Post by The Ace on Feb 3, 2021 0:45:41 GMT
Backstage, after Sacrifice, the Conway family are sat around a table in catering.
”I thought you were done with this crap, Dad,” his eldest daughter, Solitaire said, before returning her attention to her phone.
”I knew he wouldn’t be,” his youngest daughter, Domino said, idly scribbling something on a notepad. “How many times do we hear dad’s friends say that this business is in their blood?”
“Excuse me? I remember when you couldn’t get enough of wrestling, Soli. I thought it’d be fun for us all to check out a show together.”
”Yeah right,” Solitaire said, “I’m sure that’s why Roberto invited you here personally tonight, just to have us in the crowd.”
”What happened to my little girl who couldn’t get enough of watching Andrew Jacobsen matches, once upon a time?” Jake said after swallowing a mouthful of bacon and egg sandwich.
”She became an antsy teenager,” Kathy smiled unwrapping her tuna and mayonnaise sandwich, “You know how quickly their tastes change at that age. But I should have known Roberto wouldn’t invite you here tonight without an ulterior motive. He wanted you to see and hear all of that Imperial Championship bullshit.”
”He wanted to see if he could bait you into signing another deal,” Solitaire said, not looking up from her phone. “And I haven’t liked Andrew in about three years. He used to be cool ages ago. When he had the balls to stand up for himself and what he believed in, now he’s just a sideshow act with a scruffy eccentric bum in a tag team division that barely means anything.”
”I don’t know what I’m more offended by, the fact that you don’t give me enough credit not to be so easily swayed, or the fact that you believe that Roberto Verona claiming to be the rightful Imperial Champion after all these years is all it would take to get me to break a promise I made to your mother over a year ago.”
”Are you honestly telling us you’re not tempted to get involved after he’s pretty much discounting the biggest thing you ever achieved in IWF?” Kathy said, “I honestly couldn’t blame you if you were, sometimes even I want to slap the smug off his face.”
”Tempted? Sure. The temptation will always be there, but not enough to sacrifice the plans we made over a year ago, honey. Your dad’s death last year already put those plans on ice once.”
”You mean?” Kathy’s eyes light up as Jake nods and smiles at her.
”I mean...I’m ready whenever you are,” Jake said.
”Oh Jake,” Kathy reached across and took his hand in hers, squeezing gently. “Yes, yes, I think I’m finally ready.”
”Ready for what?” Shea O’Hara asked, approaching the family with a smile on her face.
”Ready to try for a son,” Kathy beamed. “We were going to try last year but some stuff happened that sort of messed up our plans.”
”That’s wonderful,” Shea smiled, “And if you don’t mind me saying, about damn time too, like. Guess you wouldn’t be interested in teaming with me to stand against Rowan and her new friends then? We have both beaten her before, we could do it again, like.”
”We probably could,” Kathy laughed, “But no, no. I don’t think I will. I think those days are well and truly behind me.”
“Ah, so the rumours are true. You guys are retired, like for real?” Shea asked.
”Unofficially, yes. Yes, I think so,” said Jake, finishing off his sandwich.
”So why not make it official?” Shea asked, “I’m sure Roberto would be happy to give you guys a proper send off after all the years you’ve put in.”
”Probably for the same reason you haven’t,” Kathy said. “We don’t feel we deserve a big song and dance about it.”
”I guess I understand that. There’s something scary about making it sound so final like that, isn’t there?” Shea said, “Last thing I want to be known as is as another person too attached to this business that they can’t stay retired.”
”It’s something I worry about,” Jake admitted, wiping his face with a napkin. “I mean Spike had several points in his career where he could have stayed retired, but he kept getting pulled back in and we all know how that story ended. I don’t want to end up like that, I have too much to lose.”
”Yeah, retirement has been on my mind a lot lately,” Shea admitted, “Even Vivienne is considering it apparently. And she’s my best friend, I don’t think I want to be on the road without her, you know? It sucks. It’s incredibly lonely.”
”Well who can blame her really?” Kathy swallowed another bite, “Very few people want to come back from the kind of beating she took from Rowan, even fewer are able to. Some risks just aren’t worth taking, you know?”
”Yeah, I guess you’re right, thanks guys,” Shea said, “You’ve given me a lot to think about. Sorry for interrupting, like.”
”Think nothing of it,” Kathy said, “Happy to help.”
Shea nodded and left the Conways to themselves.
”Wow dad, I’m sorry. You really aren’t here to sign a new contract, are you?” Solitaire looked up from her phone with a smile.
”I told you we were just here to enjoy the show because it’s local and we were invited,” Jake said, “Please have a little more faith in me and my word next time, both of you.”
”Sorry dad,” Domino said, still writing in her notepad.
”So, did you enjoy it?” Kathy asked.
”No, not really,” Jake admitted. “But I’m still glad we came. It’s not anything like it once was, I needed to see that for myself. I needed that closure. I think I’m finally ready to move on with my life.”
”Our lives,” Kathy squeezed his hand, “And don’t worry, I won’t ever ask you to officially retire. It’s not something we need.”
”I used to think everyone worth a damn in this business needed to go out with all the pomp and circumstance,” Jake sighed, “But if the biggest star of my era can go out without ever getting the bow on his career that he deserved, then I can just fade away too. I’ve already won the best thing I’m ever going to win from this life, anyway...”
”Oh, what’s that?” Kathy asked.
”Your heart,” Jake replied, leaning over to kiss Kathy on the lips, whilst their daughters did the best to ignore the embarrassment of their parents, making gagging gestures at each other across the table and giggling.
”I thought you were done with this crap, Dad,” his eldest daughter, Solitaire said, before returning her attention to her phone.
”I knew he wouldn’t be,” his youngest daughter, Domino said, idly scribbling something on a notepad. “How many times do we hear dad’s friends say that this business is in their blood?”
“Excuse me? I remember when you couldn’t get enough of wrestling, Soli. I thought it’d be fun for us all to check out a show together.”
”Yeah right,” Solitaire said, “I’m sure that’s why Roberto invited you here personally tonight, just to have us in the crowd.”
”What happened to my little girl who couldn’t get enough of watching Andrew Jacobsen matches, once upon a time?” Jake said after swallowing a mouthful of bacon and egg sandwich.
”She became an antsy teenager,” Kathy smiled unwrapping her tuna and mayonnaise sandwich, “You know how quickly their tastes change at that age. But I should have known Roberto wouldn’t invite you here tonight without an ulterior motive. He wanted you to see and hear all of that Imperial Championship bullshit.”
”He wanted to see if he could bait you into signing another deal,” Solitaire said, not looking up from her phone. “And I haven’t liked Andrew in about three years. He used to be cool ages ago. When he had the balls to stand up for himself and what he believed in, now he’s just a sideshow act with a scruffy eccentric bum in a tag team division that barely means anything.”
”I don’t know what I’m more offended by, the fact that you don’t give me enough credit not to be so easily swayed, or the fact that you believe that Roberto Verona claiming to be the rightful Imperial Champion after all these years is all it would take to get me to break a promise I made to your mother over a year ago.”
”Are you honestly telling us you’re not tempted to get involved after he’s pretty much discounting the biggest thing you ever achieved in IWF?” Kathy said, “I honestly couldn’t blame you if you were, sometimes even I want to slap the smug off his face.”
”Tempted? Sure. The temptation will always be there, but not enough to sacrifice the plans we made over a year ago, honey. Your dad’s death last year already put those plans on ice once.”
”You mean?” Kathy’s eyes light up as Jake nods and smiles at her.
”I mean...I’m ready whenever you are,” Jake said.
”Oh Jake,” Kathy reached across and took his hand in hers, squeezing gently. “Yes, yes, I think I’m finally ready.”
”Ready for what?” Shea O’Hara asked, approaching the family with a smile on her face.
”Ready to try for a son,” Kathy beamed. “We were going to try last year but some stuff happened that sort of messed up our plans.”
”That’s wonderful,” Shea smiled, “And if you don’t mind me saying, about damn time too, like. Guess you wouldn’t be interested in teaming with me to stand against Rowan and her new friends then? We have both beaten her before, we could do it again, like.”
”We probably could,” Kathy laughed, “But no, no. I don’t think I will. I think those days are well and truly behind me.”
“Ah, so the rumours are true. You guys are retired, like for real?” Shea asked.
”Unofficially, yes. Yes, I think so,” said Jake, finishing off his sandwich.
”So why not make it official?” Shea asked, “I’m sure Roberto would be happy to give you guys a proper send off after all the years you’ve put in.”
”Probably for the same reason you haven’t,” Kathy said. “We don’t feel we deserve a big song and dance about it.”
”I guess I understand that. There’s something scary about making it sound so final like that, isn’t there?” Shea said, “Last thing I want to be known as is as another person too attached to this business that they can’t stay retired.”
”It’s something I worry about,” Jake admitted, wiping his face with a napkin. “I mean Spike had several points in his career where he could have stayed retired, but he kept getting pulled back in and we all know how that story ended. I don’t want to end up like that, I have too much to lose.”
”Yeah, retirement has been on my mind a lot lately,” Shea admitted, “Even Vivienne is considering it apparently. And she’s my best friend, I don’t think I want to be on the road without her, you know? It sucks. It’s incredibly lonely.”
”Well who can blame her really?” Kathy swallowed another bite, “Very few people want to come back from the kind of beating she took from Rowan, even fewer are able to. Some risks just aren’t worth taking, you know?”
”Yeah, I guess you’re right, thanks guys,” Shea said, “You’ve given me a lot to think about. Sorry for interrupting, like.”
”Think nothing of it,” Kathy said, “Happy to help.”
Shea nodded and left the Conways to themselves.
”Wow dad, I’m sorry. You really aren’t here to sign a new contract, are you?” Solitaire looked up from her phone with a smile.
”I told you we were just here to enjoy the show because it’s local and we were invited,” Jake said, “Please have a little more faith in me and my word next time, both of you.”
”Sorry dad,” Domino said, still writing in her notepad.
”So, did you enjoy it?” Kathy asked.
”No, not really,” Jake admitted. “But I’m still glad we came. It’s not anything like it once was, I needed to see that for myself. I needed that closure. I think I’m finally ready to move on with my life.”
”Our lives,” Kathy squeezed his hand, “And don’t worry, I won’t ever ask you to officially retire. It’s not something we need.”
”I used to think everyone worth a damn in this business needed to go out with all the pomp and circumstance,” Jake sighed, “But if the biggest star of my era can go out without ever getting the bow on his career that he deserved, then I can just fade away too. I’ve already won the best thing I’m ever going to win from this life, anyway...”
”Oh, what’s that?” Kathy asked.
”Your heart,” Jake replied, leaning over to kiss Kathy on the lips, whilst their daughters did the best to ignore the embarrassment of their parents, making gagging gestures at each other across the table and giggling.
Well howdy there pardner.