Post by Danger10 on Mar 24, 2015 1:09:55 GMT -5
I take another look around the gym before I finish up my afternoon workout. People all around laughing and genuinely seem so happy, so oblivious to the fight Sean is facing right now.
Man, this place feels completely empty without Sean around. I feel both lost and useless without my mentor/friend.
As far as my career goes, I've just been going through the motions since Sean's accident. I was only victorious in my last match at Paradigm because of the manliness of the manliest manly man on Earth, Stan McMann. I was getting my a** kicked in the match and he saved me.
And at F*ck In LA I'm teaming with Joe Bishop, and that makes me leery. One of the men we're facing is his former partner, Trace Demon, his former partner that he betrayed and I wonder if he'll do the same to me, a rookie he doesn't even know. And Trace's partner is Thornstowe, who's taken an extreme unliking to me and I really don't understand where our beef stems from.
For the first time in my career, I'm starting to question my ability and starting to second guessing myself.
I dry myself off with a small towel before taking a drink from my water bottle, my morning workout is complete, although it doesn't feel the same. I happen to spot Scott sitting on the apron looking a little down, I don't blame him, Sean's had just as much of an impact on his life as he's had mine.
I figure I'd better go and lend an ear to the youngster. I'm sure he could use it.
He doesn't even look up as I approach him.
"Hey Scott, everything okay?" I ask, already knowing an answer.
He gives me an ignorant look.
"Yeah I know," I say, not really sure how to carry this conversation, "but other than the obvious, is everything okay?"
"It's just my workouts aren't the same without Sean coaching me from the outside" He replies.
"I know what you mean," I say as I lean back on the apron next to where he's sitting.
"But you already have experience and have been working with him way longer than I have," he responds seemingly annoyed.
"I have, but you never know what you have until it's gone," I remind him.
"Whatever man," Scott replies unhappily, "you already learned a lot from him is all I'm saying."
"Why are you getting upset with me?" I come straight out with it, "I'm going through the same thing you're going through."
"Cause, like I said he already taught you a lot, can't you just help me out until he's better." He asks without any malice in his voice.
"Maybe another day, I'm too exhausted today," I tell him as I pick my bag up and head towards the exit.
As I walk away, I take one last look back. I see the dejection in Scott's face and realize he's probably just feels lost like me, maybe even more so. Now I feel bad, I feel like I'm not only
letting him down, I'm also letting Sean down.
"Alright man," I take a deep breath and put my bag down, then head back to the ring, "let's get started."
=================================================================================================================================================================================================
I never get used to hospitals. The constant beeping from the machines, the chatter in the hallways, the occasional interruption over the loudspeaker. But it's the least I can do to be by the side of the man who changed my life for the better.
1999 Odessa, TX
It's a warm day just as summer's about to begin, Grady and I are walking home from school. Grady was really excited about a video game that was released on this day so we decided to visit the local video game store. I told him I'd go into the convenient store next door and get us a couple of sodas and we could meet up outside.
I really wanted a candy bar to but I barely have enough for the sodas. So I pay for them, thank the cashier kindly and leave the store. As I start heading towards the video game store next door, I hear a little bickering, I could tell someone was being bullied. I'm not sure if it was the heat or the fact that it had been such a long day that I wasn't paying much attention.
"Give it to me now!" Says a thick built boy in a red shirt.
"Hell no, I've been saving my allowance for the past month for this game," the voice sounds familiar.
After hearing this exchange and as I got closer, I snapped out of it and realized it was Grady.
"We're not going to tell you again," another bully in a black shirt told Grady as he snuck around to his backside, surrounding him.
Both these bullies are pretty thick, but I've been in situations similar to this too many times at this point in my life. It's not something I'm proud of but something that's been a part of life for me.
"Awe man, can't your parents buy you a copy of the game," I chime in.
Both bullies look at me while the one in red yells, "Mind your own damn business."
I don’t even respond I just laugh.
"What's so funny?" The boy in black asks as he starts to walk towards me.
"The fact that you think you're getting that game," I say with a smirk.
"Look, this guy thinks he's a comedian," the bully in red yells towards the other.
"I'll show him something funny," the bully in black says as he picks up his pace towards me.
He doesn't even say anything, just throws a right hook. I side step it, in a defensive maneuver grab his right arm and flip him onto his back where the landing knocks the air out of him.
The other bully now runs at me attempting to tackle me. I simply put both hands out to meet his head and start kneeing him to the face repeatedly. I get about 4 good knees to his face in when I hear an adult yelling.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! You kids knock it off," the man yells as he runs over from across the street.
But before he could get there the 2 bullies have already jumped on their bicycles and have high tailed it out of there.
The man seems to be in his late 20's or early to mid 30's. Long black hair with a beard and mustache along with puppy dog eyes.
"Those were some nice defensive moves you got there," he says to me as he approaches.
"Thank you," I say not knowing how else to respond.
"Where'd you learn those moves?" He asked.
"A Black Belt Grandmaster was doing a defensive demonstration at a public park one day," I tell him.
"So you learned those moves after just one demonstration?" He asks me impressed.
"Yes sir," I assure him, "I was a the park with my mom one day and he just happened to be putting on a demonstration and it's stayed with me ever since."
"You're a quick learner," he says as he extends his hand out, "my name is Sean, I own the gym across the street where I train wrestlers and MMA fighters."
"I'm Shapiro," I introduce myself as I shake his hand.
"Glad to meet you Shapiro. Would you be interested in any more training?" He asked me.
He must've seen something in me that day because he had never taken anybody under his wing the way he did me.
"That'd be cool," I tell him, "then I could become a big time action movie star making the big bucks."
He didn't even doubt me he just laughed and said, "Yeah kid, you know it's not that easy but you dream big don't you."
"Yes sir, you gotta to have hope." I smiled as I replied.
Man, this place feels completely empty without Sean around. I feel both lost and useless without my mentor/friend.
As far as my career goes, I've just been going through the motions since Sean's accident. I was only victorious in my last match at Paradigm because of the manliness of the manliest manly man on Earth, Stan McMann. I was getting my a** kicked in the match and he saved me.
And at F*ck In LA I'm teaming with Joe Bishop, and that makes me leery. One of the men we're facing is his former partner, Trace Demon, his former partner that he betrayed and I wonder if he'll do the same to me, a rookie he doesn't even know. And Trace's partner is Thornstowe, who's taken an extreme unliking to me and I really don't understand where our beef stems from.
For the first time in my career, I'm starting to question my ability and starting to second guessing myself.
I dry myself off with a small towel before taking a drink from my water bottle, my morning workout is complete, although it doesn't feel the same. I happen to spot Scott sitting on the apron looking a little down, I don't blame him, Sean's had just as much of an impact on his life as he's had mine.
I figure I'd better go and lend an ear to the youngster. I'm sure he could use it.
He doesn't even look up as I approach him.
"Hey Scott, everything okay?" I ask, already knowing an answer.
He gives me an ignorant look.
"Yeah I know," I say, not really sure how to carry this conversation, "but other than the obvious, is everything okay?"
"It's just my workouts aren't the same without Sean coaching me from the outside" He replies.
"I know what you mean," I say as I lean back on the apron next to where he's sitting.
"But you already have experience and have been working with him way longer than I have," he responds seemingly annoyed.
"I have, but you never know what you have until it's gone," I remind him.
"Whatever man," Scott replies unhappily, "you already learned a lot from him is all I'm saying."
"Why are you getting upset with me?" I come straight out with it, "I'm going through the same thing you're going through."
"Cause, like I said he already taught you a lot, can't you just help me out until he's better." He asks without any malice in his voice.
"Maybe another day, I'm too exhausted today," I tell him as I pick my bag up and head towards the exit.
As I walk away, I take one last look back. I see the dejection in Scott's face and realize he's probably just feels lost like me, maybe even more so. Now I feel bad, I feel like I'm not only
letting him down, I'm also letting Sean down.
"Alright man," I take a deep breath and put my bag down, then head back to the ring, "let's get started."
=================================================================================================================================================================================================
I never get used to hospitals. The constant beeping from the machines, the chatter in the hallways, the occasional interruption over the loudspeaker. But it's the least I can do to be by the side of the man who changed my life for the better.
1999 Odessa, TX
It's a warm day just as summer's about to begin, Grady and I are walking home from school. Grady was really excited about a video game that was released on this day so we decided to visit the local video game store. I told him I'd go into the convenient store next door and get us a couple of sodas and we could meet up outside.
I really wanted a candy bar to but I barely have enough for the sodas. So I pay for them, thank the cashier kindly and leave the store. As I start heading towards the video game store next door, I hear a little bickering, I could tell someone was being bullied. I'm not sure if it was the heat or the fact that it had been such a long day that I wasn't paying much attention.
"Give it to me now!" Says a thick built boy in a red shirt.
"Hell no, I've been saving my allowance for the past month for this game," the voice sounds familiar.
After hearing this exchange and as I got closer, I snapped out of it and realized it was Grady.
"We're not going to tell you again," another bully in a black shirt told Grady as he snuck around to his backside, surrounding him.
Both these bullies are pretty thick, but I've been in situations similar to this too many times at this point in my life. It's not something I'm proud of but something that's been a part of life for me.
"Awe man, can't your parents buy you a copy of the game," I chime in.
Both bullies look at me while the one in red yells, "Mind your own damn business."
I don’t even respond I just laugh.
"What's so funny?" The boy in black asks as he starts to walk towards me.
"The fact that you think you're getting that game," I say with a smirk.
"Look, this guy thinks he's a comedian," the bully in red yells towards the other.
"I'll show him something funny," the bully in black says as he picks up his pace towards me.
He doesn't even say anything, just throws a right hook. I side step it, in a defensive maneuver grab his right arm and flip him onto his back where the landing knocks the air out of him.
The other bully now runs at me attempting to tackle me. I simply put both hands out to meet his head and start kneeing him to the face repeatedly. I get about 4 good knees to his face in when I hear an adult yelling.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! You kids knock it off," the man yells as he runs over from across the street.
But before he could get there the 2 bullies have already jumped on their bicycles and have high tailed it out of there.
The man seems to be in his late 20's or early to mid 30's. Long black hair with a beard and mustache along with puppy dog eyes.
"Those were some nice defensive moves you got there," he says to me as he approaches.
"Thank you," I say not knowing how else to respond.
"Where'd you learn those moves?" He asked.
"A Black Belt Grandmaster was doing a defensive demonstration at a public park one day," I tell him.
"So you learned those moves after just one demonstration?" He asks me impressed.
"Yes sir," I assure him, "I was a the park with my mom one day and he just happened to be putting on a demonstration and it's stayed with me ever since."
"You're a quick learner," he says as he extends his hand out, "my name is Sean, I own the gym across the street where I train wrestlers and MMA fighters."
"I'm Shapiro," I introduce myself as I shake his hand.
"Glad to meet you Shapiro. Would you be interested in any more training?" He asked me.
He must've seen something in me that day because he had never taken anybody under his wing the way he did me.
"That'd be cool," I tell him, "then I could become a big time action movie star making the big bucks."
He didn't even doubt me he just laughed and said, "Yeah kid, you know it's not that easy but you dream big don't you."
"Yes sir, you gotta to have hope." I smiled as I replied.
