Inner Peace: Part 4

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September 20th, 2019

Boston, Massachusetts

Off Camera

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The sound of the loud, reverberating church bells rings out in and around Our Lady of the Annunciation Catholic Church.  The gorgeous gothic architecture and enormous size is both beautiful and intimidating at the same time.  For the Jones family, however, this is normal.  Angelica Jones, the Matriarch, not only grew up Catholic but was once a nun and has raised her children Catholic.  Standing here before the Church building dressed in an ankle length black skirt, black patent leather pumps, and a silk white floral print blouse is one of her children.  Upon first glance one may think this is Marie Annabelle Jones.  She is, after all, dressed the part for a Church function.  But if you could see underneath the white silk shirt you would see the “I Groped Mr. D” t-sirt that she’s sporting and you would realize that this is all a scam, for reasons known only to “The Woman Scorned” Kimberly Williams.

Kimberly ascends the large marble stairs that leads to the front doors; then the eccentric redhead 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.  Kimberly approaches the doors, touches the holy water with her fingers, and makes the sign of the cross; then she touches the holy water to her tongue and contorts her face upon tasting the salty water.

“Gross!” Kimberly exclaims before entering the church sanctuary itself.  The sanctuary is carpeted with red carpeting.  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.  But Kimberly isn’t here for Eucharistic Adoration or a worship service, neither of which are scheduled today anyway.  The Woman Scorned turns to the right and spots what she is looking for.

The Confessional Booth, two of them; one for her and one for the priest who she suspects is already inside waiting.  A sly grin forms upon her face as she walks over and opens the confessional door and steps inside.

“Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.” Kimberly makes the sign of the cross.  “It has been, um...well shit, I don’t know how long it’s been since Marie, errr I mean I, since I’ve been to confession!”

“It’s ok, my child.  God knows the answer.  Just tell me your sins.”

“How long do you got, Dad...can I call you dad?”

“I’d really rather you call me Father.”

“Right.  So how long do you got, dad?  I say that only because I know you’re a really busy guy and all, you got people to see, souls to save, and little old me, I got a crap ton of sins on my ledger soooo what I’m getting at is that this may take awhile.”

“It’s perfectly fine,my child.” The priest says with a light chuckle. “I have plenty of time for everyone in my parish.”

“Seriously?”  Kim says, sounding rather stunned.  She’s always listened to her sisters and mom talked about church but she never really paid that much attention to it.  The fact that this man seems to sincerely be willing to listen to her and pay complete attention to her is impressive.  “You rock, dude!”

“Um...thanks?”

“I might get you tickets to SCW Apocalypse because you’re so cool.  You can watch me beat the crap out of Ryan Watson and Autumn Valentine and become tag champion.”  There is a slight pause.  “Wait, is that a sin?”

“Is this malicious in any way?” The priest asks.  Kimberly shakes her head.

“Oh no!  Well, kinda?  I mean, we’re wrestlers and we’re supposed to be malicious and stuff.  So maybe?”

“Ah, I see.  Well, if this is part of a competitive sport then there is no sin.”

“Maybe that wouldn’t be a sin but trust my Dad, there are plenty aspects of it that might be sinful.  I mean, just a couple weeks ago I stole Ryan Watson’s underwear.  Is that sinful?”

“Yes, my child.  Stealing is against one of the ten commandments.”

“Right, of course, so there’s one sin.  I also sold his underwear on ebay.  Is that a sin?”

“Profiting off of another’s pain that you caused would be a sin, yes.  Is there anything else?”

“Plenty!” The Woman Scorned exclaims. “I took a staple gun and stapled Abigail Lindsey’s ear.  Is that a sin?”

If Kim could see the other side of the wall she would no doubt see the priest’s eyes growing wide with surprise.  Williams stifles a chuckle as the priest composes himself.

“Yes, that most certainly is a sin, my child.”

“I also peed in a cup and gave it to my bestie friend Sophie James to help her pass a drug test.  Is that a sin?”  Kimberly listens and hears the priest sighing.

“Yes, that is a form of lying and lying is a sin.”

“Also I…” Kim pauses and thinks for a moment “...hey wait a sec, you are supposed to keep this private, am I right?”

“Of course.  I am bound to keep silent about what is said within this confessional booth.”

“Great!  In that case I can also tell you about how I kidnapped my twin sister and took her place; is that a sin?”

“Did you release her, my child?”

“Of course!   Not only did I release her but we buried the hatchet and became best friends!  Almost as close as sisters…oh wait, we ARE sisters!  HA!”

“Praise God!” The priest exclaims.

“Yeah, and I made up for it because when her abusive ex boyfriend came back wanting her back, I took her place on a date without her knowing and then took a shard of glass to his throat.  That makes up for the kidnapping, right?”

“No…” the priest’s voice fades off “...that, too, is a sin.”

“Oh...in that case I have another sin to confess!  I took a shard of broken glass to some asshat’s throat!”

“Right, ok,” clearly the priest is beginning to get a little shaken up from the sins confessed by The Woman Scorned “anything else you wish to confess, my child?”

“No, that’s it.  But I do have a question if you don’t mind.”

“What is your question?” He asks quietly, cautiously.

“My sister has been having some real major problems lately.  Her husband killed himself was the tipping point of it all.  Now she thinks she can make the pain go away by joining some crazy hippy cult.  But I have my doubts.  I worry about my sister, you know what I mean, Dad?”

“Of course, my child.  It is normal to worry about a sibling.  You love her, do you not?”

“Damn skippy!  And so I was thinking about going to that sleazy rat of a leader they got, Raul Alfaro, and slice his stomach open and then hang up, just so I can watch to see if his entrails come bursting out of his gut!” There is a long tense pause as Kim stares wild-eyed at the screen separating her and the priest. “Would that be a sin?”

“Ye...yes.  Definitely a sin, my child.”

“Damn!  I mean, dang!  Will I have to add that ‘damn’ to my list of sins too?”

“No, you’ve listed quite enough for today.”

“Cool beans.  So now what?”

“Say your Act of Contrition?”

“Oh yeah, that…” Kimberly pulls out a sheet of paper, her ‘cheat sheet’ as she calls it “... O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love.”

“I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The priest remarks.

“Right, awesome sauce.  Thanks, dad!”

“Go and sin no more, my child.” The priest says.  Kimberly could almost detect a sense of gratefulness that this particular confession is over.  But The Woman Scorned is not done; at least not yet.

“Uh, dad?”

“Yes?”

“I know I may sound crazy and off the chain and shit like that.  But I was serious when I said I was worried about my sister.  I think she’s getting herself into deep crap trouble and I want to help.  I really do want to help her.”

“Helping another, especially family, is most noble.  You should help her but you cannot force her to listen, my child.  First, she must WANT help.  My advice?  Be there for her.  Listen to her, comfort her, and help guide her to the truth.”

Kimberly flings open the door to the confession booth and bounds away, skipping happily.  She rounds a corner and skips through to the vestibule, spots the holy water jar and again dips her fingers in and places it on her tongue.  Kimberly spits it out immediately and shakes her head.

“Still gross…” she turns back towards the sanctuary “...hey dad!  The water fountain is still salty!”

Kimberly turns back around and starts skipping back towards the doors where she exits outside.  Immediately upon exiting she begins to head down the steps towards the sidewalk.  Along the way she bumps into a nun, slightly younger than Kimberly’s mother.  The nun is dressed in the traditional black and white habit and she approaches The Woman Scorned as if she knows her.

“Good afternoon, Marie!” The nun exclaims, clearly mistaking the twins.  Kimberly chuckles.

“You got the wrong sister, sister.” The Woman Scorned winks. “See what I did there?”

“What do you…” The nun suddenly gets a look of realization upon her face “...oh yes, I do recall Marie having an identical twin sibling.  That must be you, am I correct?”

“And bingo was his name-o!” Kimberly says in a sing-song voice.  The nun extends her hand, offering a handshake to Williams.

“My name is Sister Maria.  I am a good friend of your mother’s.”

“My name is Kimberly and I’m freaking insane.” Kimberly says, taking the hand and shaking it.

“Are you Catholic, my dear?” Sister Maria asks.  Kimberly scoffs and shakes her head.

“No, I wouldn’t know the first thing about church.  I just needed some advice from dad and since I knew Marie always came here for confession I thought why not do the same?  I’m probably going to hell for that, aren’t I?”

“Hardly.” Sister Maria says, shaking her head. “You lied, perhaps repenting for lying but that’s a small little thing.”

“A small little thing?” Kimberly laughs out loud.  “If only you knew half of the things I’m guilty of, Sister.  I can come back  here week after week after week for confession...and I guess if I did actually become a Catholic like my sisters and my mom then I would have to...but it would do someone like me no good.”

“Now why would you say a thing like that, Kimberly?” Maria asks inquisitively.

“I’m far too gone, lady!” Kimberly exclaims. “And don’t give me the God is love and forgiveness line of crap because I don’t buy it.  I mean, Marie may have forgiven me but God?”

The Woman Scorned shakes her head. “I kinda doubt God would forgive everything I’ve done in the past.”

“You are wrong, Ms. Williams; forgiveness is always there.  You just have to ask.”

“Whatever.” Kimberly rolls her eyes. “I didn’t get much help from Dad anyway.”

“Dad?” Sister Maria is obviously confused by this.  Kimberly sighs.

“Father, the priest, whatever his name is.  Anyway, sorry I wasted your church’s time.  Later…” Kimberly starts to walk off but Sister Maria calls out after her.

“Kimberly, wait…” Williams stops “...if you didn’t come here for yourself, then why did you come here, if I may ask?”

“You really thought I was here for myself?  Fair assumption I guess.  But hell, I’ll tell you the real reason why.  I’m here to get advice on how to help the one person who bothered to help me, the one person who never gave up on me despite being too far gone; my sister Marie.  She’s gotten herself into trouble; at least I think she has.  I want to help her.”

“Marie?” The nun begins to look concerned. “What happened to Marie?”

“She’s gotten herself mixed up in some hippy cult.” Kimberly shrugs her shoulders. “Then again, some may consider you guys and this place a cult.  At this point, I don’t really know what to think.  It may be good for her.  My gut tells me that this is a scam.  Trust me, I know scams.”

“I see.” Sister Maria sighs deeply. Like Kimberly, she too is concerned about Marie. “All you can do is be there for her, comfort her, and let her know you will help her in any way she needs.”

“Yeah, that’s what the priest said.” Kimberly remarks flatly. “Look, I gotta go.”

Kimberly starts to walk off again, but this time Sister Maria grabs her by her arm and stops her. “Kimberly, I want you to listen to me for a moment before you go.”

“What is it?” Kimberly asks. “I am busy.”

“You really are a good person.”

“No I’m not.” She shakes her head.

“Yes, you are.  You came here for your sister.  You are thinking of others over yourself.  That is good.”

“I’m doing it because I owe her and because I love her.  Who wouldn’t do that for a family member?  Even the hardest of criminals would love their family and help their family.  And you say I’m good?” Kimberly scoffs. “Sister, I’ve murdered people.  I have blood on my soul.  I’m going to hell and there’s nothing that being on your church’s membership roll can do about it.”

Kimberly pulls away and storms off angrily.  She hopes that no one notices the tears forming in her eyes.  Meanwhile, Sister Maria stays back.  She lets Kimberly go this time but she smiles warmly as she watches her go.

“I agree, Kimberly.  And I will not give up on you, just as you will not give up on your sister.”

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On Camera

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“I don’t care!”

That’s the voice of none other than Kimberly Williams skipping around and chanting that same phrase over and over in a sing song voice.  She is wearing torn denim jeans, black boots, and a black t-shirt which reads “I Stole Ryan Watson’s Underwear”.

“I don’t care! I don’t care! I don’t care!” She stops and turns to face the camera.  Williams shrugs her shoulders. “I have Zero Fucks TO GIVE!”

Kimberly holds a hand over her mouth. “Oops!  Silly me, copyright infringement!  Sorry about that Ryan and Autumn!  I guess that’s two apologies I owe you now since, you know, I stole your underwear and all, but at least it is making you a profit!”

The Woman Scorned motions to her t-shirt. “These brand new t-shirts are available for purchase on the SCW website!  Ryan will get a nickel for every t-shirt purchased.  I get the rest of the profits because, you know, I actually had to touch the nasty lingerie!”  Kimberly waves her hand over her nose as if there is a bad smell.

“Does it bother you that I have no qualms about stealing your personal property?  Does it bother you that I don’t lose any sleep over putting staples or some other sharp object through your flesh?” Williams laughs nastily. “It shouldn’t bother you two little miscreants, because that’s what you two claim to be all about.  Zero Fucks To Give.  I have Zero Fucks to give either.”

The Woman Scorned shrugs her shoulders. “So there you go!  It shouldn’t bother you at all when Marie and I march into Apocalypse, whip your asses all over Baltimore, and take those championships just like I took your underwear!  But that shouldn’t bother you, should it?”

Kimberly shakes her head. “No, not you two!  Not the two fuck fuckity fuckers who don’t give a fuck about a fucking thing!  Fuck!  Can I say that?” She looks off camera as if looking for confirmation.  “I can?  Great!”

She turns back to face the camera. “See you claim that you don’t give any fucks and, quite honestly, I’m not sure I buy any of that crap.  But lets just say for argument sake that you actually don’t care.  You really don’t care?  You really don’t give a fuck about anything, even those tag team titles?”

Kimberly pats herself on the chest as a look of intensity passes across her face. “I have watched my sister succeed in this business, I have watched my mother succeed in this business, and I have been there along the way to help both of them.  I have had championship success before but it was few and far between.  Apocalypse is going to be MINE AND MARIE’S TIME!  OUR TIME TO SHINE!”

She points at the camera and then at herself. “You may not give any fucks but I do!  I damn sure give a fuck!  I care about going out to that ring and beating the holy hell out of both of you and taking those tag team championships so that Marie and I can prove that we really are the best tag team in SCW.  And it will be a chance for me to prove that I am more than just a crazy as hell staple gun slinging psycho.  I am a second generation wrestler with all the skills imaginable to be among the best, but because I am a second generation wrestler, I do have a sense of respect for this sport, even though it doesn’t always show.”

Williams points a finger at the camera. “You two? Not so much.  And maybe a little stabby, stabby violence will make you respect this business?  Maybe some bloodletting and destruction will make you respect this business?  Because I am ready, willing, and able to do whatever is necessary to win those tag team titles with Marie and make you respect this business in the process.  I am deadly when I want something and boy do I ever want those tag team championships.  And I will do whatever it takes to put you Ryan and you Autumn down like the dogs that you are!  And believe me when I say that I will do ANYTHING to accomplish the goal of taking away your SCW World Tag Team Championships.  And when the match has ended and Twin Magic is declared your NEW world tag team champions, then we will really find out how many fucks you two clowns actually give!”

Kimberly pinches her nose. “Only please do me a favor, ok?  Make sure those titles are cleaner than the underwear.  Please!”