Post by Louise McDowell on Jun 8, 2013 18:50:14 GMT
"Jake!"
I alwiz knew he'd conquer t' world. Looking back on it, I still cannae believe how handsome he still looked. Clearly he had moved up in t' world. Yah know what they say lass, the more things change...
I hugged him, took in his scent, I closed my eyes n' it took me back several years to oor summers in Gleasga.
...the more they stay t' same...
Jake: Loo! Christ! How long has it been?
Too lang, ol' pal, much too lang...
Louise: Oh, aboot three years n' four months...
I know 'cos I missed ye everyday. I held mah tongue infront of his lady friend, smilin' inwardly. Same ol' Jake, happiest in the company of fit burds. Part of me thought fur a moment what it might take fur him t' look at me like that. I had learnt a lot of things aboot myself in t' las' twenty years. Made mah mistakes, lived wit' mah regrets, never bein' anythin' more t' Jake than a friend wiz one of my biggest, 'twas time t' stick yah toe in t' watter lassie. This is why yah came, time t' see exactly what kinnae lass yah were dealin' wit' here.
Louise: Who's your friend?
He had seemed surprised by t' question, this was good, maybe, jus' maybe they werenae that close.
Jake: Oh I'm sorry, Kat meet Loo, Loo meet Kat -
Kathy: I'm his wife...
Me heart sank. Maybe things had changed more than I thought. She struck me as quite t' bint, this bonnie lass. 'twas time t' bring oot that winnin' smile, that practiced poker face yah had taught Jake, I wondered if he still remembered that. In 'ne case she wasnae what I were expectin, she wiz nothin' like his firs' love, Ruth. What happened to the lad I knew who preferred redheads n' made fun of blondies as eejits? T' rehearsed smile concealed mah pain as it had for twenty years now, irony that the one person I thought I'd never havt' lie t' is in fact t' first. Be nice Loo, jus' like Ma always said.
Louise: Oh, well, havt' say yah not quite the lassie I was expectin', but at least now I can put a face t' me first opponent fur nex' week...suppose 'twas too much t' think yah bein' a Conway was jus' a coincidence. Name's Louise. Louise McDowell, friends call me Loo or Macky if yah prefer...
I offered her a warm smile and a handshake, concealin' mah vunerability fur now. She accepted.
I had always had a gift for the con, I hadnae use fur it fur a lang time, but even after awe these years, it still fit me like a glove. I wasnae doin' this fur her or myself, I wiz doin' it fur Jake, his friendship still meant more to me than even mah oon feelin's. I had learnt a lang time ago, that mah feelin's didnae matter...
Jake: What do you mean your first opponent?
Louise: Surprise! That's why I'm here, jus' finalised my IWF Contract with the lass who runs the show. Yah not t' only one who can do this now...
Jake suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and suddenly looks very concerned. It wiz then that I knew I still had hope. That hee still cared fur me, in time maybe he'd come aroon'.
Jake: What?! Are you insane? This isn't the kind of place for you Loo, tell me you're joking...
I shakes her head emphatically and felt his concern grow as I watched his big brown eyes dilate, I could get lost in 'em fur days.
Louise: Naw, dunnae worry 'boot me Jake, I'm a big lass now, I can take care of mahself, lookin' forward t' it t' be honest...
Jake: Who'd you finalise your contract with?
Louise: The lass who runs t' women's...Lockheart I think she said her name was, cannae think what her firs' name was, same as your wife's, I think...
Jake: Do you mean Katherine Lockheart?! She's here, you're sure?
Louise: Aye, that's her name...know her too do ye?
Of course he did, I knew he did as soon as I looked into his eyes. Jake Conway alwiz knew the pretty ones, I thought this may be the hand I wiz faced with, the wife had been a wild card n' he got me, but the game had only jus' begun and I wasnae prepared t' cash out mah chips jus' yet.Not before I had reminded him that I wasnae fourteen 'nemore. I wiz a wuman, n' I wiz a wuman who knew what she was here fur, n' I wasnae leavin' jus' yet...
Kathleen - that's a strong irish name so I'm gunnae go aheid n' guess ye hav' some irish blood in ye, but I'm also gunnae skip t' usual cliches aboot how the Scots hate the Irish n' vice versa, 'cos this is wrestlin' n Lord knows this business has enough cliches thrown aroon' already. Besides, I also know ye are an American, like much of t' roster n' the audience at home n' we awe know that Americans dunnae care what happens outside 'ne country but their oon, so why waste me breath n' risk yah wavin' t' star spangly banner in mah face? Ye dunnae wanna hear it n' I dunnae wanna say it.
I will say that befur oor little barney, I took the time t' watch a few of your matches jus' t' prepare mahself, thanks to the ol' NCW library, n' do yah know what I found oot aboot ye after literally minutes of searchin'? Ye are a delicate wee flooer so ye are, a delicate wee flooer wit' a stick up her arse aboot ne'er winnin' the Starlet's World Title. Ye are still pished aboot that, arnae ye? Arnae ye?
Go aheid n' admit it, lass, yah'll feel much better aboot yahself, trus' me.
Yah sit thur in yoor pretty little red dress and sparkly diamonds n' like to think yoor better than me, that yah know all aboot pain n' sufferin' 'cos somebody once drop't ye on yoor pretty little bonce n' made yah believe yah were a kitty cat, well listen t' me Mr Jenkins, yah dunnae know the firs' thing aboot tragedy, or me or where I come from. Yah think yah know how dark this world can get, well lemme tell ye somethin lassie, I've seen it get a whole lot darker so I hav'.
Fur all ye talk aboot how happy ye are n' how much ye love Jake, I really dunnae think yah appreciate him fur who he is. Maybe in t' beginnin' yah did, I cannae say, I wizne thur, but now, now all I see is that ye use him n' all his success as a crutch t' support yahself. T' compensate fur the fact that when it comes doon t' it, he's really all yah hav n' all yah've e'er had. Yah like to remind e'erybody aboot how he's ne'er let ye doon, n' that I can believe 'cos I know exactly the kinna guy he is. It dizne surprise me one bit that when he went in on ye, he went all in on ye, lass. What diz surprise me howe'er is the amoun of times yah've let 'im doon. I'm no' talkin' aboot as a wife, I'm sure ye are a lovely wife so no need t' remind me of that, I'm talkin' aboot as a wrestler. Yah may be his personal equal, but professionally we both know he could do so much better than ye. That eats away at ye, dizne it, lass? That's the real reason yah are here, still doin' this. It is the one thing ye feel yah hav' left to proof no' only t' yahself but to 'im as well.
I've heard yoor harshest critics, n' I can tell ye that they hav' ye figured all wrong. They're far too concerned wit' rippin' t' piss oot of ye fur bein' a cat or jus' plain ignorin' yoor history 'cos the only history that matters t' 'em is their oon, n in their ignorance they miss completely how fragile yah really are. I could be like 'em, n' yah've probably come t' expect it from all yoor opponents now. I could sit here n' bust a gut aboot yah bein' a kitty cat, but what good would that do me? Yah'll throw a hissy fit n' tell me how wrong I am n' I know that's a jig neither of us wanna do here lassie, after all it may end up backfiring on me after all if I hav' learnt anythin' meaningful from watchin' yah in that ring, it is that yah are more than capable of endin' a young rookie's career when it comes to tourneys like this. 'Cos of ye, nobody ever heard of Evelynn Dark again after yah threw her oot on her arseb in the last e'er Road T' The Gold tourney, n knowin' my luck as it is, yah might end up doin' the same rhing to me, so intea' of trea'in' ol' ground wit' ye here lass, I'm jus' gunnae level wit' ye...n' I'm sorry if this hurts t' hear, but the truth often diz...
N' the truth is, yoo're just' no' good enough fur Jake.
N' 'till yah prove me wrong lass, I hav' every intention of showing him that.
He dizne need t' settle fur the delicate flooer any more.
No' now that the Steel Magnolia is back in his life.
Whether yah like it or no' lass, I'm here t' stay.
Jake Conway walked down the hallway until he came to the blue door of the office of the Head of the Diamonds Division.
He looked up at the plaque on the door.
I alwiz knew he'd conquer t' world. Looking back on it, I still cannae believe how handsome he still looked. Clearly he had moved up in t' world. Yah know what they say lass, the more things change...
I hugged him, took in his scent, I closed my eyes n' it took me back several years to oor summers in Gleasga.
...the more they stay t' same...
Jake: Loo! Christ! How long has it been?
Too lang, ol' pal, much too lang...
Louise: Oh, aboot three years n' four months...
I know 'cos I missed ye everyday. I held mah tongue infront of his lady friend, smilin' inwardly. Same ol' Jake, happiest in the company of fit burds. Part of me thought fur a moment what it might take fur him t' look at me like that. I had learnt a lot of things aboot myself in t' las' twenty years. Made mah mistakes, lived wit' mah regrets, never bein' anythin' more t' Jake than a friend wiz one of my biggest, 'twas time t' stick yah toe in t' watter lassie. This is why yah came, time t' see exactly what kinnae lass yah were dealin' wit' here.
Louise: Who's your friend?
He had seemed surprised by t' question, this was good, maybe, jus' maybe they werenae that close.
Jake: Oh I'm sorry, Kat meet Loo, Loo meet Kat -
Kathy: I'm his wife...
Me heart sank. Maybe things had changed more than I thought. She struck me as quite t' bint, this bonnie lass. 'twas time t' bring oot that winnin' smile, that practiced poker face yah had taught Jake, I wondered if he still remembered that. In 'ne case she wasnae what I were expectin, she wiz nothin' like his firs' love, Ruth. What happened to the lad I knew who preferred redheads n' made fun of blondies as eejits? T' rehearsed smile concealed mah pain as it had for twenty years now, irony that the one person I thought I'd never havt' lie t' is in fact t' first. Be nice Loo, jus' like Ma always said.
Louise: Oh, well, havt' say yah not quite the lassie I was expectin', but at least now I can put a face t' me first opponent fur nex' week...suppose 'twas too much t' think yah bein' a Conway was jus' a coincidence. Name's Louise. Louise McDowell, friends call me Loo or Macky if yah prefer...
I offered her a warm smile and a handshake, concealin' mah vunerability fur now. She accepted.
I had always had a gift for the con, I hadnae use fur it fur a lang time, but even after awe these years, it still fit me like a glove. I wasnae doin' this fur her or myself, I wiz doin' it fur Jake, his friendship still meant more to me than even mah oon feelin's. I had learnt a lang time ago, that mah feelin's didnae matter...
Jake: What do you mean your first opponent?
Louise: Surprise! That's why I'm here, jus' finalised my IWF Contract with the lass who runs the show. Yah not t' only one who can do this now...
Jake suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders and suddenly looks very concerned. It wiz then that I knew I still had hope. That hee still cared fur me, in time maybe he'd come aroon'.
Jake: What?! Are you insane? This isn't the kind of place for you Loo, tell me you're joking...
I shakes her head emphatically and felt his concern grow as I watched his big brown eyes dilate, I could get lost in 'em fur days.
Louise: Naw, dunnae worry 'boot me Jake, I'm a big lass now, I can take care of mahself, lookin' forward t' it t' be honest...
Jake: Who'd you finalise your contract with?
Louise: The lass who runs t' women's...Lockheart I think she said her name was, cannae think what her firs' name was, same as your wife's, I think...
Jake: Do you mean Katherine Lockheart?! She's here, you're sure?
Louise: Aye, that's her name...know her too do ye?
Of course he did, I knew he did as soon as I looked into his eyes. Jake Conway alwiz knew the pretty ones, I thought this may be the hand I wiz faced with, the wife had been a wild card n' he got me, but the game had only jus' begun and I wasnae prepared t' cash out mah chips jus' yet.Not before I had reminded him that I wasnae fourteen 'nemore. I wiz a wuman, n' I wiz a wuman who knew what she was here fur, n' I wasnae leavin' jus' yet...
Kathleen - that's a strong irish name so I'm gunnae go aheid n' guess ye hav' some irish blood in ye, but I'm also gunnae skip t' usual cliches aboot how the Scots hate the Irish n' vice versa, 'cos this is wrestlin' n Lord knows this business has enough cliches thrown aroon' already. Besides, I also know ye are an American, like much of t' roster n' the audience at home n' we awe know that Americans dunnae care what happens outside 'ne country but their oon, so why waste me breath n' risk yah wavin' t' star spangly banner in mah face? Ye dunnae wanna hear it n' I dunnae wanna say it.
I will say that befur oor little barney, I took the time t' watch a few of your matches jus' t' prepare mahself, thanks to the ol' NCW library, n' do yah know what I found oot aboot ye after literally minutes of searchin'? Ye are a delicate wee flooer so ye are, a delicate wee flooer wit' a stick up her arse aboot ne'er winnin' the Starlet's World Title. Ye are still pished aboot that, arnae ye? Arnae ye?
Go aheid n' admit it, lass, yah'll feel much better aboot yahself, trus' me.
Yah sit thur in yoor pretty little red dress and sparkly diamonds n' like to think yoor better than me, that yah know all aboot pain n' sufferin' 'cos somebody once drop't ye on yoor pretty little bonce n' made yah believe yah were a kitty cat, well listen t' me Mr Jenkins, yah dunnae know the firs' thing aboot tragedy, or me or where I come from. Yah think yah know how dark this world can get, well lemme tell ye somethin lassie, I've seen it get a whole lot darker so I hav'.
Fur all ye talk aboot how happy ye are n' how much ye love Jake, I really dunnae think yah appreciate him fur who he is. Maybe in t' beginnin' yah did, I cannae say, I wizne thur, but now, now all I see is that ye use him n' all his success as a crutch t' support yahself. T' compensate fur the fact that when it comes doon t' it, he's really all yah hav n' all yah've e'er had. Yah like to remind e'erybody aboot how he's ne'er let ye doon, n' that I can believe 'cos I know exactly the kinna guy he is. It dizne surprise me one bit that when he went in on ye, he went all in on ye, lass. What diz surprise me howe'er is the amoun of times yah've let 'im doon. I'm no' talkin' aboot as a wife, I'm sure ye are a lovely wife so no need t' remind me of that, I'm talkin' aboot as a wrestler. Yah may be his personal equal, but professionally we both know he could do so much better than ye. That eats away at ye, dizne it, lass? That's the real reason yah are here, still doin' this. It is the one thing ye feel yah hav' left to proof no' only t' yahself but to 'im as well.
I've heard yoor harshest critics, n' I can tell ye that they hav' ye figured all wrong. They're far too concerned wit' rippin' t' piss oot of ye fur bein' a cat or jus' plain ignorin' yoor history 'cos the only history that matters t' 'em is their oon, n in their ignorance they miss completely how fragile yah really are. I could be like 'em, n' yah've probably come t' expect it from all yoor opponents now. I could sit here n' bust a gut aboot yah bein' a kitty cat, but what good would that do me? Yah'll throw a hissy fit n' tell me how wrong I am n' I know that's a jig neither of us wanna do here lassie, after all it may end up backfiring on me after all if I hav' learnt anythin' meaningful from watchin' yah in that ring, it is that yah are more than capable of endin' a young rookie's career when it comes to tourneys like this. 'Cos of ye, nobody ever heard of Evelynn Dark again after yah threw her oot on her arseb in the last e'er Road T' The Gold tourney, n knowin' my luck as it is, yah might end up doin' the same rhing to me, so intea' of trea'in' ol' ground wit' ye here lass, I'm jus' gunnae level wit' ye...n' I'm sorry if this hurts t' hear, but the truth often diz...
N' the truth is, yoo're just' no' good enough fur Jake.
N' 'till yah prove me wrong lass, I hav' every intention of showing him that.
He dizne need t' settle fur the delicate flooer any more.
No' now that the Steel Magnolia is back in his life.
Whether yah like it or no' lass, I'm here t' stay.
Jake Conway walked down the hallway until he came to the blue door of the office of the Head of the Diamonds Division.
He looked up at the plaque on the door.
HEAD OF DIAMONDS DIVISION
KATHERINE LOCKHEART
Jake: It's nice.
Jake takes a step forward and notices two photographs in silver frames on her desk, both of which he recognised. One was of her dearly departed sister Claire, the other was of her young son James who looked older than he did in his memory, of that day in the park when he had returned him to Katherine after she claimed some petty hoodlums had taken his stroller and just abandoned it, at the time he had believed her, looking back however he wondered if it all hadn't been just a ruse to get his attention.
Jake: Kat, I need you to be honest with me here...
Katherine raised an eyebrow.
Katherine: Talk about a name I haven't heard in years. I didn't think you called anybody that anymore, well anybody except The Queen Bee of course....speaking of which, did she let you out of the hive or have you escaped?
Katherine giggled. Jake did not. She was right about one thing. He hadn't called anybody but Kathy by that particular pet name for a long time.
Jake: Force of habit, I guess. But as I was saying, I want you to be honest with me, why did you hire Louise? And why did you set up this match?
Katherine: You ask me why? I say why not? Kathy and Louise are both diamonds on my growing roster, and they both deserve their shot here and I'm simply giving them that opportunity. I don't care who they are, if they have a desire to wrestle I will let them prove themselves. Hell, Jake, I wouldn't care if it was Ruth, Tanya or Alena that walked through those doors and asked me for an opportunity and neither should you.
Jake: That's fair enough I guess...but still why do I feel like I'm in the middle of all this? Like I'm going to be forced to pick a side...
Jake's words ignite a wide-eyed sparkle in her eyes.
Katherine: Jake! That's genius! Imagine the ratings!
Jake shakes his head emphatically.
Jake: Oh no, no Kat...no! I know that look in your eye...
Katherine: Louise McDowell versus Kathleen Conway. Special Guest Referee, The Ace!
Jake: No! I won't do it! No!
Katherine: Oh okay, you won't do it, no problem, you don't have to...
Jake: I knew you'd understand...
Jake turns to leave but no sooner has he reached the doorway than he is forced to turn back.
Katherine: I'll just have to tell Kathy she no longer gets her chance to qualify for the Heiress to the Throne and you can explain to her why...
Jake grits his teeth, shaking his head with a sigh.
Jake: Fine, you win, I'll do it...
Katherine: See, you'll make a great referee. you're making the right calls already.
Jake leaves, shaking his head and shutting the door behind him. Katherine turns on her desk and picks up the photo of her baby boy James from her desk, she smiles.
Katherine: Hook, line and sinker...
Jake: Clearly she's moved up in the world...
His mind raced with the memory of the last time he had seen her five years ago in the lead up to his first Coliseum match. He took a deep breath to steady himself as visions of their playful romp in the grass in the park came back to him, his heart seemed to beat a little faster than it should as he knocked on her door.
"Come in."
Jake took a deep breath as he whispered to himself.
Jake: Just remember you're a very happily married man, Jake...it'll be fine.
Jake then turned the handle and stood in the open doorway as he beheld his former lover Katherine in a simple white blouse and navy skirt, pulling off a perfect combination of sexy yet sophisticated. She whipped her head over her shoulder to look at him and as her hair followed Jake had the mental image of her in the park turning to face him, and like deja vu she hit him with the same smile he remembered, the same smile he once fell hopelessly in love with.
Katherine: Jakey! Come in, come in. God, how long has it been?
Jake: Nobody's called me that in years.
Katherine rushed around her desk to greet him with a hug. It ended a little too quickly for Jake as she stepped back and sat herself on the edge of her desk and gestured with her hands to her surroundings.
Katherine: So what'd you think huh? Not bad is it? Working girl makes good...
His mind raced with the memory of the last time he had seen her five years ago in the lead up to his first Coliseum match. He took a deep breath to steady himself as visions of their playful romp in the grass in the park came back to him, his heart seemed to beat a little faster than it should as he knocked on her door.
"Come in."
Jake took a deep breath as he whispered to himself.
Jake: Just remember you're a very happily married man, Jake...it'll be fine.
Jake then turned the handle and stood in the open doorway as he beheld his former lover Katherine in a simple white blouse and navy skirt, pulling off a perfect combination of sexy yet sophisticated. She whipped her head over her shoulder to look at him and as her hair followed Jake had the mental image of her in the park turning to face him, and like deja vu she hit him with the same smile he remembered, the same smile he once fell hopelessly in love with.
Katherine: Jakey! Come in, come in. God, how long has it been?
Jake: Nobody's called me that in years.
Katherine rushed around her desk to greet him with a hug. It ended a little too quickly for Jake as she stepped back and sat herself on the edge of her desk and gestured with her hands to her surroundings.
Katherine: So what'd you think huh? Not bad is it? Working girl makes good...
Jake: It's nice.
Jake takes a step forward and notices two photographs in silver frames on her desk, both of which he recognised. One was of her dearly departed sister Claire, the other was of her young son James who looked older than he did in his memory, of that day in the park when he had returned him to Katherine after she claimed some petty hoodlums had taken his stroller and just abandoned it, at the time he had believed her, looking back however he wondered if it all hadn't been just a ruse to get his attention.
Jake: Kat, I need you to be honest with me here...
Katherine raised an eyebrow.
Katherine: Talk about a name I haven't heard in years. I didn't think you called anybody that anymore, well anybody except The Queen Bee of course....speaking of which, did she let you out of the hive or have you escaped?
Katherine giggled. Jake did not. She was right about one thing. He hadn't called anybody but Kathy by that particular pet name for a long time.
Jake: Force of habit, I guess. But as I was saying, I want you to be honest with me, why did you hire Louise? And why did you set up this match?
Katherine: You ask me why? I say why not? Kathy and Louise are both diamonds on my growing roster, and they both deserve their shot here and I'm simply giving them that opportunity. I don't care who they are, if they have a desire to wrestle I will let them prove themselves. Hell, Jake, I wouldn't care if it was Ruth, Tanya or Alena that walked through those doors and asked me for an opportunity and neither should you.
Jake: That's fair enough I guess...but still why do I feel like I'm in the middle of all this? Like I'm going to be forced to pick a side...
Jake's words ignite a wide-eyed sparkle in her eyes.
Katherine: Jake! That's genius! Imagine the ratings!
Jake shakes his head emphatically.
Jake: Oh no, no Kat...no! I know that look in your eye...
Katherine: Louise McDowell versus Kathleen Conway. Special Guest Referee, The Ace!
Jake: No! I won't do it! No!
Katherine: Oh okay, you won't do it, no problem, you don't have to...
Jake: I knew you'd understand...
Jake turns to leave but no sooner has he reached the doorway than he is forced to turn back.
Katherine: I'll just have to tell Kathy she no longer gets her chance to qualify for the Heiress to the Throne and you can explain to her why...
Jake grits his teeth, shaking his head with a sigh.
Jake: Fine, you win, I'll do it...
Katherine: See, you'll make a great referee. you're making the right calls already.
Jake leaves, shaking his head and shutting the door behind him. Katherine turns on her desk and picks up the photo of her baby boy James from her desk, she smiles.
Katherine: Hook, line and sinker...
Well howdy there pardner.