syren.”

She pats herself on the chest. “But for me, to prove to myself and to anyone who doubts me that I am exactly what I say I am...The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling.”

Ultimate Equalizer

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February 10th, 2019

Boston, Massachusetts

Off Camera

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Usually death is the ultimate equalizer.  After all, everyone has to die eventually and no amount of money and no amount of political influence can change that fact.  Everyone dies and there is nothing we as human beings can do about it.  In that sense, death is fair.  Death takes everyone regardless of socio-economic status and regardless of political persuasion or sexual orientation.  Death takes everyone no matter who you happen to be.  It is truly fair.

Marie Annabelle Jones used to agree with that statement.  She used to believe that death was fair.  Now that she’s experiencing firsthand the emotional and mental pains of the death of a loved one, she finds it difficult to admit that this death, the death of her husband Arthur, is fair by any stretch of the imagination.

Arthur Pond was still young, far too young for death to take him.  Arthur had so much left to give to the world.  He had so much he could still accomplish in his life.  And he had so much love he could have given to his wife Marie.  It just doesn’t seem fair that the young would die so early in their lives.

Perhaps that is why this particular death has rocked Marie so much?  In truth, what really has shaken Marie to her foundations is the guilt she feels on top of the grief of her loss.  Arthur’s death was a suicide.  He shot himself after he and Marie got into an argument and she kicked him out of the house.

And Marie blames herself.

She’s been trying to remain strong throughout the whole ordeal.  A part of her is glad that this is almost over, that she can at least attempt to move on once Arthur has been laid to rest.  All that remains now is for Father Heiney to complete the funeral mass.

Father Heiney has been the Jones family’s local parish priest for as long as she can remember.  He has been very good to them and has tried to help them in any way he can.  He hated seeing Marie like this.  He hated seeing Marie lose Arthur in the manner that she lost him.  The least he could do is to provide his services to perform the ritual of burial to, hopefully, allow Arthur’s soul to rest in peace in the after life, even if it didn’t end peacefully in the current life.

“Almighty God and Father, it is our certain faith that your Son, who died on the Cross, was raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep.” Father Heiney gazes up and out into the audience of onlookers and mourners, most of whom is composed of the Jones family as the deceased did not have much family to speak of.  The deceased is Arthur Pond, Marie’s husband.

“Grant that through this mystery your servant Arthur Jonathan Pond, who has gone to his rest in Christ, may share in the joy of his resurrection.  We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.”

The widow, Marie Jones, sits outside in the church cemetery.  Arthur had no real family and he died young, thus he never had any real plans for death.  It was Marie’s idea to allow Arthur to rest eternally in the Jones family Mausoleum.

“Before we go our separate ways, let us take our leave of our brother, Arthur Jonathan Pond.  May our farewell express our affection for him; may it ease our sadness and strengthen our hope.  One day we shall joyfully greet him again when the love of Christ, which conquers all things, destroys even death itself.”

The sun shone brilliantly and the virescent color of the spring day under its glare was offensively bright and cheerful.  It was as if nature itself conspired to go against the grain of the somber atmosphere that the occasion presented.  It was as if nature was determined to show Marie Annabelle Jones that the world would go on without her beloved Arthur Pond, her beloved husband.  It shouldn’t.  Everything should be as grey and foggy as my emotions, it should be cold and damp with silent air.  But the birds still sang and the flowers still bloomed.

Marie struggled to hold back the grief and tears flowed steadily and silently down her immobile face, feeling bruised inside, feeling numbness, emptiness, walking behind the mahogany coffin, saying goodbye to her sweet Arthur, although he was gone already.  Marie’s grief was great and the redheaded Boston native was unwilling to acknowledge the finality of death.  She didn’t want to admit that she would never again gaze upon Arthur’s face, never again feel his embrace, see the warmth in his eyes, and be surrounded by his love.

It doesn’t seem fair; none of this seemed fair.  A part of her mind blamed herself for pushing Arthur to this point.  She was the one who kicked him out of the house.  She told him to leave.  She never knew he would take such a drastic action as to kill himself.  If she had any inkling he was disturbed or depressed in any way, if she had any idea that kicking him out would push him over the edge, she would never have done it.  She would have just listened.  She would have tried to talk things out.  She would have tried to make it work.

No, it isn’t fair, but life has seemingly been unfair to Marie since day one.  Her mother gave her up at birth; and when she was reunited with her biological parents as a teen it was her own mother who murdered her father.  Her innocence was taken from her at a drastically young when she was raped.  All she ever wanted for her child was to have a good father figure, a good role model to look up to; but even that fell through as her first boyfriend, Damian Daniel Toole was an abusive drunk and then Arthur Pond, who she thought was finally Mr. Right, ended up committing suicide.

“Marie…”

The Phoenix had been lost in her own thoughts and didn’t even notice that Father Heiney had wrapped up the service and had made his exit.  All of the onlookers and mourners have also begun to make their exit.  Marie is one of the few left, along with her aunt, Kayla Jones-Snow.  It was her aunt who got her attention.

“...Marie, the service is over.  Do you want to go and say your final goodbye to Arthur?”

Marie knows that she probably should go up and say at least a little something.  Yet she is finding it difficult to get the courage to do so.  There is a momentary pause as Marie just stares straight ahead with a blank look on her face.  Kayla can tell that her niece isn’t quite sure what to do and pats her on the back.

“It’s ok if you don’t want to.” Kayla states. “We don’t have to.”

She has an out.  Her aunt said as much.  But Marie knows that she needs to be strong.  She knows that she needs to move on past this part of her life and part of that moving on process involves saying her final goodbye to her lost loved one.  The younger Jones looks up at her aunt and shakes her head.

“No, Aunt Kayla.  It’s ok.  I want to see him.”

“Alright,” Kayla takes her niece’s hand and squeezes it tightly “but know that I’m right here with you the entire time.  Ok?”

“Thanks, Aunt Kayla.” Marie answers, nodding her head.

The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling stands up and, while holding tightly onto her aunt’s hand, walks slowly down the center aisle of chairs up the carpet laid out on the grassy area of the cemetery up towards the coffin containing the remains of Arthur Pond.  This coffin will eventually be placed inside the Jones family Mausoleum but for now it rests just outside.  Marie approaches the coffin, the lid still up, and she gazes upon the empty, dead face of her late husband Arthur.

The funeral director did his job quite well.  Arthur’s body looks nearly perfect.  If she didn’t know any better, Marie could easily see him sitting right up in the coffin and embracing Marie in his loving arms one last time before crossing over.

But that’s just a child’s dream.  Marie knows that her time with Arthur has now come to its conclusion.  She brushes a tear out of her eye as she tries to remain strong and composed.

“Goodbye, Arthur.  And I’m sorry…” the ginger sighs and shakes her head “...I’m so sorry, Arthur.”

“Oh Marie,” Kayla takes her niece and embraces her in a tight hug “it isn’t your fault.  Quit blaming yourself.”

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Aunt Kayla,” Marie breaks the embrace and gazes into Kayla’s eyes with her own tear-filled eyes “but it is my fault.  I drove him away.  I kicked him out of the house.  I just…”

Marie shakes her head “...I just had no idea he would take his own life.”

“Sweetie, I don’t think anyone had any idea that he would do something like that.” Kayla places a comforting hand on her niece’s shoulder. “You can’t control that.  No one can.  So please, stop blaming yourself.”

“Easier said than done.” Marie answers, bowing her head.

Marie and Kayla hear footsteps approaching.  They look up and notice Angelica Jones, Marie’s mother and Kayla’s older sister, approaching.  Marie scowls angrily at her mother who just seems to look on with pity.

“How are you holding up, Marie?” Angelica asks.

“How do you think I’m holding up?!” Marie snaps back angrily.

Marie’s relationship with her mother is yet another complicated matter.  Marie hasn’t exactly gotten along with her mother in recent months.  It all started with the power struggle that erupted in Supreme Championship Wrestling where both compete as professional athletes.  Marie has chosen to side with Katya and Dark Fantasy, thinking that Katya will run things in a more fair manner.  Angelica has sided with the group fighting against Katya.  Being on opposing sides of a power struggle only intensified issues that were already there between Marie and Angelica, just ready to boil over, ready to erupt like an active volcano.

Angelica is far from the perfect parent.  She abandoned Marie and Kimberly when they were born.  That was bad enough but when Angelica was reunited with Marie, it wasn’t long after when Angelica would lose her mind and put a bullet into the brain of Sean Williams, Marie and Kim’s father, thus ending his life.  That alone angers Marie to no end.  Marie wants her son, Sean Connor Jones, to have a father figure in his life.  Marie could have had one but Angelica took that from her.

“I’ll bring the car around, ok?” Kayla tells Marie as she pats her on the back.  Marie nods her head and watches Kayla walk off, giving her some time alone with her mother; time she does not necessarily want but time she knows she has to deal with eventually.

“I just want to check and make sure you’re ok, that’s all.” Angelica says as she cautiously approaches her obviously distressed daughter.

“Well I’m fine.” Marie snaps back coldly.

“You say that you’re fine but are you really?” Angelica asks quizzically. “Trust me, I know.  I’ve had to deal with loss before and it is very difficult to hide but I have become very good at hiding it.”

“You didn’t lose anyone the way I did.”

“Oh no?  Granted I may not have had anyone commit suicide on my watch but Lindsey Carter, she disappeared and I have no idea where she is.  She may be dead for all I know.  My father, your grandfather, he’s dead.  And I had to watch my own mother get murdered.  So don’t tell me that I don’t know what it’s like to lose someone and don’t stand there and act like you’ve had it worse than anyone else.”

There is a tense stare down between mother and daughter.  Eventually Marie breaks the ice with a sigh.

“You’re right.  I’m sorry.  But I don’t...I still don’t…”

“What is it?”

“I still don’t think I want you here right now.” Marie shakes her head. “I don’t know, I just know that I have to work through some things right now.  I have to do some serious introspection and serious thinking about where my life goes from here.  And I’d rather you not be here to involve yourself.  Because whether you like it or not, mom, this is my life.  I have to make these life changing decisions for myself.  And Arthur’s death is just one of many things I have to deal with on my own.”

Marie reaches out and takes her mother’s hands.  She squeezes them tightly. “Maybe I was wrong for being as harsh towards you as I was?  Maybe…”

“I take it this has to do with more than just Arthur.”

Angelica’s daughter nods her head. “Arthur and I had a heated argument the night he killed himself.  We argued about many things, including my infidelity and my association with Dark Fantasy and Katya.  We were arguing about the some of the same things you and I argue about, mom.  I kicked him out for treating me like a child and not being supportive.  Then this happens…”

“I hope you understand that this isn’t your fault.”

“Aunt Kayla kept saying that but it’s easy to say it but much harder to actually believe it.  I just know that I need to cope with what happened to Arthur and I need to understand why he did it.  I also need to make sure that I’m making the right decisions.”

“I see,” Angelica remarks as she nods her head, a telling look that shows that she realizes where her daughter is going with this “you know what I think.”

“Of course.  But I need to figure this out for myself.  This is my life and I can’t let you try to impose your will on me, mom.  That’s all I’ve been trying to tell you.  Maybe I am wrong about Katya and Dark Fantasy?  After what happened in that championship match on Breakdown I am definitely suspicious.  But then again, they’ve never done wrong by me before.  So what do I do?”

Marie shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know yet, but whatever I do I want to arrive at that decision on my own.  By myself.”

==========

February 13th, 2019

Orlando, Florida

Off Camera

==========

Just like death is fair and comes for everyone eventually, life too consistent in the sense that it moves on.  You may think yourself as the most important person in the world but life always moves on even after you die.  Marie has buried her husband Arthur and now, just a few days later, she has already had to move on herself.  Because life does not stand still and neither does she.

It’s odd for Marie to find herself alone in a hotel room in Orlando, Florida.  She used to take her husband Arthur on the tours with her and he would stay at the hotel with her.  And yet it still shouldn’t feel very odd.  For the past several months, ever since Arthur found out about Marie’s affair with Blake Mason, he hadn’t been traveling with her.  Marie wouldn’t allow it due to his insane jealousy.  She was worried his jealousy would distract her from the task at hand.  And sure enough, keeping Arthur away tended to help her wrestling career.  She has truly had one of the best runs of her SCW career, which has included two shots at the SCW World Championship.

What makes this unusual is the realization that she will never again have her beloved Arthur with her in the hotel rooms.  Never again will she have him with her on tour to support her.  It’s like a shot to the gut for Marie and it makes this particular day all that much more difficult.

But as the sunlight streams in from the outside, shining upon Marie’s face, she realizes that she does have to get up.  Breakdown is tonight and she has to put in an appearance.  Not only that, she wants answers.  She knows she was within a hair of beating Syren to become SCW World Champion and then things went horribly wrong.  Somewhere, someway, someone screwed her out of the gold.  Was it Syren or was it Kimberly?   That’s the question Marie wants answered.

The Phoenix can’t get any of these questions answered while still lying in bed.  Jones throws the covers off and then she swings her legs over the side of the bed and stands up.  Marie is wearing a pink silk teddy and matching lace panties.  She walks slowly and robotically across the floor to where finds a pile of her clothes lying on the floor.  Just before she can begin dressing she hears a knocking on the door.

“Damn it.” Marie exclaims, rolling her eyes.  Instead of the clothes she walks over to a closet where she finds a long black robe hanging from the door knob.  She pulls the robe off and throws it over her.  It’s long enough to cover her entire body and most of her legs.

The knocking is heard again and Marie sighs out of frustration. “Coming!  Geez, be patient, will you?”

The Phoenix approaches the door as the person, whoever it is, continues their incessant knocking.  Finally Marie opens the door and is somewhat surprised to find Kimberly Williams, her identical twin sister, standing there.

“Oh, Kim, it’s you!” Marie exclaims. “I wasn’t exactly expecting you…”

“Can’t I visit my favorite twin?” Kim asks playfully and with a wink.

“I’m your only twin.” Marie retorts. “But that’s not really why I’m surprised.  I’m more surprised that you used the door like a normal person.  Normally you break in or climb in through the window or some crazy shit like that.”

“Yeah, I admit, I thought about it but I figured you could use some normalcy right now.  Considering…” Kim’s voice trails off “...you know….”

“Yeah,” Marie sighs and nods her head “I appreciate that, actually.”

“So, uh,” Kim motions to the inside “can I come in?”

Marie nods and steps aside, allowing her sister entrance into the hotel room.  Immediately Kimberly flops down on the king size bed, making herself at home.  Marie sits down on the edge of the bed and doesn’t even look at Kimberly.  A few moments pass before Kimberly swings around and sits up next to Marie.  Kimberly looks deep into her sister’s eyes and detects the sadness, the grief.

“Hey, uh sorry about Arthur.”

“Thanks, Kim.”

“And I’m sure this is all meaningless in the grand scheme of life and death and shit but, uh, sorry about last week.  Sorry about Syren and the world championship match.”

Marie turns and stares at Kimberly stoically. “Kim, I do appreciate what you’re trying to do.  I really and truly do.  You’re looking out for me, you’re trying to help, and I do understand.  And I know you don’t trust Katya or Dark Fantasy.”

“Actually I just want to maim them, gut them, and feed their entrails to hungry pitbulls.” Kimberly says with a creepy grin on her face.

“Right, I get that, but I’m going to tell you the same thing I told mom.”

“Whoa, hold on a sec,” Kimberly interrupts Marie in mid-sentence “you spoke to mom?”

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t deck her?”

“No,” Marie chuckles “actually, it was rather civil.”

Kimberly smiles warmly. “Good.  That’s real good, sis.  I was really hoping you two could sort things out.  Things are so much better and you both are so much happier when you are getting along with one another.”

“I can agree with that.” Marie nods her head. “And maybe saying ‘we’re getting along’ is a bit premature, but we definitely have made some progress.  We have an understanding.”

“What do you understand?” Kim asks quizzically.

“Mom understands that there are certain decisions that I need to make on my own.  That goes for you too.  Kim, I get that you want to help me.  I understand all of that.  But I need to make my own path.  If I succeed I want to succeed because I did it on my own.  If I fail I don’t want to be able to blame anyone but myself.”

“I understand.” Kimberly nods her head.

“Good, because this past Breakdown is a perfect example.  I lost but not because Syren was any better than me but by disqualification.  Now that means I have an excuse.  Someone screwed me, Kim.  I don’t know who is more to blame but what irks me is that I wasn’t in control.  If I lost because Syren was simple better than me, I could’ve lived with it.  But now I’ll never know.”

“Well like I said, I’m sorry.  I guess I fucked that one up, huh?”

“I’m not saying that.” Marie shakes her head. “I still don’t know the whole story.  A lot went down that I don’t know about.  I’m looking for answers and I’m reserving my judgment until I get those answers.”

“I understand.  Hey, do you have any beer?”

Marie nods her head and points to the mini-fridge. “Sure, help yourself.”

“Great!” Kimberly hops up and walks over to the fridge.  She opens it up and reaches inside, producing a can of beer.  She gets another and tosses it to Marie.  Marie looks at it and shakes her head.

“No, thanks Kim.  Not this early.”

“You might need it with what I’m going to tell you.”

“Oh?” Marie’s eyes widen out of curiosity.

Kimberly opens her can of beer and takes a swig.  Then she sits back down on the edge of the bed next to Marie.

“You know I like to stalk people, right?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” Marie rolls her eyes.

“Well ever since the whole thing between you and Blake came out into the open and Arthur found out, I started keeping tabs on Arthur.  Mainly because I was worried about him.  You know?  I was worried about what he might do in retaliation or to himself or whatever.  I mean, you see what he did to...you know…”

“Yeah, unfortunately I remember and will probably never forget.” Marie says out of frustration. “Get to the point.”

“Well apparently while you were on tour with SCW, he had been taking secretly seeing a psychiatrist and he paid him under the table in cash so that the psychiatrist wouldn’t have to record any paper trail.”

“That makes no sense.” Marie states. “Arthur was in perfect mental health.  Why would he want to see a psychiatrist?”

“Apparently he kept a few secrets from us, sis.” Kimberly says somberly.  “From what I understand, Arthur has always had a battle with depression.  It got severe when he found out about your affair with Blake.”

“Oh my God…” Marie’s voice trails off as she tries to take in what she’s just heard “...I really did kill him.”

“No, Marie, don’t say that.” Kim sighs. “Ah shit, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Get out, Kim.”

“But sis…”

“GET THE FUCK OUT!”

Kimberly sighs and shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Marie.  I really am.  I shouldn’t have said anything but I thought you would want to know.”

Kimberly gets up off of the bed and makes her exit.  Once Kim has exited Marie buries her face in her hands and begins to cry.

==========

On Camera

==========

All I have ever wanted since coming to Supreme Championship Wrestling was a fair shake.  It’s the one thing I did not get in UWA.  It’s what I had hoped SCW would grant me.  And yet despite everything I gave, all of my blood and sweat and tears that I gave for this industry, everything I sacrificed for this industry and for this company, I was still largely ignored.  I was ignored in favor of obese jackasses who peddle pornography, drug addicts spouting off inane rambling about Wonderlands and Lizard Kings, and losers who get things handed to them on a silver platter just because of their damn name.  I was ignored by SCW management in favor of these undeserving imbeciles.

Until Katya came along.  Katya and Dark Fantasy told me that if they had their way things would be different.  I was told I would get the world championship opportunity that I rightfully deserved.  I admit I was skeptical but I was also open minded.  Hey, Mr. D had his chance and nothing changed.  Why the hell not try something different for a change?  I mean, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

I’m not insane and I’m not stupid.  I’m also not naive.  I know damn who I am dealing with.  I knew going in about the reputation of Ravyn and Syren.  I’ve had my guard up around them since day one of my association with them.  But that didn’t mean I wasn’t willing to give them a chance.

My reward for giving them a chance was not one but two opportunities at the SCW World Championship.

That’s all I’ve ever wanted.  I just wanted an opportunity and I knew that if given that opportunity that I had the potential to get the job done.  I know that I have the tools necessary to defeat anyone on this roster.  My first opportunity was against Sienna Swann at the End of the Special but I didn’t get the job done.

No excuses.  She beat me fair and square in the center of the ring.  But you see, I have no problem accepting a loss, so long as I’ve had a fair opportunity.  On that night she was the better athlete.

My next opportunity was a week ago.  Breakdown.  I fought Syren in what I thought would be the match of my career.  I expected it to be a show stealer and in many ways it was.  We had a hell of a match and that match should have been the highlight of the show.  And had Syren beaten me straight up I would have again had no qualms with admitting that on that particular night, Syren was just a little better.

Oh but no, heaven forbid a wrestling match actually end without controversy!  There was so much damn chaos in the ring that it was hard to keep track of it all!  Masked vigilantes running around, Syren wielding a championship belt apparently ready to strike, and now yet again I’m left confused, befuddled, and just unsure of who or what I can trust as being real anymore.

There is one person I know I can trust and that person is me.  I am The Phoenix and The Crown Jewel of Professional Wrestling.  I know I can count on myself to live up to my word when I say that I will always give it my all inside of the wrestling ring.  I may not be able to count on certain people living up to their word when they promise me opportunities or I may not be able to count on certain people to live up to their promise to stay out of my business when I’m competing for the richest prize in our industry, but I can always count on the greatest in ring performer of this generation to get the job done and that person is me!

Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.  I won’t be fooled again.  I’m done relying on others to give me a leg up.  I’m going to take  matters into my own hands and there is no better opportunity to do just that than with the Trios Tournament.

Earning a Trios Contract will give me the ultimate ability to create my OWN opportunity.  I can create an opportunity for myself that makes it impossible for well intentioned idiots to stick their nose into my business or for champions to get intentionally disqualified.  With a Trios Contract I can cover all of the bases and ensure, without a shadow of a doubt, that I get the fair opportunity I deserve.  I can virtually guarantee myself the one prize that has eluded me since coming to SCW…

...the World Championship.

Do you think I can get along with my tag team partners?  The Hellbilly Goddard and Konrad Raab?  You damn right I can.  They may like me, they may not like me.  From what I understand, Konrad doesn’t think much of me.  Konrad can kiss my adorable little ass.  But we don’t have to be friends.  We just have to get along and be tag team partners, we have to be professionals, for one night, as we work towards a common goal.

I mean hell, look at our team kiddos, and you realize that this may be the team with the most differences in terms of look and personality.  We all look different, we all have different personalities, and we all damn sure have different outlooks on life.  But one thing all three of us have in common is the fact that we are professionals and we all are competitors.  We all want to win.

Good news for you two chuckle heads is that on eight separate occasions I have been a world tag team champion and almost every time it was with a different partner.  That means I can work with anyone and get the job done.  I can put my differences aside and work towards the goal of victory.

Question is can you do the same?  If you can, we three, Team Dark Horse if you will, will be unstoppable.  No one thinks we can get the job done.  No one thinks we can get along and survive and ultimately win this whole damn tournament.

I say we give them all the one finger salute and show them that their opinions mean bullshit in the grand scheme of things.  I say we throw down the gauntlet and kick all of their asses in route to winning the Trios Tournament.  I say we shove their opinions right down their fucking throats.