Post by chriswilliams on Jan 11, 2011 18:43:35 GMT -5
“The Most Important Promise, part 2”
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Flashback to one week ago….
The scene opens up to a man standing alone in a cemetery. It is early morning, the sun just becoming visible on the horizon. There is a slight drizzle coming down, lightly tapping on the umbrella the man is holding. The man squats down to read the gravestone. It reads:
Jack Williams
June 8, 1956 – October 11, 2004
“A great husband. A great father. A great friend.”
Chris Williams: Four and a half years now. Four and a half years since I last saw you. Four and a half years since you told me how much you loved to watch me fight… and then 20 minutes later, you were gone.
The rain has stopped now, with only the rustling of fallen leaves scraping across the ground. The sun has still not completely risen, but the morning sky is becoming brighter by the minute. Chris is still squatting down, in silence, remembering the many great times he had with his father. His father was everything to Chris. Jack was his best friend, his guiding light.
Nothing has changed between them. Every two weeks since his father passed, Chris comes to the cemetery. Sometimes he talks for an hour, sometimes he sits in silence, and sometimes he just stands at the cemetery gate, not able to bring himself to look at the gravestone. However today, he has important news for his father. Still squatting at the gravestone, he begins to speak.
Williams: I finally signed a contract with a wrestling promotion. It’s called Kingdom of Pride. They’re a damn good federation, Dad. All those hours in the gym at DCWA paid off. I pushed myself to become the best in the academy, and I saw the KoP ad in the paper. I figured that I’d give it a shot, and they liked what they saw! I’m too late to make the Pride Cup tournament, but I’ll bust my butt to prove I deserve my spot in that federation.
I’ve almost made the big time, almost fulfilled my promise to you, just like I said I would. I’ll be an amazing champion, and you’ll be proud of me. But for now I’ve gotta start from the bottom, and fight my way to the top. I need to prove it to you, prove it to the fans… prove that I can really become the fan-favorite, a true champion at heart.
Williams stands up tall, and paces back and forth a few steps before continuing.
Williams: And to prove it to myself. Nobody will know who I am when I finally step into that KoP ring. Nobody knows of any Chris Williams, nobody knows about that kid from Detroit who made a promise to his father that he would become the best champion… and the best damn person… that he could be. Before I prove it to those fans, I need to prove it to myself. I’m going to train hard, work hard, and fight hard. I’m going to give it everything I have, not backing down an inch from a challenge. That’s how you earn respect.
Still pacing back and forth, Williams thinks about what it truly means to be respected, that mythical word that always seemed to elude him.
I need to earn the respect of all the guys backstage. It’s something I’ve always held close to me; respect means everything.… I’m tired of being looked down on just because I don’t come from a long family of wrestlers. Looked down on just because I’m not the most experienced guy in the company. But damn it, I’m right here, I’m in the KoP, a legit federation now… and I will do everything I can to get that respect.
Williams continues pacing, his mind chugging furiously.
Williams: The worst part is, though… I don’t even know if I can hack it here, Dad. Now that I’ve gotten here, I can see the talent. These guys are amazing; they are the some of the most skilled wrestlers in the business. I just don’t think that I match up to them skill-wise. I want to beat them… I want to beat them with every inch of me, but I just don’t know if I can. They are all polished wrestlers, not a flaw in their technique. I just don’t see how I can beat that. There is only one reason that I have an outside chance to make it here….
Williams looks up from the gravestone and glances at the sun, which has now fully risen above the horizon, flooding the cemetery with a beautiful, bright orange light.
Williams: One reason that I could become the best – I’ll never quit… I’ll never back down. That’s how I’ve always been. That’s how I’ll be for the rest of my life. I am all heart. I have the drive that keeps me going. I have always, and always will, fight for what I love. Wrestling is my passion, and nobody can take my passion away from me. Nobody can take my heart, nobody can take my drive, and nobody can take my passion. It is those three things that give me the outside shot to make something of myself.
The bright sunlight causes Chris to squint as he looks onto the horizon, imagining his possible future.
Williams: Only two roads to take now, Dad. I can wash out of the wrestling business, and go back to Detroit, be a counselor or trainer somewhere. Or I can work my ass off, and use my drive to become one of the greatest fighters that the Kingdom of Pride has ever seen.
Chris looks back at his father’s gravesite again, and stares at it for a few minutes, not saying a word. The leaves rustle across his shoes, and he speaks again.
Williams: But I don’t think I can do it on my own. I think I’m gonna need your help on this one. I know you’ll always be there for me… you always have. Either way, at least you’ll have the best seat in the house…
The camera zooms out and shows Chris Williams standing alone, staring down at his father’s gravestone, before fading to black.
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Fade out.
===========
===========================================
Flashback to one week ago….
The scene opens up to a man standing alone in a cemetery. It is early morning, the sun just becoming visible on the horizon. There is a slight drizzle coming down, lightly tapping on the umbrella the man is holding. The man squats down to read the gravestone. It reads:
Jack Williams
June 8, 1956 – October 11, 2004
“A great husband. A great father. A great friend.”
Chris Williams: Four and a half years now. Four and a half years since I last saw you. Four and a half years since you told me how much you loved to watch me fight… and then 20 minutes later, you were gone.
The rain has stopped now, with only the rustling of fallen leaves scraping across the ground. The sun has still not completely risen, but the morning sky is becoming brighter by the minute. Chris is still squatting down, in silence, remembering the many great times he had with his father. His father was everything to Chris. Jack was his best friend, his guiding light.
Nothing has changed between them. Every two weeks since his father passed, Chris comes to the cemetery. Sometimes he talks for an hour, sometimes he sits in silence, and sometimes he just stands at the cemetery gate, not able to bring himself to look at the gravestone. However today, he has important news for his father. Still squatting at the gravestone, he begins to speak.
Williams: I finally signed a contract with a wrestling promotion. It’s called Kingdom of Pride. They’re a damn good federation, Dad. All those hours in the gym at DCWA paid off. I pushed myself to become the best in the academy, and I saw the KoP ad in the paper. I figured that I’d give it a shot, and they liked what they saw! I’m too late to make the Pride Cup tournament, but I’ll bust my butt to prove I deserve my spot in that federation.
I’ve almost made the big time, almost fulfilled my promise to you, just like I said I would. I’ll be an amazing champion, and you’ll be proud of me. But for now I’ve gotta start from the bottom, and fight my way to the top. I need to prove it to you, prove it to the fans… prove that I can really become the fan-favorite, a true champion at heart.
Williams stands up tall, and paces back and forth a few steps before continuing.
Williams: And to prove it to myself. Nobody will know who I am when I finally step into that KoP ring. Nobody knows of any Chris Williams, nobody knows about that kid from Detroit who made a promise to his father that he would become the best champion… and the best damn person… that he could be. Before I prove it to those fans, I need to prove it to myself. I’m going to train hard, work hard, and fight hard. I’m going to give it everything I have, not backing down an inch from a challenge. That’s how you earn respect.
Still pacing back and forth, Williams thinks about what it truly means to be respected, that mythical word that always seemed to elude him.
I need to earn the respect of all the guys backstage. It’s something I’ve always held close to me; respect means everything.… I’m tired of being looked down on just because I don’t come from a long family of wrestlers. Looked down on just because I’m not the most experienced guy in the company. But damn it, I’m right here, I’m in the KoP, a legit federation now… and I will do everything I can to get that respect.
Williams continues pacing, his mind chugging furiously.
Williams: The worst part is, though… I don’t even know if I can hack it here, Dad. Now that I’ve gotten here, I can see the talent. These guys are amazing; they are the some of the most skilled wrestlers in the business. I just don’t think that I match up to them skill-wise. I want to beat them… I want to beat them with every inch of me, but I just don’t know if I can. They are all polished wrestlers, not a flaw in their technique. I just don’t see how I can beat that. There is only one reason that I have an outside chance to make it here….
Williams looks up from the gravestone and glances at the sun, which has now fully risen above the horizon, flooding the cemetery with a beautiful, bright orange light.
Williams: One reason that I could become the best – I’ll never quit… I’ll never back down. That’s how I’ve always been. That’s how I’ll be for the rest of my life. I am all heart. I have the drive that keeps me going. I have always, and always will, fight for what I love. Wrestling is my passion, and nobody can take my passion away from me. Nobody can take my heart, nobody can take my drive, and nobody can take my passion. It is those three things that give me the outside shot to make something of myself.
The bright sunlight causes Chris to squint as he looks onto the horizon, imagining his possible future.
Williams: Only two roads to take now, Dad. I can wash out of the wrestling business, and go back to Detroit, be a counselor or trainer somewhere. Or I can work my ass off, and use my drive to become one of the greatest fighters that the Kingdom of Pride has ever seen.
Chris looks back at his father’s gravesite again, and stares at it for a few minutes, not saying a word. The leaves rustle across his shoes, and he speaks again.
Williams: But I don’t think I can do it on my own. I think I’m gonna need your help on this one. I know you’ll always be there for me… you always have. Either way, at least you’ll have the best seat in the house…
The camera zooms out and shows Chris Williams standing alone, staring down at his father’s gravestone, before fading to black.
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Fade out.
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