“
IT’S A GOAL!”
The TV had been on for quite some time, but I wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t even know what channel was on. The brackets for the Gold Rush had just been announced, and I was to face Lynx. New to WZCW, just like me, but very different. He was not your typical wrestler. In fact, I didn’t understand any of what he was. I heard he was a time traveler. Really? He talked about time space continuum and his requirement in this dimension and how he was here to prevent an apocalypse. I didn’t understand the man at all. Edgar Allen Poe in disguise? Not that I know if Poe was a time traveler. Is he just straight up delusional? His in ring abilities say otherwise. What was he?
My train of thoughts was broken by a knock on the door. I peeped through to see it was Allison.
“Not her again!” It had been weeks since she had returned and I still couldn’t figure out why she came back. I let her in.
“
You have to listen to me if you want to win anything here in WZCW.” She hadn’t been in for even a second and had already started lecturing me. I didn’t react to what she said, which seemed to have just peeved her a little bit. She caught hold of me before I could turn away.
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You don’t get to turn your back on me. You don’t simply walk away.” I shrugged her hand off me. That I was annoyed would be an understatement at this time. She had been gone for 12 years. 12 YEARS! And she had the audacity to tell me that I don’t get to turn away? For all the good things she had done, she had been gone a long time for me to care for her anymore. And yet, here she was, still trying to impose herself on me. While at one time I did want to know where she was all these years, I had become indifferent to her absence. I, however, wanted to know why she had come back. Why did she even care what I do with my life? Why did she care of won or lost? What did it matter to her at all?
She could see the pent-up frustration on my face. I was never very good at hiding my thoughts, at least not with her. I could sense she could hear me through my silence which seemed to have cooled her off a bit. She sat me down.
“
I understand you have questions. A lots of them. And I wish I had answers to them at present. May be someday. This is not the time though. All I can tell you that I am back for good. I’m here for you.”
I could feel the surge of deeply held anger and sadness inside of me. Her inability to answer these questions didn’t help the thought that she abandoned me when I needed her the most. The one person who had been central to my survival left me to die on the street. I got up and walked away, trying to hold back the emotions that I didn’t want to show. I fought my tears back as deafening silence ensued, eventually broken by her.
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I know you think I abandoned you all those years ago. I’m not here to explain why I did what I did because frankly I cannot explain it. All I can say that I couldn’t have come back even though I wanted to, especially after I saw what you had found in life.”
I looked back at her with a puzzled look. But she wasn’t looking at me, she just looked down at the floor.
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You think that I never tried to contact you or come back to you. But the reality is, I did try to contact you. I did come to the hospital where you were admitted and I did come to the dojo where you trained. But I couldn’t see you. I couldn’t take the life away from you that you had built.”
But she could’ve lived with me. If only she had talked to me. My eyes were fixated at her, full of questions like these.
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I was a wanted person. You were an innocent little girl who would’ve been deemed an accomplice to all the crimes that I had committed. Why would I ever want that?”
I held my head down in disbelief.
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I still remember seeing you laughing when I had come to the dojo to try and speak to you. I just couldn’t muster the courage to take you away from that. I realized that I couldn’t really take care of you. You finally had found someone who you could call a mother. You finally found people who you could call your real friends. You finally found your passion in wrestling. All I could give you was a life of a criminal that you didn’t deserve. I was a bad person; but I couldn’t continue fooling you into believing that I was your guardian. That accident was a blessing in disguise for you ‘cause you found a life way better than you would’ve ever found with me. I just couldn’t take that away from you.”
Before she could finish speaking, I hugged her tight.
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I’m not back because I want something from you. I came back because I finally found the courage to be part of your life.”
I didn’t want to let go. I didn’t know what I was feeling. Was I happy that she was finally back? Or was I sad that she couldn’t have what I had? In any condition, I felt a little relief.
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I can only hope that you forgive me. But for now, it’s more important that you concentrate on Gold Rush. This could be your shortcut to the top of the WZCW. Let’s just hope Lynx doesn’t open a portal in the ring. ”
It was a sentiment I agreed with. And for some reason, I felt a little surge of that energy, that passion to perform better. After all, I had just gotten my friend back!
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