Post by Dorian Hawkhurst on Feb 20, 2017 5:47:44 GMT
The rage can be heard clearly from ahead the corner.
"Why the hell would they put me in a tag team match with Peterson?! Don't they watch their own damned programming? For the love of God. Seriously, who are they trying to sabotage here, me or Peterson?"
There is a brief pause on as it can be assumed that Dorian is either talking to himself or on the phone with someone.
"And you mean to tell me that there is nothing that you can do about it? Nothing at all?" Dorian pauses for a moment. "Fine, I'll do the match, but I swear if Peterson steps out of line, I will end him."
Dorian's phone flies against the wall and lands on the floor. Thankfully, Dorian has a heavy duty protective case. Dorian marches over and picks up his phone. As he does, his daughter Khloe comes flying out of nowhere and bearhugs his leg.
"Hey, sweetie. How are you doing?"
"Why are you man, Daddy?"
"I'm not mad, baby girl. I'm just a little stressed out."
"You're stressed out all the time."
"It's hard to explain. Daddy has to work with someone he doesn't like."
"Why don't you like him?"
"Well..." Dorian tries to find the right way to explain it to Khloe, and he realizes it might be more complicated that he originally thought. "I guess it's because he and Daddy want the same thing and with what we do, only one of us can have it."
"Why can't you just share? Mrs. Cowen taught us that we should learn to share with other people."
"It's like this. You remember how on field day you did the jump rope contest?"
"Yeah. I won first place last year. I was the best."
"That's how it is where daddy works. There's only one person who can win first place. And the guy daddy has to work with, his name is Will, he wants to be the best, just like daddy."
"Well, I hope you're the best. I don't want you to lose and start drinking again. Then I can't see you anymore."
Dorian stops in his tracks, completely floored.
"I don't want that to happen either. I promise you, Khloe Anastasia Harkhurst, that I will do everything I can to stop that from happening. Daddy loves you too much."
"I love you, too, Daddy."
Dorian gives his daughter a huge hug, holding her tight in hopes that she won't see his tears.
"Come on, goon. Let's get out of the house and go do something. Go get dressed."
Dorian gives Khloe another squeeze before letting her go. She giggles as she runs into her bedroom to get dressed. He walks over to his mirror and takes a long, hard look at his reflection.
"Damn. That kid is going to be the end of me."
Dorian Hawkhurst stands now in front an IWF banner. He is decked out in black pants and a Will Peterson t-shirt. Dorian seems frantic, bouncing around back and forth, rubbing his hands together.
"We all come to a point where we are forced to answer some of life’s toughest questions. For me, it was "Should I even be here?" After being thrust into the spotlight against Imperial’s best and brightest felt a bit overwhelming. The self-doubt that consumed me was eating me up inside. For most people. all they could do is go out there and hope they didn’t look like fools.
After I beat Jimmy Zane, I asked myself "How did I get this far?" To be fair, everyone was probably asking that question. Conventional wisdom points in a variety of directions: the right path, good timing and most of all, some dumb luck. Can I maintain that direction? That is the question we all are asking."
"Losing against Mac Bane was a mistake. I underestimated him and that's on me. Mistakes can make you who you are today. Around here, it might be the only thing that makes you seem human. Sadly, it’s those negatives that people tend to focus on. including me. Hell, it’s all it seems I can remember at times. Remember all the good that I’ve done? Neither does anybody else in this town."
Dorian smiles at the camera. He's feeling good and it's coming across through the camera's lens.
"Wouldn’t it be great if we could just forget our mistakes? Flip a switch, push a button, something, anything, to just clear out the past. The argument would always be there. You learn from your mistakes. You don’t want to forget them. But the important stuff is ingrained in you. You don’t need to take the time to think about it. That’s what learning is. I don’t remember being taught to add and subtract, but I know how to do it… For the most part."
"I mean, yeah, the temptation would always be there. We’ve all done things we regret, things we wish we could take back or do better. Trust me, I know that better than anyone."
"Now, let's take our little "Underdog" here, Will Peterson, Imperial’s "Little Engine That Wishes He Could." He’d love nothing more than to climb into a time machine and somehow muster up the strength to snag that shot at the Invictus title. Being able to produce in the clutch is key for the spot you’re in now, kid. And skipping the logical step of earning your right to even be in this position has you feeling out of place. You sure look it. Brimming with bravado, when inside you're trying not to piss your pants, really letting a lot of people down. Perhaps Willy wishes he had the opportunity to talk somebody out of throwing him into the deep end. I was thrown into deep. I swam with sharks and I lived to tell the tale."
"But, I have faith in you, Will. You've got potential. I'm gonna shoot you a straight one here. When this match was first announced, I was pissed off. I was down right livid. It took some time for me to remember the words of the Sun Tzu or Machiavelli or Petrarch or some other long dead dude, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Well, I don't really have a choice this week. It's me and Judas against the "Lost Boys". But that's okay, man. That's okay."
"Peterson, I am going to make you a promise. And I have a lot of faults, but one thing I am is a man of my word. I'm not going to take you out until this match is over, unless, of course, you give me good reason. You hear that, son? I'm going to give you a pass... for now."
Dorian smiles jovially at the camera.
"Now, Lost Boys, I'm not going to ignore you just because Willy and I have some personal matters to tend to. Believe me, I haven't forgotten the two of you. But I really don't know much about the two of you. Maybe I should have done my research, but, as I've shown in the past, I'm not really good at that. And I realize that this match means a lot more to the two of you than it means to me. For the two of you, this match is about taking down two of the hottest rising stars that Imperial Wrestling as seen in a long time. For the two of, it's about proving you belong in the same conversation as the Redneck Renegades that embarrassed you not so long ago. The two of you might want to have a little talk with Peterson, because if he screws me over, then the win will do nothing to elevate you. Zilch, zero, nada, nothing."
"Of course, he Will sees what winning this match could bring to us, you won't be able to beat us. Hell, even if Will Peterson turns Benedict Arnold on me, you still might not be able to beat me. This match means nothing to me professionally. I'm not looking to win the Tag belts. I'm not looking to climb the ladder. I am, however, a proud man. My foolish pride won't allow me to just roll over and play dead. I don't want to win this match. I need to win this match."
Hawkhurst is still bouncing all around with a manic smile on his face.
"And I know I say this to all my opponents, but I want you to bring your A-Game. I want you at your best. This job, this is my way of getting my aggression out. I don't know why I even call this a job, because they say if you enjoy your job, you never work a day in your life. So, I want you two to hit me as hard as you can, but I also want you to be ready for me to hit you back as hard as you frickin' can. And when it's all said and done, I'll be more than glad to shake your hands, so long as you bring it. See you boys on Monday. Oh, and Willy..."
Dorian points at his eyes and then to the camera.
"I'm watching your ass, boy."
"We all come to a point where we are forced to answer some of life’s toughest questions. For me, it was "Should I even be here?" After being thrust into the spotlight against Imperial’s best and brightest felt a bit overwhelming. The self-doubt that consumed me was eating me up inside. For most people. all they could do is go out there and hope they didn’t look like fools.
After I beat Jimmy Zane, I asked myself "How did I get this far?" To be fair, everyone was probably asking that question. Conventional wisdom points in a variety of directions: the right path, good timing and most of all, some dumb luck. Can I maintain that direction? That is the question we all are asking."
"Losing against Mac Bane was a mistake. I underestimated him and that's on me. Mistakes can make you who you are today. Around here, it might be the only thing that makes you seem human. Sadly, it’s those negatives that people tend to focus on. including me. Hell, it’s all it seems I can remember at times. Remember all the good that I’ve done? Neither does anybody else in this town."
Dorian smiles at the camera. He's feeling good and it's coming across through the camera's lens.
"Wouldn’t it be great if we could just forget our mistakes? Flip a switch, push a button, something, anything, to just clear out the past. The argument would always be there. You learn from your mistakes. You don’t want to forget them. But the important stuff is ingrained in you. You don’t need to take the time to think about it. That’s what learning is. I don’t remember being taught to add and subtract, but I know how to do it… For the most part."
"I mean, yeah, the temptation would always be there. We’ve all done things we regret, things we wish we could take back or do better. Trust me, I know that better than anyone."
"Now, let's take our little "Underdog" here, Will Peterson, Imperial’s "Little Engine That Wishes He Could." He’d love nothing more than to climb into a time machine and somehow muster up the strength to snag that shot at the Invictus title. Being able to produce in the clutch is key for the spot you’re in now, kid. And skipping the logical step of earning your right to even be in this position has you feeling out of place. You sure look it. Brimming with bravado, when inside you're trying not to piss your pants, really letting a lot of people down. Perhaps Willy wishes he had the opportunity to talk somebody out of throwing him into the deep end. I was thrown into deep. I swam with sharks and I lived to tell the tale."
"But, I have faith in you, Will. You've got potential. I'm gonna shoot you a straight one here. When this match was first announced, I was pissed off. I was down right livid. It took some time for me to remember the words of the Sun Tzu or Machiavelli or Petrarch or some other long dead dude, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Well, I don't really have a choice this week. It's me and Judas against the "Lost Boys". But that's okay, man. That's okay."
"Peterson, I am going to make you a promise. And I have a lot of faults, but one thing I am is a man of my word. I'm not going to take you out until this match is over, unless, of course, you give me good reason. You hear that, son? I'm going to give you a pass... for now."
Dorian smiles jovially at the camera.
"Now, Lost Boys, I'm not going to ignore you just because Willy and I have some personal matters to tend to. Believe me, I haven't forgotten the two of you. But I really don't know much about the two of you. Maybe I should have done my research, but, as I've shown in the past, I'm not really good at that. And I realize that this match means a lot more to the two of you than it means to me. For the two of you, this match is about taking down two of the hottest rising stars that Imperial Wrestling as seen in a long time. For the two of, it's about proving you belong in the same conversation as the Redneck Renegades that embarrassed you not so long ago. The two of you might want to have a little talk with Peterson, because if he screws me over, then the win will do nothing to elevate you. Zilch, zero, nada, nothing."
"Of course, he Will sees what winning this match could bring to us, you won't be able to beat us. Hell, even if Will Peterson turns Benedict Arnold on me, you still might not be able to beat me. This match means nothing to me professionally. I'm not looking to win the Tag belts. I'm not looking to climb the ladder. I am, however, a proud man. My foolish pride won't allow me to just roll over and play dead. I don't want to win this match. I need to win this match."
Hawkhurst is still bouncing all around with a manic smile on his face.
"And I know I say this to all my opponents, but I want you to bring your A-Game. I want you at your best. This job, this is my way of getting my aggression out. I don't know why I even call this a job, because they say if you enjoy your job, you never work a day in your life. So, I want you two to hit me as hard as you can, but I also want you to be ready for me to hit you back as hard as you frickin' can. And when it's all said and done, I'll be more than glad to shake your hands, so long as you bring it. See you boys on Monday. Oh, and Willy..."
Dorian points at his eyes and then to the camera.
"I'm watching your ass, boy."
Well howdy there pardner.