Sweet Child O' Mine

[James Gilmore]

Stardate: 96246.95 (August 24, 2018 - 1:30 PM)

”She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky

Now and then when I see her face
It takes me away to that special place
And if I stared too long
I'd probably break down and cry

Sweet child o' mine
Sweet love of mine…”

“What can I get for you this afternoon?”

The skies were sunny, the weather was hot and sticky.

Yet James Gilmore, on this Friday, was going shopping.

The sounds of Guns ‘N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” blared throughout the loudspeakers of La Palmera, one of Corpus Christi’s finest shopping plazas, as the Islander alum found himself milling about inside a Zales jewelry store. A highly-attractive 42-year-old woman in a black business outfit strolled up to him with a smile on her face, all the while as he took in the lyrics to the radio-friendly rock tune. He gazed long and hard at the glass display featuring rings, pendants, and other high-priced fashion accessories.

Yet in his hand, he cradled a very special momento--the picture of him and his girlfriend Yulia that was taken on a certain cruise two years ago.

James sighed, trying not to ponder what his life might have been without her at his sid, had they not met on the Harmony of the Seas in September of 2016. His mind was racing as he tried to come up with the right words to say. Yet he could no longer hide them from the salesperson, who eked out a sheepish smirk on her face as if she knew what the answer to her own query was going to be.

“Lookin’ for the ring for a very special lady--my girlfriend Yulia,” James said as he handed the photo over to her, who stood behind the display next to a register. “Somethin’ nice and memorable.”

The salesperson, named Barbara, smiled as she knew where James was getting at.

“Aww, an engagement ring!,” she exclaimed before pulling out a small brochure and opening it up. “Take a look at these designs and see what you think.”

James’ eyes focused on the first of twelve different designs, a simple gold band with a diamond on top. He took a deep breath before shaking his head. He knew that particular ring design had been used by countless other engaged couples in the past, and thus he wanted to change things up.

“Hrm, that one looks a l’il bland…,” he said as he moved onto the next design.

Gilmore’s left brow perked upon seeing a more contemporary design, this one featuring a pair of palm trees with a singular diamond stud inbetween them. There was also a pattern on it that suggested a sunrise over a sandy beach, but once more...he shook his head, thinking it was simply ‘too over-the-top’ and preferring a simpler design. “A l’il too sophisticated…,” the ex-history major spoke as he perused through the brochure once more.

His mind raced. Surely, he HAD to figure out the perfect ring for an angelic lady.

Then...something caught the corner of his eye.

James’ smile, which had perked slightly after looking at the previous two rings, grew wider with this third design. It was simple enough--a pair of dolphins leaping over a large-cut diamond, surrounded on all sides by aquamarine gemstones to represent water. “Now this!,” he said excitedly. “This...is perfect. She loves nautical stuff, bein' on the open waters and stuff like that.”

“Do you have something special planned between you two?,” Barbara quizzed as she studied the photo of the couple for a moment before handing it back, nodding her head warmly upon Gilmore’s pick.

“Goin’ on a Star Trek-theme Caribbean cruise in a l’il over two weeks,” James replied, watching as the salesperson took notes on a small notepad. “It’s gonna be on the very same ship we met on two years ago, the Harmony of the Seas.”

“Aww, how sweet!,” Barbara gushed as she prepared the paperwork needed to place the order. “If you want, we can have the ring tailored and delivered to your ship. It will be a two-week process, but by the time you depart, you will have that special gift in your hand.”

“Absolutely!,” James exclaimed as he signed the documents and paid the $847.29 cost in full.

It was the happiest occasion for the Islander alum to bust out his debit card. He knew that Yulia had been the one shining light in his life that always seemed to burn the brightest, even as the world around him was broiled in darkness and despair. He wanted to express just how much he loved her in, perhaps, the only way he could.

He wanted to bring his own life full-circle by enriching hers.

All James Gilmore needed to know...was how he was going to pop the question.

”She's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I'd hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain

Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder and the rain
To quietly pass me by

Sweet child o' mine
Sweet love of mine…”

To be continued…

-----

Legacy.

It’s another fittin’ name for a pay-per-view, I must say. With school startin’ back up for the younger dudes and dudettes and football season gettin’ goin’, IWF runs head-on into the last months of summer with a stacked card from top to bottom. Ya got the Pack vs. Age of God for the umpteenth time, Vivienne takin’ on Brooklyn on the women’s side of things, and so much more to boot. Then, of course, there’s the one match that everyone is talkin’ about…

...the Heir to the Throne.

I didn’t make that match, and on an honest-to-God note...it sucks knowin’ that I’m not gonna be in there alongside the likes of Xavier Cross or Roberto Verona. Truth is, Redcap is one tricky l’il bugger to crack, an illegal foreign object unto himself with thathelmet on his noggin. That bein’ said, I ain’t gonna make no excuses for losin’ to him--he just got me, plain and simple. I understand that you’re supposed to sit there and drone and moan about why ya lost and all that yabba-yabba that goes with it. Yet it’s in times like this when Isit there and close my eyes, remindin’ myself of the REAL reason why I’ve trucked through these last two months against some pretty stiff competition without losin’ my shirt.

I see the GOOD in everything--even the losses.

While the name “lineage” deals with things that have been done in the past, “Legacy” talks about what ya can build upon for the future. In my own eyes, a legacy ain’t solely based upon how much ya win, but rather...it’s about how much ya lose, about how hard you’re willin’ to go to stay true to the course ya set in your life in SPITE of setback after setback! After all, nothin’--and I mean nothin’--is gonna hit ya in the balls as hard as life itself! That’s what I learned in this journey ‘ve taken since July.

That’s what I’m gonna keep on learnin’ from this moment onward.

This week, I find myself bein’ tossed in a four-way to determine the dude who gets the next crack at Angel Blake himself and his Extreme title. While it ain’t exactly the match I was hopin’ to be in, it’s still gonna be quite the roller coaster ride. While it sucks that my run in the other tournament’s done, I would be stupid to call this match a mere ‘participation trophy’ for makin’ it as far as I did in spite of the Vascos or Tylers tellin’ me otherwise. Nahhhh...an opportunity for a title shot is an opportunity I will be MORE than happy to take, and I get to deal with three men with three distinctive goals in mind:

One I’ve beaten before in the past, that wants to beat me and get another shot at the dude that lied to him.

One I’ve never faced before in a ring yet wants to prove that his House still wins.

One that beat me, that I wanna beat so badly and prevent from makin’ another statement over the false god as he did in 2015.

Listen Mike Laszlo...I don’t have to agree with your methods, but I do accept the fact that you were the more poised dude the last time you and I met. I’d be foolish to agree with the general consensus that you are, in fact, nothin’ more than a one-dimensional Donkey Kong that lives in the shadows of a Hall-of-Famer wife. Nah...I truly believe that you’ve got the ability to step about of Alexis’ shadow and prove your worth to this industry by beatin’ anyone ya see. It don’t take no bit of rocket science for me to understand that you’re just as big of a threat now as ya were, say, two years ago. But do ya wanna know what keeps holdin’ ya back?!

Ya huff, puff, and brag when ya win and sit on it for all eternity, thus becomin’ complacent and stagnant.

Ya sit and pout when ya lose by makin’ stupid, asinine excuses--sayin’ that ya were cursed and all that mess--yet ya tell people that THEY don’t care ‘bout this business ‘cuz they choose to act like professional public figures instead of ‘trained wrestlers’!

That second bit--the one where ya treat wrestlin’ like it’s life or death without seein’ the GOOD that comes from it--what rubs people the wrong way the most when it comes to your personality, and ya KNOW it! Fact of the matter is, if ya sent as much time lookin’ inside your own heart and learnin’ to understand why ya kept on losin’ so much in the tournament instead of lecturin’ other people on how they should live their own lives, inside OR outside the ring, you’d be just as successful--if not bigger--than the man you were two years ago! After all, havin’ a legacy ain’t simply about what ya got in the trophy case; it’s what ya can do from within!

That’s how any human bein’ overcomes defeat in their lives, no matter how they choose to spend their time on this earth!

So...how are ya gonna handle gettin’ your butt kicked once and for all!?!

While you’re ponderin’ that question...I’ll be talkin’ about Ethan King, and lemme just say ‘wow.’ You’re the celebrated dude who’s burrowed his way through the indy circuit and Japan, usin’ your vast wealth and other resources to make a name of yourself. Then ya committed the ultimate sin and shut down an entire wrestlin’ promotion just ‘cuz ya couldn’t win its big title. Yet through it all, in spite of the fact that ya got one Andrew Jacobsen outta the gutter in Japan, ya manage to align yourself with Laura Howlett in the name of...ya guessed it, more power and riches for yourself. Yet if there’s anything ya shoulda learned from Bertie Verona beatin’ ya last week, it’s this one simple tenet:

Dollar signs might help ya out in a pinch…

...but in a cruel, heartless world, they will also eat you alive!

Let’s be real here...I wanna see you throw hands with me and give me the best shot ya can! I want ya to get out to that ring, look me in the eyes, and show me how much you’ve TRULY learned from your high school and college days and so on! I want you to prove to me just how cutthroat and savage you can be inside them ropes as ya are on th outside. But when ya step into that arena, at one of IWF’s biggest pay-per-views, I want you to ask yourself:

How are ya gonna feel when the money just ain’t there no more?!

Think about it…’cuz it’s time to discuss Jayson Matthews. Hoo-boy, here we go again, dude. You and me--for the third time in a two month period. You and Xavier tore the house down last week, and by golly, you shoulda won that match! But ya didn’t, and now you’re here! Truth is, I totally understand how ya feel when it comes to havin’ a conflicted mind thanks to someone lyin’ to ya or usin’ you as a pawn in their own sick game, bein’ torn between the light and darkness. Yet facts are facts...instead of lookin’ in the mirror and talkin’ to your own reflection about how ya can get better, ya choose to talk to those who’ve done nothin’ else except inflict sufferin’ and destruction on those that stand in their way. Yet that’s not what THEY want ya to believe!

After all, pain and pleasure go hand in hand…

...and the Pack are masters of givin’ out both!

I hate to keep beatin’ ‘round the bush here, but I see through their lies and phony promises! That’s what that pain-cult wants you to believe! They want you to think that they are the most righteous family of human bein’s on the planet! They want you to feel welcome in their Home while givin’ ya the false illusion that they are the ONLY outlets that will save your life! But the fact of the matter’s real simple...ya can’t always rely on others to help ya in a bind! At the end of the day...the only livin’ soul that can save you is YOU! To willingly give yourself and your freedom up to the forces of evil is a mark of PURE evil itself, but guess what?! You’re a better dude than that, but if ya wanna prove that you ARE, in fact, better than the face you’re puttin’ on now, close your eyes and ponder this thought:

How are ya gonna go forward the moment Dean and Rowan throw ya under the bus like Angel did?!

I say this to ya three now...those questions I asked, I can’t answer ‘em for youse. You have to look deep inside your hearts and minds for the answers. That’s how ya truly test yourself against the competition--ya do so from WITHIN, never from without! As I look all three of ya down from head to toe, I find myself takin’ a step back and remindin’ those that have hated on me for so long as to WHY I’m even in this match to begin with:

Legacies ain’t built solely on how many titles you’ve won or who you’ve beaten before.

They ain’t based upon how much money ya have in your bank account.

They ain’t even about the friends ya choose to hang out with!

They’re built upon what you CAN do in your own life, through your OWN merits! Yet in order to maintain that legacy, ya gotta keep on kickin’ butt without losin’ sight of the ultimate goal--to be the best person that will bring hope and joy to other people! Ya gotta keep on gettin’ up every time somethin’ doesn’t go your way!

That’s what GROWTH is really all about!

And without that...I wouldn’t have my brother OR Yulia back.

I’d be rottin’ away on the beach, dead as a doornail.

When I take a look around...all I can think about is how far I’ve come in just a two month span. Nobody gave me a chance of makin’ it through the Heir to the Throne series to begin with, but even though I’m not in that match...I learned a TON of lessons from goin’ up against the likes of a Bertie, or Dean, or even ‘Hawk. No matter what happens from here on out, I am gonna go out there and show the world that, indeed, I will be able to step up to the plate and...

#Rise2Greatness