- Rustin Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) - 'True Detective'
She said yes.
Of course she said yes.
Sure, JC could feel his heart thumping so hard he thought it might burst out of his chest, but it turns out the worry was for nothing. Lucy said yes and she didn't hesitate. JC should have known better. He shouldn't have let their past get to him. Or his own mental illness and anxiety. He had Lucy. He had her now and for the rest of his life.
As it turns out, proposing was the easy part. The rest was going to be a little more difficult.
He sat inside of his car, stuck in a particularly bad traffic jam, on his way to see his second wife. The thought that he was getting married a third time, at some point in the future, annoyed him. He expected his first wife to be the one. Then the second. Neither worked out. In a lot of ways, Lucy was his last chance. But then they were a lot alike in that regard. Neither had been lucky in love until they found each other.
Someone behind him let him know with their horn how much they enjoyed the snail's pace their cars were moving. He decided not to let them know where they could stick that horn.
It was mother's day, and to celebrate he was set to greet Stacy with something she had been wanting for a while. Signed divorce papers. She filed back when he lost his mind, although they had been over for some time after that. It just so happened that his mental health became too much for her and she really didn't want him around except to see their daughter.
He made sure to see Lizzie every single chance he had, and Stacy would just have to deal with it. But she would be pleased that this part of her life was over, for the most part, and they could both move on. Maybe they could even be friends one day.
As he thought about this, his phone began to buzz. He switched over the bluetooth so he could talk without killing himself on the road. Not that it was much of a danger at the rate he was going.
"Hello?"
"What is this shit?"
It was Lucy's sister Kyra. She was...abrasive.
"Happy Mother's day Kyra. What's up?"
"You know what's up. Why am I only a special guest referee on the fifth anniversary of Carnage?"
"How did you even find that out? The matches aren't even official until tomorrow!"
In between his matches for UGWC and his various personal drama, JC was also the current acting president of Carnage Wrestling. It was a long story and it was the only way for him to stay there since he could no longer compete for them. In an ironic twist, the woman who hired him in 2016 was now his employee.
"I used to run the place. I know where the booking office is."
"Okay, so you're a referee instead of wrestling. Maybe I thought you needed a break after Isolation."
"Or maybe you just wanted to put me in there with my ex-husband for shits and giggles."
"You were married to Trent Steel?"
She scoffed on the other line so loudly it sounded more like a cough.
"You know what I meant, you ass."
There was a moment of silence as JC tried to figure out a way to explain why she wasn't actually competing, but he didn't really know. He guessed he wanted to cram as many long-time Carnage wrestlers into one segment as possible.
"Fine. I'll do it. That's not why I'm really calling anyway."
"Because you couldn't just get to that without giving me a hard time."
"You're lucky I let it go."
They never really saw eye to eye. Perhaps they never would. But at least they were on speaking terms now, which is more than could be said for months ago when they both lost their minds a little and tried to kill each other.
"Are you seriously marrying my sister?"
"Ye....yes? I mean, she said yes. Why, what did you hear?"
"Look..."
He couldn't believe the speech he was about to get. He saw it coming the second she asked. Sure, everyone hears the 'if you hurt her I'll...' speech before at least one relationship, but knowing it was about to come from a woman who spent a long time actively hating her own sister was more than a little surprising.
"I know that Lucy and I have a strained relationship."
"That's putting it mildly."
"Fuck off. My point is, she's still my sister. I still want her to be okay."
"Do you really think I'd do anything to hurt her?"
"You tried to hurt a lot of people last year."
"But not her."
"Doesn't mean you wouldn't."
He considered this for a moment, fighting off the shame he felt for his latest bout of psychotic behavior. It's true that he wasn't ever really in control of himself last year, but even at his worst he never, ever tried to hurt Lucy. At least not physically. But he guessed that there was some emotional damage that they were still recovering from.
Either way, that's not who he was anymore.
"It does. Because I'm better now."
"Isn't that what you said when you signed?"
"Trust me. And if you can't trust me, trust her. She's keeping me in line with the medication and the therapy and everything."
There was a bit of silence after that, as he guessed she was mulling it over. He was just about to ask if she was still there when she answered.
"Just don't hurt her. CJ hurt her. Maggie hurt her. I hurt her. She's had too much hurt in her life."
"I promise you, I won't."
"You'd better not. And congratulations, I guess. I'm going to go spend time with my kid now."
"Me too, if traffic ever lets up."
The phone call ended and Joe sat there, thinking about Lucy, as he often did. The thought of hurting her never crossed his mind. But then, he never actively hurt Stacy either, and their marriage was over because of his mental illness and how he felt about Lucy. Was he just destined to drive people away? How long before Lucy also left him?
He tried to shove the thoughts away, but they wouldn't go.
His first wife was basically a fling. Stacy was someone he thought could have been 'the one', whatever that means. And yet she never really understood him. Truth be told, she probably didn't care for him as much as he cared for her, which is what led to him finding Lucy to begin with. Not that he ever cheated or strayed, but you can usually tell when a relationship is dying. Not always, but with the long-term relationships, you can. There's just something that feels off weeks or even months before it's over.
And truth be told, he never felt 'right' with Stacy in the final few months they were still together. It always felt like her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't give him what he needed, by her own admission, and so they decided it was best to split up. It hurt for a while, but he had Lucy there to pick up the pieces.
And now she was going to be wife number three. It really was wild.
The traffic finally started to pick up and he hit the gas. It was time to do what he went back to Jersey to do. End one chapter of his life and move onto hopefully the person he was meant to be with.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stop me if you've heard this one.
A wrestler returns to a federation he washed out in, and has to prove himself by constantly kicking the asses of the same people over and over. The joke is that his opponents think things will be different this time. The punchline is that they're going to wake up backstage with concussions.
Good joke. Everybody laugh. Roll on snare drum. Curtains.
I know they say history repeats itself, but this is ridiculous. I just beat up Crystal Zdunich from one end of that hipster coffee shop to the other, but here we are just two weeks later, locking up again. Maybe she thinks the story will be different inside an actual wrestling ring, but I'm actually more dangerous there.
I guess I should be glad it's not Maria Salvatore again, so I don't have to listen to constant taunts ripped right out of The Godfather Part III.
Crystal, the last time we met you didn't even bother cutting a promo, and honestly I haven't seen one yet. Not that I care. There's not a single word that could come out of your mouth that would convince me you have a shot. Like I said before, your contact here wasn't worth the paper it was printed on. You have done nothing with your career and when you had me at a disadvantage, a fight on uncommon ground, you still couldn't get the job done.
How sad for you.
Is it a failing for me that I don't know what else to say about you? I thought I was done with you after I washed the smell of coffee beans out of my hair. I realize though, that you're once again a means to an end. Just like your partner. And if I have to keep putting you both down to prove that I'm worthy of grander opportunities, I have no problem with that. Maybe one day you'll eventually be able to pick yourself up and string together more than one win at a time, but it is not this day.
But at least that gives you something in common with the guy you're teaming with.
Phrixus Deimos. Good God. Can we just bury you in the grave Eden Morgan rose from so we don't have to watch your sad attempts to be important anymore?
It's actually more sad now than it was back in 2017 when I beat you the first time. You're at the exact same spot you were then, talking a big game, losing quickly and moving on to the next guy. How exactly do you still have a job here? Your win/loss record has to be what, 297 to 5? When the apocalypse happens, the only things to survive will be cockroaches, Keith Richards and the UGWC career of Prixus Deimos I guess.
I'm serious. It's very sad. You're the same exact person. Same name. Same silly nickname. Same spot on the card. Same level of talent. Hell, you're even using tired jokes about my former name that have been used more times than I'd rather count. Trust me, Demmy, a guy running around like a fifth-rate Freddy Krueger has no room to talk when it comes to poor wrestling identity choices.
The first time I was here I tried to give you your due respect. But we're long past that and you're long past your expiration date. Do me a favor and die quickly so I can hit the showers and go home.
Of course, it's not like this is some handicap match or triple threat match. I have a tag partner. That's cool. I never asked for a tag partner but I'm a reasonable guy. I may be an asshole, but I'm a reasonable one.
I'm teaming with Dave Rydell, track #13 on Slipknot's 2004 album Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses.
I'm only kidding, Dave. Unclench.
This will be the easiest match of your career. I am more than willing to play nice and let you get your licks in, but that comes with two caveats: don't lose, and don't screw me over. You avoid those two things and you won't force my hand. I don't have a huge problem with fighting you, but I would rather just beat up these two and move on to bigger and better things. I think we're on the same page, so this should go swimmingly.
It may sound like I'm letting my ego run wild here, but I'm just confident in myself. I'm confident in the fact that within a month I'll either be World Champion or will win Massive Melee and get a shot at the World Champion. I don't just want a good showing, I'm in it to win it. Go big or go home.
Crystal, as I told you last time, you're just a warm body that's in my way. The both of you are.
So to quote a band that's as relevant today as Deimos, 'Let the bodies hit the floor.'
