Post by Rick Majors on May 28, 2014 20:25:20 GMT -5
Rick Majors felt weird the entire trip, but those feelings increased as soon as he pulled into the driveway. This would probably be the last time that he would ever pull up to this house, but that isn't the only reason he felt strange. He felt strange because things had become really awkward between him and his mother. There was nothing in particular that caused it; it just kind of happened.
To be fair, things had become really awkward in his entire life. But his mother and him had always been close, so he the fact that they no longer had such a close connection bothered him a great deal.
Now he was going to her house to help her pack everything up. This wasn't the house that he grew up in, she’d moved out of there years ago. However, it was still a house that meant something to him. His mother had moved into the country about eight years ago. She’d finally given up his childhood home that they had both loved. She started a new life by herself in a new home that took hours for him to drive to. But now, as his mother turned 65, she was moving out of this house as well. She wanted to downsize. She wanted to live in a small apartment that would be easier to take care of. She wanted yet another new start.
Rick understood that completely. But it didn't mean that he wouldn't miss this house. He would. He would miss having big holiday dinners here. He would miss sleeping over on long weekends. He would miss barbecues in the summer. None of those things would be possible in her new condo. So he’d miss them. But he was already missing much more than that. He was missing his mom.
He was an only child and she was a single mom. Sure, they had other family members but, for the longest time, they really only had each other. But they made it work. And they had always been good friends in addition to being father and son.
When Rick met Kelly all of those years ago, he was very nervous about her meeting his mom. If his mother didn't like Kelly, he wasn't sure what he would do.
Thankfully the two women hit it off immediately and the rest was history.
Things haven’t been anywhere near as friendly in the last few years. Sure, his mother was there for him in the months following Kelly’s accident, but it didn't feel like they were good friends anymore. There were awkward pauses and silences that both of them tried to fill with random small talk. There was the kind of stuff that happens when two people start seeing each other less and less often. He knew that they were drifting apart.
And now they barely speak. Deep down he knew why. He was the one who has become distant. He was the one who had changed. She was unable to keep up. And he could't blame her. He wouldn't want to have a conversation with himself these days either.
Just then, he looked up and saw his mother standing in front of his car staring at him. She had a confused look on her face. He realized that he had been sitting in the driveway for quite a long time. He shook his head slightly to wake himself up and slowly waved to his mother. She smiled.
Rick Majors stepped out of the car and the two of them hugged. They then walked into the house together.
Inside the house, Rick found himself confronted with a bunch of boxes... and a bunch of garbage bags.
“Well Rick,” said Mrs. Majors. “This is all of your stuff. I've carried it with me for years. I actually moved all of it to this house when I moved out here. But I don’t have room for it anymore. Sadly, whatever you don’t take with you will have to be thrown away or donated.”
Rick expected that. But he didn't like it. In fact, he hated it. He hated the idea of going through his childhood and picking and choosing what could stay and what needed to go. He’d always been a huge pack rat and he'd always been sentimental and emotional. He had a wonderful childhood and he didn't want to let any of it go. But now he knew that he would have to. It simply didn't make sense for him to take all of this stuff home. He had no use for it. It was just taking up space.
It was time to leave the past behind.
He opened the box that was closest to him. Sitting right on top was a pair of puppets. There was a monkey puppet and a pig puppet. He immediately remembered them and he smiled. He had loved those puppet. He used to play with them all the time. He played with them so much, in fact, that his grandfather once built a puppet theatre for him to use for his frequent puppet shows. He loved putting on puppet shows. Whenever his aunts and uncles and cousins and any other family members came over, he would immediately start planning a puppet show for them.
“You always loved those puppets,” said his mother who was watching him as he pulled the toys out of the box. “And I always loved watching the shows you’d put on.”
Rick had loved the shows too. But these days he felt more like the puppet than the puppeteer. When someone told him to dance, he’d dance. When someone told him that he needed to win a match to become number one contender, he won that match. When someone ignored that match and made him fight in another match to be allowed into a tournament for a chance to win the same title that he was already technically the number one contender for, he did it. When that same match was booked again a week later, he prepared for that match. When he was told that even the loser of that match could somehow still end up in that tournament, he kept preparing. And when he was told that he might have to compete in two matches on one night, he started planning to compete in two matches on one night. He was not longer in control. He just did what he was told.
The “revolution” that he tried to start last year was over before it had ever really begun. He wasn't a radical looking for change anymore. He wasn't a rebel. He wasn't a single person trying to overhaul the entire system. He wasn't a shining star or even an individual any longer. He was nothing but a puppet.
“Are you okay, Rick?”
Once again he realized that he’d been staring silently for quite some time. He quickly lifted his head up and looked at his mom. He then turned and looked around the house. He saw boxes and boxes of his things. He saw so many objects that he’d loved so much for so long. He saw a childhood that was filled with fun and laughter and love. He then looked back at his mother and spoke.
“I wish I could go back in time.”
He then looked down for a moment, hoping that his mother wouldn't see the tears that has started to form in his eyes. The look on her face proved that she had.
“I know, Rick,” she said. “Everything gets tougher as you get older.”
“I mean, I had an amazing childhood. You gave me a great life. Then I started a great career and I met a great woman and then.... I mean.... how did it all end up like this?”
Rick Majors walked over to a nearby chair and he sat down. His mother sat on another chair next to him.
“I've been given everything. I've had every possible advantage. I've had so many opportunities that so many other people don’t get. And yet, look at what my life is now. I just wish I could go back in time and change things. I’d do it right this time. Or at least I’d do it differently. I wouldn't waste what I had.”
Mrs. Majors reached out to her son and she put her hand on his shoulder.
“That’s not how life works, Rick," she said. "Unfortunately, you only get one shot and you have to do the best you can with that one shot.”
She was right. No matter how much he wanted to go back in time and change things, he couldn't. It wasn't possible. He had to deal with the mess that he'd made. He knew that. He was just so desperate to change things that he had started hoping for the impossible.
“I know,” he said softly.
“Nobody gets everything right but, for what it’s worth, I think you've done pretty okay if I do say so myself.”
“Thanks mom.”
Mrs. Majors stood up once more.
“I’m going to go finish packing up the kitchen.”
“Okay,” said Rick. “I’ll keep going through the stuff out here.”
His mother walked out of the room. He remained seated for a little while longer. Suddenly a thought came into his head. His mother was right, you don’t get do-overs in life. But you do get them in professional wrestling. On the next episode of Trauma, he would receive two more chances to get himself into that tournament. He still didn't quite know why he wanted to be in the tournament at all, but he knew t hat he didn't want to let the opportunity to correct a previous mistake pass him by. After all, life doesn't give very many do-overs.
To be fair, things had become really awkward in his entire life. But his mother and him had always been close, so he the fact that they no longer had such a close connection bothered him a great deal.
Now he was going to her house to help her pack everything up. This wasn't the house that he grew up in, she’d moved out of there years ago. However, it was still a house that meant something to him. His mother had moved into the country about eight years ago. She’d finally given up his childhood home that they had both loved. She started a new life by herself in a new home that took hours for him to drive to. But now, as his mother turned 65, she was moving out of this house as well. She wanted to downsize. She wanted to live in a small apartment that would be easier to take care of. She wanted yet another new start.
Rick understood that completely. But it didn't mean that he wouldn't miss this house. He would. He would miss having big holiday dinners here. He would miss sleeping over on long weekends. He would miss barbecues in the summer. None of those things would be possible in her new condo. So he’d miss them. But he was already missing much more than that. He was missing his mom.
He was an only child and she was a single mom. Sure, they had other family members but, for the longest time, they really only had each other. But they made it work. And they had always been good friends in addition to being father and son.
When Rick met Kelly all of those years ago, he was very nervous about her meeting his mom. If his mother didn't like Kelly, he wasn't sure what he would do.
Thankfully the two women hit it off immediately and the rest was history.
Things haven’t been anywhere near as friendly in the last few years. Sure, his mother was there for him in the months following Kelly’s accident, but it didn't feel like they were good friends anymore. There were awkward pauses and silences that both of them tried to fill with random small talk. There was the kind of stuff that happens when two people start seeing each other less and less often. He knew that they were drifting apart.
And now they barely speak. Deep down he knew why. He was the one who has become distant. He was the one who had changed. She was unable to keep up. And he could't blame her. He wouldn't want to have a conversation with himself these days either.
Just then, he looked up and saw his mother standing in front of his car staring at him. She had a confused look on her face. He realized that he had been sitting in the driveway for quite a long time. He shook his head slightly to wake himself up and slowly waved to his mother. She smiled.
Rick Majors stepped out of the car and the two of them hugged. They then walked into the house together.
Inside the house, Rick found himself confronted with a bunch of boxes... and a bunch of garbage bags.
“Well Rick,” said Mrs. Majors. “This is all of your stuff. I've carried it with me for years. I actually moved all of it to this house when I moved out here. But I don’t have room for it anymore. Sadly, whatever you don’t take with you will have to be thrown away or donated.”
Rick expected that. But he didn't like it. In fact, he hated it. He hated the idea of going through his childhood and picking and choosing what could stay and what needed to go. He’d always been a huge pack rat and he'd always been sentimental and emotional. He had a wonderful childhood and he didn't want to let any of it go. But now he knew that he would have to. It simply didn't make sense for him to take all of this stuff home. He had no use for it. It was just taking up space.
It was time to leave the past behind.
He opened the box that was closest to him. Sitting right on top was a pair of puppets. There was a monkey puppet and a pig puppet. He immediately remembered them and he smiled. He had loved those puppet. He used to play with them all the time. He played with them so much, in fact, that his grandfather once built a puppet theatre for him to use for his frequent puppet shows. He loved putting on puppet shows. Whenever his aunts and uncles and cousins and any other family members came over, he would immediately start planning a puppet show for them.
“You always loved those puppets,” said his mother who was watching him as he pulled the toys out of the box. “And I always loved watching the shows you’d put on.”
Rick had loved the shows too. But these days he felt more like the puppet than the puppeteer. When someone told him to dance, he’d dance. When someone told him that he needed to win a match to become number one contender, he won that match. When someone ignored that match and made him fight in another match to be allowed into a tournament for a chance to win the same title that he was already technically the number one contender for, he did it. When that same match was booked again a week later, he prepared for that match. When he was told that even the loser of that match could somehow still end up in that tournament, he kept preparing. And when he was told that he might have to compete in two matches on one night, he started planning to compete in two matches on one night. He was not longer in control. He just did what he was told.
The “revolution” that he tried to start last year was over before it had ever really begun. He wasn't a radical looking for change anymore. He wasn't a rebel. He wasn't a single person trying to overhaul the entire system. He wasn't a shining star or even an individual any longer. He was nothing but a puppet.
“Are you okay, Rick?”
Once again he realized that he’d been staring silently for quite some time. He quickly lifted his head up and looked at his mom. He then turned and looked around the house. He saw boxes and boxes of his things. He saw so many objects that he’d loved so much for so long. He saw a childhood that was filled with fun and laughter and love. He then looked back at his mother and spoke.
“I wish I could go back in time.”
He then looked down for a moment, hoping that his mother wouldn't see the tears that has started to form in his eyes. The look on her face proved that she had.
“I know, Rick,” she said. “Everything gets tougher as you get older.”
“I mean, I had an amazing childhood. You gave me a great life. Then I started a great career and I met a great woman and then.... I mean.... how did it all end up like this?”
Rick Majors walked over to a nearby chair and he sat down. His mother sat on another chair next to him.
“I've been given everything. I've had every possible advantage. I've had so many opportunities that so many other people don’t get. And yet, look at what my life is now. I just wish I could go back in time and change things. I’d do it right this time. Or at least I’d do it differently. I wouldn't waste what I had.”
Mrs. Majors reached out to her son and she put her hand on his shoulder.
“That’s not how life works, Rick," she said. "Unfortunately, you only get one shot and you have to do the best you can with that one shot.”
She was right. No matter how much he wanted to go back in time and change things, he couldn't. It wasn't possible. He had to deal with the mess that he'd made. He knew that. He was just so desperate to change things that he had started hoping for the impossible.
“I know,” he said softly.
“Nobody gets everything right but, for what it’s worth, I think you've done pretty okay if I do say so myself.”
“Thanks mom.”
Mrs. Majors stood up once more.
“I’m going to go finish packing up the kitchen.”
“Okay,” said Rick. “I’ll keep going through the stuff out here.”
His mother walked out of the room. He remained seated for a little while longer. Suddenly a thought came into his head. His mother was right, you don’t get do-overs in life. But you do get them in professional wrestling. On the next episode of Trauma, he would receive two more chances to get himself into that tournament. He still didn't quite know why he wanted to be in the tournament at all, but he knew t hat he didn't want to let the opportunity to correct a previous mistake pass him by. After all, life doesn't give very many do-overs.
