Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2006 0:53:45 GMT -5
“Are you sure he doesn’t suspect anything?”
Melissa remained focused on the road, barely even blinking. Jonathan Brians, driving his T-Bird towards Harrisburg for the last time, was growing impatient with her constant zoning out.
“Melissa! Are you gonna answer me or not?”
“No. He doesn’t suspect a thing. Happy now?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m about to say goodbye to the boy I’ve spent the last four years with. I know it might be hard for you to understand.”
“Only because I thought you were in love with me. Start acting like it already.”
“You sure know how to make a girl feel loved, John.”
“Apparently well enough that you’re leaving that Laiman kid.”
“Drop it, now.”
John turned back to the road with a slight huff. Deep inside, there was a slight pang of guilt, given that this Laiman kid used to be a good friend. He knew what Laiman felt for Melissa, and he also knew what it would do to him to know that he’d betrayed their friendship to take the girl he loved. But that was deep inside, and the only thing on the surface of John’s mind was the celebration in the back of the car once they left Harrisburg.
Melissa was deep in thought, thinking not of what would happen tonight, but of his dyed-auburn hair, his brown eyes, and the look she knew she’d see when she told him goodbye.
And if John had seen the car swerve in front of him, she would’ve.
…
June 10, 2002
The streets are dark and nearly vacant. A few cars pass by, their headlights almost completely blocked out by the heavy mist and fog. A figure is seen walking down the sidewalk, dressed in a long black trench coat with the hood shadowing the face. Scanning the mailboxes for addresses, the figure finally turns to an old freestanding house. Yellow tape surrounds the house, as local police have declared it a danger zone, and are soon preparing for the city to tear it down. The figure steps over the yellow tape, and walks up onto the wooden porch. The wood is so old, creaking every time the figure steps.
The figure tries to open the door, but it falls right off its hinges and crashes onto the ground. The figure steps over the broken door, and into what used to be the living room of the Laiman residence. A TV with the glass punched out is face up in the center, and some old shelves are nearly bare. A small picture frame is lying face down on the top shelf. The figure picks it up and wipes the glass clear, to find a picture of a much younger-looking Al Laiman and a shorter girl with black hair and glasses. Standing on the other side of Al Laiman is an older man with grayish hair. His arm is around Al's shoulder. The figure stares at the picture for several minutes, then shakes his head. The other picture he finds is one of Al, the black-haired girl, his older brother Sean, and Vincent Stecchino. Stecchino's face is set, as if looking at something behind the camera, while Sean's face is almost angry.
The figure takes the two pictures and puts them inside a black suitcase, then heads up the stairs. One stair is missing, and the figure is barely able to get over it without breaking through the staircase. Once he reaches the top, the light rain is leaking through the roof. One bedroom is completely empty, but the other one still has a broken-down wooden bunk-bed. Several items lay across the floor, but there's one that glimmers in the light shining through the window, a locket of some sort. The figure picks it up and opens it to find two pictures, one on each half. On the left side, there's a picture of Al Laiman, and on the right is the black-haired girl. On the back, it reads: BLISS FOREVER. Suddenly, the floor begins to creak, and a loud crashing sound is heard...
…
I relaxed in my locker room, realizing it had been five years since we all arrived at Zorich’s training camp back at Cumberland Valley High School. Vinny had just passed away after joining Geno and myself in the new endeavor; a place called EWA. In two weeks, I’d won the Undisputed title in my debut match, then lost it the very next week to the same guy on the same day that I found out Vinny was gone.
The television suddenly grabbed my attention, as a newsbreak came across the screen. “An abandoned house once owned by wrestling superstar Alexander Laiman crumbled to the ground tonight. The house was scheduled to be torn down later this week. Local investigators found Alexander's brother, Sean Laiman, underneath the wreckage. Laiman was immediately pronounced dead, and his reason for being in the abandoned house is yet to be determined.”
I looked down at the ground and shook my head as I spoke out loud. “Vinny, Sean, and my house in the same month, what are the odds?”
I heard a knock at the back entrance of my locker room. I wiped away at his eyes, then walked over to the door. I found a uniformed police officer a black suitcase in his hand. “Mr. Laiman?”
“Yes, officer?”
“Have you seen the news this evening?”
“Yes I have.”
“Then you are aware that your brother has passed away?”
“Indeed, I am.”
The officer handed me the black suitcase. “We found this with the body. We thought you might like to have it.”
“Thank you very much.”
The officer reached into his pocket, and pulled something else out. “This was in his hand,” he stated.
I moved the suitcase to my left hand, and I saw the locket lying in the officer’s hand. “Sean had this?” I asked.
“Yes Mr. Laiman, he did.”
“Thank you, officer.”
“Take care, Mr. Laiman.”
I quickly closed the door and walked back to where I was sitting. I put the locket on the coffee table next to the sofa, and opened the suitcase to find two framed pictures. One was a picture of myself, Sean, and Vinny. I had no idea this picture even existed, since Vinny was never particularly photogenic. Something about the way he was staring off into the distance puzzled me, as it was almost a paranoid look on his face. I sat the first picture down and looked at the second one. Bliss and her father; I couldn’t believe it. I thought this had been lost forever the night I’d left home.
“What's going on, Al?” I heard Geno’s voice from behind me. Apparently he’d come into my locker room, but I kept staring at the picture. I guess I didn’t feel words were too adequate for the situation. I saw his hand reach for the locket on the table, and I heard him open it up.
“Who’s the girl?” he asked.
I stood up, and began to walk aimlessly. Some words were coming to my mind, and I began speaking them out loud. “One day, I finally had a dream that was worth having, only when I was supposed to wake up, she was still there.”
“Al, you okay?” Geno asked, obviously concerned.
“The indescribable feeling of staring into her eyes and sensing the emotion of her loving heart was to the point that I was waiting for the moment when my alarm clock would disrupt my state of bliss, but when I opened my eyes, she was right where she had been. For once, the girl of my dreams was not a mere afterthought in an alternate reality. The only difference between the girl of my dreams and her, however, was that the dream girl could not hold a candle next to the Polaris-resembling aura that she held in my eyes.
For nights on end, a trail of dust and a vague memory were all that remained of another visit from the Dream Girl Fairy Godmother. I found myself searching through my everyday life for some possible presence of someone who could make me feel like that. Although my success was minimal, to say the least, there was always a small part of me that somehow knew that I would find her someday.”
“I set out on a day like any other, nothing much expected from the inspiration except for hopeless leads and sheer disappointment. However, in a paradox of extremely good timing, I came across Bliss. She was a dream; not only in her beauty, but in her soul. I shared the night with her, and we got closer by the second. After several hours, I finally exceeded all my own expectations, and we kissed. She must've had the kiss of an angel because I was nothing short of heaven. I swam in the timeless currents of pure bliss, shattering every pathetic estimate I've ever had of perfection. Moments like these only ever happened to me in dreams, so I knew this couldn't be possible. I lay my head back, for I knew the moment would soon vanish, and I'd be left alone. My eyes peeked through, but I still saw her laying there with her head on my shoulder. For once, everything I held to be real was indeed a reality, only the reality managed to vanquish the need for a dream, because she was my dream girl, only exponential the perfection.”
After a few seconds, Geno shook his head. “I've never heard you talking like this before, Al. I never even knew you've been in love before.”
“The only illusions one can come to know are those one creates. Therefore, love is either the greatest feeling in the world, or the greatest illusion we have ever come to tell ourselves of. If love is really one great illusion, then it must mean that all illusions aren't always bad. “
“Are you going off the deep end because you're still upset about losing the Undisputed title?” Geno asked.
My concentration suddenly broke, and I shot Geno the look from hell. “The Undisputed title is the least of my worries right now, dude. I've already had my priorities mixed up one too many times. Vinny dies, and I still go on and wrestle anyway, because I wanted to be a true champion. I said some pretty mindless things that week, because I wasn't all there. What can I say? My opponent knew it, saw it, took advantage of it, and he won. I don't care if he had to pull a cheap shot to do it, he still won the match, and it made no difference in the outcome. Speaking of which, I believe you said that if you don't beat him for the Undisputed title that you're going to leave the federation!”
Geno looked down and muttered, “yes, I did say that.”’
“What kind of work ethic is that? I've already won and lost the title once here, and you're telling me that if you don't get it in your first try, you're going to quit?”
“Don't worry about me right now, Al. Who's this girl?”
I looked him right in the eyes. “Bliss?” I asked, knowing he wouldn’t have any idea what I meant.
“Yeah, if that's her name.”
“Bliss was everything I ever wanted. We were supposed to be together forever. But, like everything else, it was merely a dream. I thought this locket was gone.”
“How did you find it?”
I could feel my frustration growing deep inside me. “My brother went back to our old house because he knew it was going to be torn down. The house collapsed on him while he was still inside.”
He then asked the stupidest question that could’ve been thought of in the situation. “Is he dead?”
I lost it. “Of course he's dead, Geno! Has that ever happened to you?”
Before he could respond, I felt myself just letting loose. Of course it hasn’t! You're still alive! Of all the moronic things you've ever pulled in your life, that was one thing you managed to evade. Sean and Vinny are gone, and now that I have no one else to count on, you're telling me that you're ditching me.”
“What about Bliss? She’s still around, isn’t she?”
I calmed a little bit. “Bliss died when I was sixteen. She was in a car accident with another guy while she was on her way to tell me that she was leaving me to run away and get married.”
“She was going to get married at sixteen?”
“No, she was eighteen. I was sixteen at the time.”
“Well, I'm not ditching you, Al.”
That sentence sounded so familiar. So many times in my life had those words been said to me under the intention that I would expect them to be held true. “Funny.”
“What?”
I picked up the picture with Bliss and her father. “My father said that to me the last time I ever saw him. Bliss told me that when she said that she wanted to see other people, only to get back with me a few days later. Of course, it was only two weeks before she died, when she was about to ditch me.”
He started to respond, “but Al…”
“That's when the EWF came to town, and Danny Zorich united me with the first true friends I’d ever known. You were there, I’m sure you remember. Bryan Fury and I became tag team champions. And you know what? The night we lost the titles, my brother sat there and said the exact same thing you did, and I didn't see him for years. Now, here you sit, telling me that if you don't win the title on the first try that you're just going to leave.”
“I don't think you understand.”
The hell I didn‘t. “Oh, but I think I do. I mean, sure, I got screwed out of my automatic rematch, you know, like he got. I have to go and face some other guy who hasn't done jack shit. I'm not giving up, even though I'm being screwed and I lost the title.”
“I'm not going to lose against him,” he tried convincing me.
“Yeah, and then what? I believe that you said that he might've been able to beat me, but he won't be able to beat you. But if you fail, and you really decide to leave, you're just like everyone else I thought I could count on.”
I walked past Geno frustrated and emotional. Right before I closed the door, I heard him say meekly, “I'm not like them, Al…”
I didn’t know where I was going, but I wound up at some local diner. Eight cokes later, the EWA review show came on the television, and I glanced over, ready to see how the critics were going to tear me apart. At the same time, I noticed the waitress who’d been refilling my Cokes. About 5’2, maybe pushing 110, and her long and burgundy hair swayed back and forth as she walked along the bar, serving the others who were also there on this Saturday night. She noticed my stare, and when she finished re-filling another gentlemen’s drink, she meandered over and leaned down on the bar.
“Somethin’ on your mind there, kid?”
Needing to talk about the situation, I felt no regret about responding. “In a sense, I suppose.” Vague, I know, but I wanted to see if she’d run with it.
“Well, I can relate with that,” she replied. “I spend my days servin’ lonely folks in here, but hell, I’m just like they are.”
“This situation isn’t nearly as complicated as most others’.”
“How so?”
Having an idea of the response I’d get, I gave her the bait. “See, I’m a professional wrestler…”
“Oh, you’re one of those guys?”
I rolled my eyes and congratulated myself. Five years in the business, as if I didn’t know that was coming. “You wanna hear the story or not?”
“Sure, why not?” she responded. “I’ve never met one of your kind before.”
“Let’s just say that a close friend of mine was shot and killed last week.”
“That’s terrible,” she replied with solace.
“That’s just where it begins, though. I assumed my brother had something to do with it, since he never really liked the guy to begin with, and he and I got into a fight. That whole week I was pretty messed up because of it, and I ended up losing the Undisputed Championship of EWA.”
“Oh, are you Alexander Laiman?”
Not the response I was expecting, but, “Yeah, please call me Al.”
“I heard what happened on the news. Is that where your story was going?”
“ It was, but sadly that isn’t the end of it.”
“How could that not be the end of it?”
If only she knew. “The reason he was at that house was to get a couple of pictures from my childhood, including the only picture I had of my ex-girlfriend.
“Oh, dear.”
Oh dear indeed. “Not to mention…” I pulled the locket out of my pocket.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“It’s a locket that my girlfriend gave to me. We were together for a long time, but she left me to get married when I was 16.”
“How old are you now?”
“Twenty-one,” I replied.
“Have you been involved with anyone since then?” she asked.
Hell, no sense in bringing up more bitter memories. “Unprofessionally? No.”
“My, Al! How do you survive?”
Must be an active one, I thought. “It’s a challenge; I can’t deny that.“ Since she asked though, I couldn’t help myself. “What’s your name anyway?”
“Val,” she answered.
“Hi, Val. It’s been nice talking to you.”
“You’re leaving?” To my surprise, she sounded almost disappointed.
I smiled as I wrote my number and the location I was staying down on one of the napkins. “For now, but I’m sure it’s not the last time I’ll see you.”
She took the napkin, and turned to slip it in her purse. I disappeared out the door before she could turn back around. I had a weird habit of doing that to people; I always try to maintain some sort of mysterious edge.
I decided to return to meet this girl after work. Something about her seemed familiar; she intrigued me. Only one person remained sitting at the end as the late hour approached. With a huge yawn, Val wiped off the rest of the bar, eager to get home. Her long, burgundy hair was pulled back, but hung down in strands on either side of her pale face. Her eyes didn’t even look up when I walked in, the bell clinking as the door closed.
“We're closing,” she muttered, obviously exhausted from a long day.
I smiled, knowing she had no idea it was me. “Well then, I guess I'll take my business elsewhere.”
She looked up, gave a weak smile, and slapped my arm. “What are you doing here?”
“I came by to see you, is that a problem?”
“Of course it isn't, unless you're planning to stay here.”
“Well then, what do you suggest?”
She smiled and adopted a small kiddish voice. “Well, my mommy and daddy are out tonight, and I have the house all to myself!”
I decided to play along and make fun of her little kid voice, “Really? We should have a slumber party!”
“You're trouble, you know that?”
There’s something new. “Yeah, well I have to be good at something, right?”
“So seriously, you wanna head back to my place? I'm beat.”
Before I could respond, I heard the old man at the end of the bar turn on his stool. “Damn whipper-snappers! You kids today don't just go for it anymore!”
Val giggled, and thanked the old man as he gave her a tip and walked out the door with a wink. She closed up the rest of the place, and we got in the car and headed for her suburban townhouse. Locking the door and walking up the front lawn, Val continued to tell me about her family.
“So my parents passed away when I was very young. My aunt raised me; she’s the only mother I’ve ever known.”
“I know how you feel, believe me.”
We crashed on her couch, and she laid her head on my shoulder. I glanced behind her and saw a framed picture resting on the credenza.
“Is that your aunt?”
“Yeah, that’s her. She took me in when my father died when I was six.”
Something was sounding very familiar about this. My temple ached a bit, and I massaged it with my hand.
“Something wrong?”
It had to be a coincidence, so no need for diving into another story. “Just weird…”
“What?”
No such luck. “I swear that Bliss told me the same thing that happened to her.”
I didn’t hear a response, and I looked down to see her face had turned even more pale than it already was. “Wait. Bliss? Where did you live?”
“Harrisburg.”
“What was her real name? It wasn't Bliss, was it?”
Out of curiosity, I answered, “no, it was Melissa.”
She nearly jumped off the couch and turned to me. “That's why I've heard your name before. Bliss was my sister, Al!”
No way in hell could this be happening. “She what?”
“My last name is Onastasio. Valerie Onastasio!”
My face was probably more pale than hers. She was quiet for a few seconds, then looked down at the ground.
“I'm sorry for what she did to you.”
“So am I,” I admitted. I’d never shaken it off, and I felt the undying urge to return to Harrisburg to visit my Bliss. Interesting enough, she had the same urge.
“Wanna go see her?”
A response wasn’t even necessary. We got back in the car and she quickly fell asleep as I drove off, heading back home for the first time in years.
…
Michael Laiman slammed his head down on the bar. He knew the last two dollars in his pocket would be spent, as the bartender announced last call. He laid the two dollar bills on the bar, and looked at the cute bartender. “One more, please.”
She smiled, and slid the bills back. “Keep them, hun. Buy something for your wife.”
“Wife’s dead, has been for years.”
“Really? What was her name?”
He looked up as the bartender brushed her burgundy hair out of her face. Pale little thing, but obviously sweet with good intentions.
“Verna.”
The bartender scrunched her eyebrows, then leaned down with her elbows. “Her maiden name wasn’t Heiden, was it?”
Michael jumped back. “Sure was, how the hell’d you know?”
“You don’t remember me, Michael? I’m her sister, Valerie!”
Melissa remained focused on the road, barely even blinking. Jonathan Brians, driving his T-Bird towards Harrisburg for the last time, was growing impatient with her constant zoning out.
“Melissa! Are you gonna answer me or not?”
“No. He doesn’t suspect a thing. Happy now?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“I’m about to say goodbye to the boy I’ve spent the last four years with. I know it might be hard for you to understand.”
“Only because I thought you were in love with me. Start acting like it already.”
“You sure know how to make a girl feel loved, John.”
“Apparently well enough that you’re leaving that Laiman kid.”
“Drop it, now.”
John turned back to the road with a slight huff. Deep inside, there was a slight pang of guilt, given that this Laiman kid used to be a good friend. He knew what Laiman felt for Melissa, and he also knew what it would do to him to know that he’d betrayed their friendship to take the girl he loved. But that was deep inside, and the only thing on the surface of John’s mind was the celebration in the back of the car once they left Harrisburg.
Melissa was deep in thought, thinking not of what would happen tonight, but of his dyed-auburn hair, his brown eyes, and the look she knew she’d see when she told him goodbye.
And if John had seen the car swerve in front of him, she would’ve.
…
June 10, 2002
The streets are dark and nearly vacant. A few cars pass by, their headlights almost completely blocked out by the heavy mist and fog. A figure is seen walking down the sidewalk, dressed in a long black trench coat with the hood shadowing the face. Scanning the mailboxes for addresses, the figure finally turns to an old freestanding house. Yellow tape surrounds the house, as local police have declared it a danger zone, and are soon preparing for the city to tear it down. The figure steps over the yellow tape, and walks up onto the wooden porch. The wood is so old, creaking every time the figure steps.
The figure tries to open the door, but it falls right off its hinges and crashes onto the ground. The figure steps over the broken door, and into what used to be the living room of the Laiman residence. A TV with the glass punched out is face up in the center, and some old shelves are nearly bare. A small picture frame is lying face down on the top shelf. The figure picks it up and wipes the glass clear, to find a picture of a much younger-looking Al Laiman and a shorter girl with black hair and glasses. Standing on the other side of Al Laiman is an older man with grayish hair. His arm is around Al's shoulder. The figure stares at the picture for several minutes, then shakes his head. The other picture he finds is one of Al, the black-haired girl, his older brother Sean, and Vincent Stecchino. Stecchino's face is set, as if looking at something behind the camera, while Sean's face is almost angry.
The figure takes the two pictures and puts them inside a black suitcase, then heads up the stairs. One stair is missing, and the figure is barely able to get over it without breaking through the staircase. Once he reaches the top, the light rain is leaking through the roof. One bedroom is completely empty, but the other one still has a broken-down wooden bunk-bed. Several items lay across the floor, but there's one that glimmers in the light shining through the window, a locket of some sort. The figure picks it up and opens it to find two pictures, one on each half. On the left side, there's a picture of Al Laiman, and on the right is the black-haired girl. On the back, it reads: BLISS FOREVER. Suddenly, the floor begins to creak, and a loud crashing sound is heard...
…
I relaxed in my locker room, realizing it had been five years since we all arrived at Zorich’s training camp back at Cumberland Valley High School. Vinny had just passed away after joining Geno and myself in the new endeavor; a place called EWA. In two weeks, I’d won the Undisputed title in my debut match, then lost it the very next week to the same guy on the same day that I found out Vinny was gone.
The television suddenly grabbed my attention, as a newsbreak came across the screen. “An abandoned house once owned by wrestling superstar Alexander Laiman crumbled to the ground tonight. The house was scheduled to be torn down later this week. Local investigators found Alexander's brother, Sean Laiman, underneath the wreckage. Laiman was immediately pronounced dead, and his reason for being in the abandoned house is yet to be determined.”
I looked down at the ground and shook my head as I spoke out loud. “Vinny, Sean, and my house in the same month, what are the odds?”
I heard a knock at the back entrance of my locker room. I wiped away at his eyes, then walked over to the door. I found a uniformed police officer a black suitcase in his hand. “Mr. Laiman?”
“Yes, officer?”
“Have you seen the news this evening?”
“Yes I have.”
“Then you are aware that your brother has passed away?”
“Indeed, I am.”
The officer handed me the black suitcase. “We found this with the body. We thought you might like to have it.”
“Thank you very much.”
The officer reached into his pocket, and pulled something else out. “This was in his hand,” he stated.
I moved the suitcase to my left hand, and I saw the locket lying in the officer’s hand. “Sean had this?” I asked.
“Yes Mr. Laiman, he did.”
“Thank you, officer.”
“Take care, Mr. Laiman.”
I quickly closed the door and walked back to where I was sitting. I put the locket on the coffee table next to the sofa, and opened the suitcase to find two framed pictures. One was a picture of myself, Sean, and Vinny. I had no idea this picture even existed, since Vinny was never particularly photogenic. Something about the way he was staring off into the distance puzzled me, as it was almost a paranoid look on his face. I sat the first picture down and looked at the second one. Bliss and her father; I couldn’t believe it. I thought this had been lost forever the night I’d left home.
“What's going on, Al?” I heard Geno’s voice from behind me. Apparently he’d come into my locker room, but I kept staring at the picture. I guess I didn’t feel words were too adequate for the situation. I saw his hand reach for the locket on the table, and I heard him open it up.
“Who’s the girl?” he asked.
I stood up, and began to walk aimlessly. Some words were coming to my mind, and I began speaking them out loud. “One day, I finally had a dream that was worth having, only when I was supposed to wake up, she was still there.”
“Al, you okay?” Geno asked, obviously concerned.
“The indescribable feeling of staring into her eyes and sensing the emotion of her loving heart was to the point that I was waiting for the moment when my alarm clock would disrupt my state of bliss, but when I opened my eyes, she was right where she had been. For once, the girl of my dreams was not a mere afterthought in an alternate reality. The only difference between the girl of my dreams and her, however, was that the dream girl could not hold a candle next to the Polaris-resembling aura that she held in my eyes.
For nights on end, a trail of dust and a vague memory were all that remained of another visit from the Dream Girl Fairy Godmother. I found myself searching through my everyday life for some possible presence of someone who could make me feel like that. Although my success was minimal, to say the least, there was always a small part of me that somehow knew that I would find her someday.”
“I set out on a day like any other, nothing much expected from the inspiration except for hopeless leads and sheer disappointment. However, in a paradox of extremely good timing, I came across Bliss. She was a dream; not only in her beauty, but in her soul. I shared the night with her, and we got closer by the second. After several hours, I finally exceeded all my own expectations, and we kissed. She must've had the kiss of an angel because I was nothing short of heaven. I swam in the timeless currents of pure bliss, shattering every pathetic estimate I've ever had of perfection. Moments like these only ever happened to me in dreams, so I knew this couldn't be possible. I lay my head back, for I knew the moment would soon vanish, and I'd be left alone. My eyes peeked through, but I still saw her laying there with her head on my shoulder. For once, everything I held to be real was indeed a reality, only the reality managed to vanquish the need for a dream, because she was my dream girl, only exponential the perfection.”
After a few seconds, Geno shook his head. “I've never heard you talking like this before, Al. I never even knew you've been in love before.”
“The only illusions one can come to know are those one creates. Therefore, love is either the greatest feeling in the world, or the greatest illusion we have ever come to tell ourselves of. If love is really one great illusion, then it must mean that all illusions aren't always bad. “
“Are you going off the deep end because you're still upset about losing the Undisputed title?” Geno asked.
My concentration suddenly broke, and I shot Geno the look from hell. “The Undisputed title is the least of my worries right now, dude. I've already had my priorities mixed up one too many times. Vinny dies, and I still go on and wrestle anyway, because I wanted to be a true champion. I said some pretty mindless things that week, because I wasn't all there. What can I say? My opponent knew it, saw it, took advantage of it, and he won. I don't care if he had to pull a cheap shot to do it, he still won the match, and it made no difference in the outcome. Speaking of which, I believe you said that if you don't beat him for the Undisputed title that you're going to leave the federation!”
Geno looked down and muttered, “yes, I did say that.”’
“What kind of work ethic is that? I've already won and lost the title once here, and you're telling me that if you don't get it in your first try, you're going to quit?”
“Don't worry about me right now, Al. Who's this girl?”
I looked him right in the eyes. “Bliss?” I asked, knowing he wouldn’t have any idea what I meant.
“Yeah, if that's her name.”
“Bliss was everything I ever wanted. We were supposed to be together forever. But, like everything else, it was merely a dream. I thought this locket was gone.”
“How did you find it?”
I could feel my frustration growing deep inside me. “My brother went back to our old house because he knew it was going to be torn down. The house collapsed on him while he was still inside.”
He then asked the stupidest question that could’ve been thought of in the situation. “Is he dead?”
I lost it. “Of course he's dead, Geno! Has that ever happened to you?”
Before he could respond, I felt myself just letting loose. Of course it hasn’t! You're still alive! Of all the moronic things you've ever pulled in your life, that was one thing you managed to evade. Sean and Vinny are gone, and now that I have no one else to count on, you're telling me that you're ditching me.”
“What about Bliss? She’s still around, isn’t she?”
I calmed a little bit. “Bliss died when I was sixteen. She was in a car accident with another guy while she was on her way to tell me that she was leaving me to run away and get married.”
“She was going to get married at sixteen?”
“No, she was eighteen. I was sixteen at the time.”
“Well, I'm not ditching you, Al.”
That sentence sounded so familiar. So many times in my life had those words been said to me under the intention that I would expect them to be held true. “Funny.”
“What?”
I picked up the picture with Bliss and her father. “My father said that to me the last time I ever saw him. Bliss told me that when she said that she wanted to see other people, only to get back with me a few days later. Of course, it was only two weeks before she died, when she was about to ditch me.”
He started to respond, “but Al…”
“That's when the EWF came to town, and Danny Zorich united me with the first true friends I’d ever known. You were there, I’m sure you remember. Bryan Fury and I became tag team champions. And you know what? The night we lost the titles, my brother sat there and said the exact same thing you did, and I didn't see him for years. Now, here you sit, telling me that if you don't win the title on the first try that you're just going to leave.”
“I don't think you understand.”
The hell I didn‘t. “Oh, but I think I do. I mean, sure, I got screwed out of my automatic rematch, you know, like he got. I have to go and face some other guy who hasn't done jack shit. I'm not giving up, even though I'm being screwed and I lost the title.”
“I'm not going to lose against him,” he tried convincing me.
“Yeah, and then what? I believe that you said that he might've been able to beat me, but he won't be able to beat you. But if you fail, and you really decide to leave, you're just like everyone else I thought I could count on.”
I walked past Geno frustrated and emotional. Right before I closed the door, I heard him say meekly, “I'm not like them, Al…”
I didn’t know where I was going, but I wound up at some local diner. Eight cokes later, the EWA review show came on the television, and I glanced over, ready to see how the critics were going to tear me apart. At the same time, I noticed the waitress who’d been refilling my Cokes. About 5’2, maybe pushing 110, and her long and burgundy hair swayed back and forth as she walked along the bar, serving the others who were also there on this Saturday night. She noticed my stare, and when she finished re-filling another gentlemen’s drink, she meandered over and leaned down on the bar.
“Somethin’ on your mind there, kid?”
Needing to talk about the situation, I felt no regret about responding. “In a sense, I suppose.” Vague, I know, but I wanted to see if she’d run with it.
“Well, I can relate with that,” she replied. “I spend my days servin’ lonely folks in here, but hell, I’m just like they are.”
“This situation isn’t nearly as complicated as most others’.”
“How so?”
Having an idea of the response I’d get, I gave her the bait. “See, I’m a professional wrestler…”
“Oh, you’re one of those guys?”
I rolled my eyes and congratulated myself. Five years in the business, as if I didn’t know that was coming. “You wanna hear the story or not?”
“Sure, why not?” she responded. “I’ve never met one of your kind before.”
“Let’s just say that a close friend of mine was shot and killed last week.”
“That’s terrible,” she replied with solace.
“That’s just where it begins, though. I assumed my brother had something to do with it, since he never really liked the guy to begin with, and he and I got into a fight. That whole week I was pretty messed up because of it, and I ended up losing the Undisputed Championship of EWA.”
“Oh, are you Alexander Laiman?”
Not the response I was expecting, but, “Yeah, please call me Al.”
“I heard what happened on the news. Is that where your story was going?”
“ It was, but sadly that isn’t the end of it.”
“How could that not be the end of it?”
If only she knew. “The reason he was at that house was to get a couple of pictures from my childhood, including the only picture I had of my ex-girlfriend.
“Oh, dear.”
Oh dear indeed. “Not to mention…” I pulled the locket out of my pocket.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“It’s a locket that my girlfriend gave to me. We were together for a long time, but she left me to get married when I was 16.”
“How old are you now?”
“Twenty-one,” I replied.
“Have you been involved with anyone since then?” she asked.
Hell, no sense in bringing up more bitter memories. “Unprofessionally? No.”
“My, Al! How do you survive?”
Must be an active one, I thought. “It’s a challenge; I can’t deny that.“ Since she asked though, I couldn’t help myself. “What’s your name anyway?”
“Val,” she answered.
“Hi, Val. It’s been nice talking to you.”
“You’re leaving?” To my surprise, she sounded almost disappointed.
I smiled as I wrote my number and the location I was staying down on one of the napkins. “For now, but I’m sure it’s not the last time I’ll see you.”
She took the napkin, and turned to slip it in her purse. I disappeared out the door before she could turn back around. I had a weird habit of doing that to people; I always try to maintain some sort of mysterious edge.
I decided to return to meet this girl after work. Something about her seemed familiar; she intrigued me. Only one person remained sitting at the end as the late hour approached. With a huge yawn, Val wiped off the rest of the bar, eager to get home. Her long, burgundy hair was pulled back, but hung down in strands on either side of her pale face. Her eyes didn’t even look up when I walked in, the bell clinking as the door closed.
“We're closing,” she muttered, obviously exhausted from a long day.
I smiled, knowing she had no idea it was me. “Well then, I guess I'll take my business elsewhere.”
She looked up, gave a weak smile, and slapped my arm. “What are you doing here?”
“I came by to see you, is that a problem?”
“Of course it isn't, unless you're planning to stay here.”
“Well then, what do you suggest?”
She smiled and adopted a small kiddish voice. “Well, my mommy and daddy are out tonight, and I have the house all to myself!”
I decided to play along and make fun of her little kid voice, “Really? We should have a slumber party!”
“You're trouble, you know that?”
There’s something new. “Yeah, well I have to be good at something, right?”
“So seriously, you wanna head back to my place? I'm beat.”
Before I could respond, I heard the old man at the end of the bar turn on his stool. “Damn whipper-snappers! You kids today don't just go for it anymore!”
Val giggled, and thanked the old man as he gave her a tip and walked out the door with a wink. She closed up the rest of the place, and we got in the car and headed for her suburban townhouse. Locking the door and walking up the front lawn, Val continued to tell me about her family.
“So my parents passed away when I was very young. My aunt raised me; she’s the only mother I’ve ever known.”
“I know how you feel, believe me.”
We crashed on her couch, and she laid her head on my shoulder. I glanced behind her and saw a framed picture resting on the credenza.
“Is that your aunt?”
“Yeah, that’s her. She took me in when my father died when I was six.”
Something was sounding very familiar about this. My temple ached a bit, and I massaged it with my hand.
“Something wrong?”
It had to be a coincidence, so no need for diving into another story. “Just weird…”
“What?”
No such luck. “I swear that Bliss told me the same thing that happened to her.”
I didn’t hear a response, and I looked down to see her face had turned even more pale than it already was. “Wait. Bliss? Where did you live?”
“Harrisburg.”
“What was her real name? It wasn't Bliss, was it?”
Out of curiosity, I answered, “no, it was Melissa.”
She nearly jumped off the couch and turned to me. “That's why I've heard your name before. Bliss was my sister, Al!”
No way in hell could this be happening. “She what?”
“My last name is Onastasio. Valerie Onastasio!”
My face was probably more pale than hers. She was quiet for a few seconds, then looked down at the ground.
“I'm sorry for what she did to you.”
“So am I,” I admitted. I’d never shaken it off, and I felt the undying urge to return to Harrisburg to visit my Bliss. Interesting enough, she had the same urge.
“Wanna go see her?”
A response wasn’t even necessary. We got back in the car and she quickly fell asleep as I drove off, heading back home for the first time in years.
…
Michael Laiman slammed his head down on the bar. He knew the last two dollars in his pocket would be spent, as the bartender announced last call. He laid the two dollar bills on the bar, and looked at the cute bartender. “One more, please.”
She smiled, and slid the bills back. “Keep them, hun. Buy something for your wife.”
“Wife’s dead, has been for years.”
“Really? What was her name?”
He looked up as the bartender brushed her burgundy hair out of her face. Pale little thing, but obviously sweet with good intentions.
“Verna.”
The bartender scrunched her eyebrows, then leaned down with her elbows. “Her maiden name wasn’t Heiden, was it?”
Michael jumped back. “Sure was, how the hell’d you know?”
“You don’t remember me, Michael? I’m her sister, Valerie!”