Post by jessejamesmiller on Mar 22, 2020 3:12:45 GMT
[ 001 : the Calling to Succeed ]
Coastlines as far as the eye can see, crests of waves crashing on the shorelines and seagulls flying high above the sea, eying out prey that live within the salted water. Every now and then a gull will swoop down from above and dive into the water where they scour food when they would otherwise be finding it in the parking lot or trash can in a nearby town, as humans have so led them to do with their wasteful habits.
Walking along the sand in hiking boots and an old pair of jeans, Jesse James Miller has his hands in his coat pockets, trotting along, leaving a trail of footprints behind him from the wooden boardwalk that led from the parking lot where he parked his car. With the amount of people in the world as of late self-isolating from COVID-19, not a lot of people are out and about... except at the beach because they're all idiots and flock to one area that they assume is empty.
Jesse takes a puff of his cigarette. "Of all fuckin' places... of ALL fuckin' places I thought would be deserted, and here we are - a whole damn beach, full of people," he says as he leers at the bands of people that have brought their societal omnipresence to even the most secluded places.
Jesse reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cellphone, dials a number and takes another couple drags of his cigarette before it finds its way burning down to the filter. He discards it into the sand, closest to the water... because as humans, we're pieces of shit and dispose of anything mindlessly without effort and don't think about it until much later in a very hypocritical way. We're never at fault, are we? Only when we want to admit to it and that's really never unless we're having a heart-to-heart with somebody about days gone by.
The phone rings a couple of times and call is answered by the person on the other line.
"Hello?"
"Hey! Dad! You wouldn't believe!"
"What?! I can barely hear you, where are you? It sounds windy where you are..."
"Yeah, I'm at the beach - and there's a BUNCH OF FUCKING IDIOTS HERE!!!"
"I- ohh, yeah. I'm at the beach, too,"
Jesse pauses for a moment and takes a look around and sees his father, Terry Lee Miller, sitting in the sand with his shoes off, feet buried in the sand. Jesse hangs up the phone and starts to run in his direction. Terry still has the phone to his hear, screaming obscenities and asking him to respond until he realizes his son is running at him full-tilt. Terry puts the phone down and stays seated in the sand. Jesse comes a little bit closer.
"BACK UP, BUSTER! EVER HEAR OF SOCIAL DISTANCING?!"
Jesse halts.
"We JUST had breakfast together this morning, asshole! What happened between 8:00am and 11:00am? We hugged! What's for dinner?"
"I just had a rough day, son. I didn't realize how crazy this world was getting. It's a little bit unbelievable for an old fella like me, y'know? One day your generation is highly revered and thought of as the luckiest bunch of people and then the next thing you know you're hated for screwing up the economy and then at risk for dying due to a crazy pandemic that has no cure as of yet. It's a confusing time, personally, I'm not as strong as I once was and I admit I'm not in the best of health. It's a little hard on the head, I can take so much precaution and try to get away from it all and here we are - the beach is busier in the winter than it is in the summer. I don't know if I'll ever see the summer again with the world going the way it is, so I figure I'd put my toes in the sand for maybe one last time,"
Jesse takes a seat in the sand, about 6 or more feet away, beside his father with a look of concern. "Hey, don't talk so crazy, dad - you're generation has always been hated, at least by mine. Sorry I had to say that, but I may not live another summer, either. I just had to tell you that; but I love you for what you've done for me. But agreed, it's a confusing time, but it will pass - you may, too. BUT - HEY! ... So could I! It's luck of the draw, I really think getting out here is doing us worse than anything. Anyhow, put your damn socks and shoes on, people are spitting all around here and letting their dogs piss and shit in the sand. That ain't going to be good for your old boomer health, pops,"
Jesse sits up and as does his father. Terry puts his shoes on and then puts his socks over them.
"Aww, dad, you're doing it wrong, again,"
"SHUT UP!"
Jesse lets out a sigh and rubs between his eyes, then takes a gander at the sea.
"Hey, I just had a thought,"
"What's that, Jesse?"
"I wanna wrestle again. If this could be the end of the world and civilization as we know it, I want to go out on top - I want to be world champion, I want to wrestle and beat the biggest and baddest of names and be remembered as a Hell of a man, one that stands down from nobody - I'll take on the world, I'll take on this pandemic - I. Don't. Care. I've suddenly had the calling to succeed one more time. What better time than now?"
"Well, first of all - this is not a good time. This is the worst time! Also, there's the issue of packing stadiums and keeping people close together, son. It's not the right time to do it. Besides, we're financially well off as it is, we don't need to do that anymore. It's a bad investment, in my opinion. Look! I can't even put my shoes and socks on properly anymore, how could I run a company in this state of senile mind? By the time you're my age you probably won't even be able to put your boots on right and you lived a way harder life than me already. Why the Hell do you smoke now, anyways? You didn't even start until you were in your mid 20's, which is weird..."
"I had a night out with a sexy babe and she got me into it, dad. I'm changing!"
"Yeeaahhh, allllrrriiiiggghhhtt," Terry says without amusement. "I'll tell you what, you get a few guys rounded up and I'll see about reviving vXw: Very Xtreme Wrestling, how about that,"
"Sounds like a deal, pops. Now catch me outside, how 'bout dat,"
"What?"
"What?! These people on the beaches are a bunch of hoes," Jesse says before he takes off, running in the sand towards the boardwalk. Terry Lee stands there, sighs, and watches as Jesse makes his way to his car and speeds off into the distance. Terry carries on walking along the beach, taking note of all the people here escaping their home isolation time.
"Maybe, just maybe, this virus would be better off doing me in than running another wrestling promotion. I think the wrestling industry would be harder on this man than any flu,"
Terry then looks at his feet and begins to whimper.