Post by Ashley Mastrangelo on Aug 4, 2013 4:18:21 GMT
The scene sets up in the Detroit area. Sacrifice is to air in the Detroit area Monday Night but certainly not in the venue we see Ashley in today. The sun is out bright, not a cloud in sight, allowing the rays of sun to his the dreary building that once flourished as the Michigan Central Station. As the sun beat down on the decaying building and its filthy windows, at least the ones that were left, we see Ashley standing in front of the building in a pink tank top and a pair of short denim shorts revealing her beautiful legs to the world. She stands in front of the building, peering at its many mishaps through her sunglasses as the camera gets closer and soon, is right to the side of her.
Ashley Mastrangelo: It’s really quite sad isn’t it?
She starts pointing to all the damages done by erosion and years of the building not being taken care of.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Broken windows, destroyed foundational structures, it really is depressing. At one point in time this place was how you got to Detroit. This is what helped the “Motor City” become what it was in the era of car manufacturing dominance. Now it lies here, abandoned. Yet when I stare at this depressive mass of twisted metal and crumbling concrete, I can only feel one emotion and it brings a smile to my face.
The aforementioned smile hits her face and the joy can almost be seen covering her entire being. She turns to the camera, her hair blowing in the breeze and grabs hold of the lens, staring directly into it.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Do you know why I have this overwhelming feeling of joy? DO YOU!?
She backs away from the camera and composes herself a few feet away, taking in a deep breath.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Because this past week on Sacrifice, I beat a woman who in the minds of everyone is one of the best female wrestlers on the planet. Granted Ally didn’t hold any titles in her tenure, just like me. It was still a worthwhile victory and I’m happy as all hell that I got it. For me to knock off a girl like that is what some in this industry might call an upset. Confidently and rather quickly, that is what I expect from myself. There’s no lack of confidence in myself whatsoever and there never has been. Unlike some of the others in this industry, I don’t have a problem lying low and waiting for my moment to pounce. I showed everyone flashes of greatness in the Triple Threat at the Pay Per View, Lineage. Last week, I showed what would happen if that potential were to be fulfilled. For me personally, there’s nowhere to go but up.
Ashley starts walking down the sidewalk away from the dreary structure and into the park that once served as the grand entrance for the structure. She looked around and smiled into the camera.
Ashley Mastrangelo: This is more like it. Really beautiful. There are flowers everywhere and the sun hits me at just the right angle. This is what our world is like, right Kathleen? This is the fantasy we all want. Rainbows soaring through the sky, and unicorns running all around making the world a happy place.
As she said those words, Ashley spun with her arms outstretched, but then, she stopped dead in her tracks. The smile was gone and the look of seriousness was not to be mistaken.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Unfortunately sweetie, that’s not the world we live in. We live in a world that resembles the station over there. The world we live in is dark and dreary. There’s maniacs running around, as you know full well with your whole situation you have going on. The world is an un-safe place and I know that first-hand. That’s why I don’t like it when people look at my stature and assume that I’m an innocent little girl. Am I young? Yes. Do I have a lot of experience in the wrestling ring? No, about fourteen matches give or take. In that time though, I have evolved into much more than an innocent little girl. I’m not some rich bitch with a silver spoon protruding from my vagina. I’m a girl who has worked for every damn thing I’ve gotten since the day I decided to shape up my life. Since the day I grabbed hold of what’s mine and left at the age of nineteen, I’ve grown into the young woman you see before you today. So Kat, can I call you that? Of course I can. Kat, while you live in the world where unicorns gallop, I’ll live over there in reality. Reality has taught me a lot in this world, and Monday night, maybe I’ll share a few of those lessons with you.
Ashley starts walking down the street to the first intersection where a car is parked awaiting her arrival as the scene fades to darkness.
==========
Growing Up
It had finally come to me. It was the first thing I had ever earned in my entire life. It was mine and mine alone and nobody could take it from me…MY FIRST PAY CHECK! God, I remember that day like it was yesterday. I had signed with a different organization at the time and they gave each of their performers a signing bonus as a sign of good faith. That money allowed the talent to have food and more importantly, a roof over their head.
The scene opened up with me in my bedroom at home in Daddy’s house. All of a sudden I was awoken by that annoying sound people hate to hear…especially at six in the morning.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
I stirred in my bed and with my face buried in a pillow I swung my hand around looking for the alarm clock in an attempt to end my torture. Alas my hand hit the button and the beeping stopped, but was converted to a rather annoying static. I hadn’t just turned off the alarm, rather I switched on the radio. Annoyed, I swung my hand again and then a crashing sound was heard. Annoyed even more, I let my hand drape over the bed as I sighed into the pillow before pushing myself off the mattress and into a seated position on the side of the bed.
Ashley Mastrangelo: God I hate mornings.
Doing what I had to do to get ready, I stepped out of my room in a pair of hot pink jogging shorts and a black sports bra. As I headed down the stairs I flipped my hair into a ponytail and walked out of the house quietly as not to disturb anybody. I ran to the local gym where I worked out for a good three hours before running back to the house…a two mile trek. So in the end, by the time I got home it was already ten-thirty in the morning. I was tired as I walked up the hill to my home on the cul-de-sac, but felt good about it. You know, like they say you’re supposed to feel after a workout? As I was heading up the incline, the mail truck drove by. I knew it was payday and a smile came across my face. With my last bit of strength I sprinted up the rest of the hill and to the mailbox. Flipping open the door, I shifted through the contents until I saw an envelope with my name on it. As I scrambled to open it, I looked at it with a glance until I saw the check at the bottom. When I saw the amount of the signing bonus, I was ecstatic. I ran into the house and immediately looked for my father.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Dad? Daddy?
My frantic voice caused him to rush into the room worried that something might have happened.
Antonio Mastrangelo: What? What is it?
I held my signing bonus check way out in front of me so he could see it.
Ashley Mastrangelo: MY FIRST CHECK!
I could tell he was a little relieved that nothing had happened to me. Joy overcame his emotional cache as a smile formed on his face.
Antonio Mastrangelo: That’s really great. I’m glad that you’ve stepped out of your brother’s path. That road only leads to prison as he is probably going to experience. You’re your own girl and I’m proud of you.
That’s what every girl wants to hear from her father. I walked over and hugged him before pulling away and looking down at the figure once more. It read “$3000” which was enough for what I wanted to start doing…become independent. My father had started to walk away when I called him back over.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Daddy, I got a question.
He walked back over to hear what it was I had to say.
Ashley Mastrangelo: What would you say if I told you that I wanted to move out on my own?
He walked over to the couch where I followed, waiting for his answer. As we sat down he looked me over as if he thought of the best way to put his answer.
Antonio Mastrangelo: I would ask if you thought you were ready. You’re almost twenty and it is a perfect time for you to move into your own place.
Ashley Mastrangelo: I mean I think I’m ready. I feel like over the last year I’ve grown up a lot. Now that I’m making my own money, I feel like it’s time to get out on my own. You know I’m good with money.
He shook his head acknowledging my great sense of responsibility. After thinking it over for a bit he nodded while tilting his head from side to side as if he were weighing the options. After a moment of thought he came to a decision.
Antonio Mastrangelo: Princess, I would back you in your decision one hundred and ten percent.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Really?
Antonio Mastrangelo: Yes. If you want to move out, we will contact the realtor right away and find you the best possible option.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Thank you so much! I love you Daddy!
Leaning over, I gave him the biggest hug I had given him in quite some time.
That’s where it began. That’s where I started my journey into the world of independent living. I remember how good it felt. I remember the freedom that it gave me.
Running upstairs I called Dani and told her the news. I then started to get ready for a shower. In all the excitement I almost forgot that I had just come from the gym. As the bathroom door closes, the scene fades.
I remember it like it was yesterday.
==========
The scene opens up and we see the view of passing by Detroit, Michigan. As the car cruises down the street the scene turns to Ashley who is sitting in the car looking out the window, the side of her face pressed against the palm of her hand in an exhausting pose.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Do you understand what I’ve been saying. Do you get what I’ve come from? I was a once flourishing individual that got everything in the world whenever the hell I wanted it. I, like this city, was flourishing in all aspects of life that I felt I needed to excel in at the time.
The view looks past Ashley to a broken down house in the background as the car stops at a stop light. Where once stood windows and doors were now large pieces of ply wood, blocking any intrusion into the premises. The windows in the top floor were blown out over time, and the roof was caved in from years of abuse from the outside elements.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Then in the blink of an eye I felt my life become like that house. I was nothing but a broken down mess. I was a shell of myself. Between graduating high school and the incident that set me free I was on auto pilot with nothing to show for it. Everything I had was handed to me and could be taken away in an instant.
The light turns green and the car accelerates, pulling away from the abandoned home. Ashley then pulls her face away from her hand and turns to the camera.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Then I was hit with the truth. Reality hit me in a harsh way that nobody else could have put it. I did what this city needs to do. I turned things around. I trained and worked my butt off to get where I am today. So excuse me if I take a bit of offense to Kat’s assumptions of being able to break me in two just because she’s angry because the reality that the rest of us live in says a completely different story. The reality that we live in says that Monday night will be a fight. Monday will pin an up and coming rookie, me, against a veteran with various in-ring accomplishments in Kat Conway. I want you to listen carefully my little Kitty, last week wasn’t an epiphany. I have had that kind of talent in me since the day I was born. I am the quickest of the quick learners you will ever meet. I have experienced more in my short life then you could ever dream of. So excuse me ma’am for being unoffended by your words. Excuse me for not giving up right now and giving you the match via forfeit. This match is another chance for me to prove my worth against the more experienced here in IWF and as I said last week, “When opportunity knocks at this girl’s door…”
Ashley lowers her sunglasses down to the brim of her nose and smiles to the camera with a sly mischievous grin.
Ashley Mastrangelo: “…She sure as hell answers.”
Ashley winks to the camera as the scene fades to black.
Ashley Mastrangelo: It’s really quite sad isn’t it?
She starts pointing to all the damages done by erosion and years of the building not being taken care of.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Broken windows, destroyed foundational structures, it really is depressing. At one point in time this place was how you got to Detroit. This is what helped the “Motor City” become what it was in the era of car manufacturing dominance. Now it lies here, abandoned. Yet when I stare at this depressive mass of twisted metal and crumbling concrete, I can only feel one emotion and it brings a smile to my face.
The aforementioned smile hits her face and the joy can almost be seen covering her entire being. She turns to the camera, her hair blowing in the breeze and grabs hold of the lens, staring directly into it.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Do you know why I have this overwhelming feeling of joy? DO YOU!?
She backs away from the camera and composes herself a few feet away, taking in a deep breath.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Because this past week on Sacrifice, I beat a woman who in the minds of everyone is one of the best female wrestlers on the planet. Granted Ally didn’t hold any titles in her tenure, just like me. It was still a worthwhile victory and I’m happy as all hell that I got it. For me to knock off a girl like that is what some in this industry might call an upset. Confidently and rather quickly, that is what I expect from myself. There’s no lack of confidence in myself whatsoever and there never has been. Unlike some of the others in this industry, I don’t have a problem lying low and waiting for my moment to pounce. I showed everyone flashes of greatness in the Triple Threat at the Pay Per View, Lineage. Last week, I showed what would happen if that potential were to be fulfilled. For me personally, there’s nowhere to go but up.
Ashley starts walking down the sidewalk away from the dreary structure and into the park that once served as the grand entrance for the structure. She looked around and smiled into the camera.
Ashley Mastrangelo: This is more like it. Really beautiful. There are flowers everywhere and the sun hits me at just the right angle. This is what our world is like, right Kathleen? This is the fantasy we all want. Rainbows soaring through the sky, and unicorns running all around making the world a happy place.
As she said those words, Ashley spun with her arms outstretched, but then, she stopped dead in her tracks. The smile was gone and the look of seriousness was not to be mistaken.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Unfortunately sweetie, that’s not the world we live in. We live in a world that resembles the station over there. The world we live in is dark and dreary. There’s maniacs running around, as you know full well with your whole situation you have going on. The world is an un-safe place and I know that first-hand. That’s why I don’t like it when people look at my stature and assume that I’m an innocent little girl. Am I young? Yes. Do I have a lot of experience in the wrestling ring? No, about fourteen matches give or take. In that time though, I have evolved into much more than an innocent little girl. I’m not some rich bitch with a silver spoon protruding from my vagina. I’m a girl who has worked for every damn thing I’ve gotten since the day I decided to shape up my life. Since the day I grabbed hold of what’s mine and left at the age of nineteen, I’ve grown into the young woman you see before you today. So Kat, can I call you that? Of course I can. Kat, while you live in the world where unicorns gallop, I’ll live over there in reality. Reality has taught me a lot in this world, and Monday night, maybe I’ll share a few of those lessons with you.
Ashley starts walking down the street to the first intersection where a car is parked awaiting her arrival as the scene fades to darkness.
==========
Growing Up
It had finally come to me. It was the first thing I had ever earned in my entire life. It was mine and mine alone and nobody could take it from me…MY FIRST PAY CHECK! God, I remember that day like it was yesterday. I had signed with a different organization at the time and they gave each of their performers a signing bonus as a sign of good faith. That money allowed the talent to have food and more importantly, a roof over their head.
The scene opened up with me in my bedroom at home in Daddy’s house. All of a sudden I was awoken by that annoying sound people hate to hear…especially at six in the morning.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
I stirred in my bed and with my face buried in a pillow I swung my hand around looking for the alarm clock in an attempt to end my torture. Alas my hand hit the button and the beeping stopped, but was converted to a rather annoying static. I hadn’t just turned off the alarm, rather I switched on the radio. Annoyed, I swung my hand again and then a crashing sound was heard. Annoyed even more, I let my hand drape over the bed as I sighed into the pillow before pushing myself off the mattress and into a seated position on the side of the bed.
Ashley Mastrangelo: God I hate mornings.
Doing what I had to do to get ready, I stepped out of my room in a pair of hot pink jogging shorts and a black sports bra. As I headed down the stairs I flipped my hair into a ponytail and walked out of the house quietly as not to disturb anybody. I ran to the local gym where I worked out for a good three hours before running back to the house…a two mile trek. So in the end, by the time I got home it was already ten-thirty in the morning. I was tired as I walked up the hill to my home on the cul-de-sac, but felt good about it. You know, like they say you’re supposed to feel after a workout? As I was heading up the incline, the mail truck drove by. I knew it was payday and a smile came across my face. With my last bit of strength I sprinted up the rest of the hill and to the mailbox. Flipping open the door, I shifted through the contents until I saw an envelope with my name on it. As I scrambled to open it, I looked at it with a glance until I saw the check at the bottom. When I saw the amount of the signing bonus, I was ecstatic. I ran into the house and immediately looked for my father.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Dad? Daddy?
My frantic voice caused him to rush into the room worried that something might have happened.
Antonio Mastrangelo: What? What is it?
I held my signing bonus check way out in front of me so he could see it.
Ashley Mastrangelo: MY FIRST CHECK!
I could tell he was a little relieved that nothing had happened to me. Joy overcame his emotional cache as a smile formed on his face.
Antonio Mastrangelo: That’s really great. I’m glad that you’ve stepped out of your brother’s path. That road only leads to prison as he is probably going to experience. You’re your own girl and I’m proud of you.
That’s what every girl wants to hear from her father. I walked over and hugged him before pulling away and looking down at the figure once more. It read “$3000” which was enough for what I wanted to start doing…become independent. My father had started to walk away when I called him back over.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Daddy, I got a question.
He walked back over to hear what it was I had to say.
Ashley Mastrangelo: What would you say if I told you that I wanted to move out on my own?
He walked over to the couch where I followed, waiting for his answer. As we sat down he looked me over as if he thought of the best way to put his answer.
Antonio Mastrangelo: I would ask if you thought you were ready. You’re almost twenty and it is a perfect time for you to move into your own place.
Ashley Mastrangelo: I mean I think I’m ready. I feel like over the last year I’ve grown up a lot. Now that I’m making my own money, I feel like it’s time to get out on my own. You know I’m good with money.
He shook his head acknowledging my great sense of responsibility. After thinking it over for a bit he nodded while tilting his head from side to side as if he were weighing the options. After a moment of thought he came to a decision.
Antonio Mastrangelo: Princess, I would back you in your decision one hundred and ten percent.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Really?
Antonio Mastrangelo: Yes. If you want to move out, we will contact the realtor right away and find you the best possible option.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Thank you so much! I love you Daddy!
Leaning over, I gave him the biggest hug I had given him in quite some time.
That’s where it began. That’s where I started my journey into the world of independent living. I remember how good it felt. I remember the freedom that it gave me.
Running upstairs I called Dani and told her the news. I then started to get ready for a shower. In all the excitement I almost forgot that I had just come from the gym. As the bathroom door closes, the scene fades.
I remember it like it was yesterday.
==========
The scene opens up and we see the view of passing by Detroit, Michigan. As the car cruises down the street the scene turns to Ashley who is sitting in the car looking out the window, the side of her face pressed against the palm of her hand in an exhausting pose.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Do you understand what I’ve been saying. Do you get what I’ve come from? I was a once flourishing individual that got everything in the world whenever the hell I wanted it. I, like this city, was flourishing in all aspects of life that I felt I needed to excel in at the time.
The view looks past Ashley to a broken down house in the background as the car stops at a stop light. Where once stood windows and doors were now large pieces of ply wood, blocking any intrusion into the premises. The windows in the top floor were blown out over time, and the roof was caved in from years of abuse from the outside elements.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Then in the blink of an eye I felt my life become like that house. I was nothing but a broken down mess. I was a shell of myself. Between graduating high school and the incident that set me free I was on auto pilot with nothing to show for it. Everything I had was handed to me and could be taken away in an instant.
The light turns green and the car accelerates, pulling away from the abandoned home. Ashley then pulls her face away from her hand and turns to the camera.
Ashley Mastrangelo: Then I was hit with the truth. Reality hit me in a harsh way that nobody else could have put it. I did what this city needs to do. I turned things around. I trained and worked my butt off to get where I am today. So excuse me if I take a bit of offense to Kat’s assumptions of being able to break me in two just because she’s angry because the reality that the rest of us live in says a completely different story. The reality that we live in says that Monday night will be a fight. Monday will pin an up and coming rookie, me, against a veteran with various in-ring accomplishments in Kat Conway. I want you to listen carefully my little Kitty, last week wasn’t an epiphany. I have had that kind of talent in me since the day I was born. I am the quickest of the quick learners you will ever meet. I have experienced more in my short life then you could ever dream of. So excuse me ma’am for being unoffended by your words. Excuse me for not giving up right now and giving you the match via forfeit. This match is another chance for me to prove my worth against the more experienced here in IWF and as I said last week, “When opportunity knocks at this girl’s door…”
Ashley lowers her sunglasses down to the brim of her nose and smiles to the camera with a sly mischievous grin.
Ashley Mastrangelo: “…She sure as hell answers.”
Ashley winks to the camera as the scene fades to black.
Well howdy there pardner.