Post by John Anthony on May 2, 2007 22:39:41 GMT -6
--> Super DVD Role Play Session #3 <--
/*\ Complications Part 1 /*\
The days were passing slowly for John as his match approached. He had gone over numerous scenarios in his head time and time again while working on his endurance, but still he felt unprepared, felt like he was missing something. John twirled the champagne glass in his hand as the remaining liquid rolled around the edges. Light reflected from the hanging chandelier off of the crystal chalice and into John’s intent face. Why did he feel like he was missing something? More importantly, what was IT that he was forgetting?
“John, are you ok?” asked Julia, who was seated across from him.
“You’ve been rather quiet tonight. I mean, when you asked me out to dinner I expected you to be your talkative self.”
“I know, and I apologize. You know that feeling you sometimes get when you leave the house for a trip and there’s a nagging sensation that you left something behind? I’ve got that feeling swimming in my gut right now and I can’t shake it or figure it out. It’s distracting me.”
Julia tilted her head slightly in confusion. It was awkward to see John in a state of distress after only meeting him a few days prior. He promised this dinner was strictly for professional purposes, and apparently it was. Hopefully he didn’t expect her to be a psychiatrist though. She definitely lacked any experience in that field having graduated from Michigan State with a degree in accounting.
“Everything happened so fast. One day I was sitting in my office back at California working on spreads, the next I’m wrestling before a crowd and having my hand lifted in victory, and now I find myself in New Jersey with two new associates planning out my Super DVD debut this Sunday.”
“Surely you’re not feeling homesick now are you? We could always fly back for a few days,” Julia responded.
“No, that’s not the case at all. I’m here creating my own path. Calvin invested in me and I’ll repay him tenfold, there’s no doubt about that.”
The waiter approached the table questioning if John would prefer a new drink, to which he simply waved his hand in dismissal. The young gentlemen working the rounds probably didn’t deserve to be shunned without the respect of a verbal answer, and John regretted it afterwards. He supposed leaving a generous tip would ease his mind. As the reflecting light continued to dance off of the glass in his hand, John’s cell phone began buzzing in his pocket. He reached in to check who was calling and noticed the name “Calvin Ayre” on the screen.
“Excuse me Julia, it’s Calvin.”
John flipped open the phone and continued to twirl his glass.
“Calvin! How are things?”
“John, I wish I was calling with good news, but I’m afraid you need to be made aware of something. You see, there was a call that came in for you just now and I informed them that you had relocated to New Jersey, so they asked me to get in touch with you. John, it’s your mother. She’s been hospitalized due to complications from her surgery two days ago.”
John dropped the glass, spilling the remainder of its contents on the silk cloth adorning the table. Julia gasped and quickly reached for one of the velvet colored napkins.
“What surgery?”
“Two days ago Mrs. Anthony had surgery to repair a herniated disk in her spine. The doctors informed me just now that she had requested the surgery be confidential and you to not be made aware of it. She knew you were under a lot of pressure out in New Jersey and didn’t want to interfere.”
“Didn’t want to interfere!?” John yelled, drawing attention from those sitting nearby. John excused himself from the table and walked to the restroom.
“What the hell does that mean? She goes into a surgery like that without telling me, and now she’s hospitalized from complications? What hospital is she at?”
“She’s at the Memorial Saints Hospital about 10 miles north of here. But John, they had something else to say. Your mother, God be with her through this, doesn’t want you to fly out here. She told the doctors there’s nothing you can do and she’ll fight through it. According to her you should fight your match this weekend and then come see her afterwards.”
John couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His mom was stubborn in her olden days, but he was her only son and she was lying in a hospital bed from surgical complications! How could he not fly over there immediately to be by her side?
“John, listen, as a friend of yours, I know this is hard. I know it sounds awkward and it has to be painful, but maybe you should abide by her wishes. You have the chance of a lifetime this weekend and you have to take advantage of that. Stay focused, win your match, and then you can fly down here and be by her side. Hell, maybe she’ll be completely recovered by then. The doctors aren’t saying she’s in any type of immediate danger. I swear to you I’ll keep you updated if anything changes, but John, you can’t throw away your opportunity.”
So this is what that nagging feeling was in his stomach all day. This is what it culminated into. John’s feet slid out from under him and he found himself seated on the cold tile floor of a fancy restroom with his secretary no doubt outside at the table worried and confused. Over a thousand miles away from here his mother lay in a hospital bed, and he was about to agree to not rush to her side. Instead John was going to remain for his own selfish reasons. Somewhere you had to draw the line, and surely this was it. How could his mother request such a thing? It was ridiculous!
“John, I’m sorry, I can’t imagine what’s going through your head, but you’ve gotta stay. Everything up to this moment has gone your way. I know it hurts making sacrifices, but I don’t have to tell you how much is on the line here. You chose to join POW: New England because you wanted to give something back, you wanted to do something for you. It’s not selfish, it’s not cruel, it’s life. Don’t lose sight of your goal John.”
Typical. Calvin had invested in him and John running away wouldn’t help on the returns for that investment. But he did have a point. John hung up the phone without a farewell, stood up, straightened his tie, and walked out the door. He needed to find Julia and explain things to her less she become too concerned. John knew Calvin was right, he knew his mother was only thinking of his best interests when she made her plea. John sighed as he stood before Julia while two waiters replaced the table cloth and attended to any mess. Julia looked at him with those gorgeous eyes that had stolen his heart the moment he met her. A look of concern plagued her face and the beginning of a small tear formed in her right eye. He stepped forward and wiped it from her face. He couldn't leave this. This wasn't just about him, but those who were by his side. Oh he'd fight this weekend at Big Bang. He'd fight, and he'd win.
/*\ Complications Part 1 /*\
The days were passing slowly for John as his match approached. He had gone over numerous scenarios in his head time and time again while working on his endurance, but still he felt unprepared, felt like he was missing something. John twirled the champagne glass in his hand as the remaining liquid rolled around the edges. Light reflected from the hanging chandelier off of the crystal chalice and into John’s intent face. Why did he feel like he was missing something? More importantly, what was IT that he was forgetting?
“John, are you ok?” asked Julia, who was seated across from him.
“You’ve been rather quiet tonight. I mean, when you asked me out to dinner I expected you to be your talkative self.”
“I know, and I apologize. You know that feeling you sometimes get when you leave the house for a trip and there’s a nagging sensation that you left something behind? I’ve got that feeling swimming in my gut right now and I can’t shake it or figure it out. It’s distracting me.”
Julia tilted her head slightly in confusion. It was awkward to see John in a state of distress after only meeting him a few days prior. He promised this dinner was strictly for professional purposes, and apparently it was. Hopefully he didn’t expect her to be a psychiatrist though. She definitely lacked any experience in that field having graduated from Michigan State with a degree in accounting.
“Everything happened so fast. One day I was sitting in my office back at California working on spreads, the next I’m wrestling before a crowd and having my hand lifted in victory, and now I find myself in New Jersey with two new associates planning out my Super DVD debut this Sunday.”
“Surely you’re not feeling homesick now are you? We could always fly back for a few days,” Julia responded.
“No, that’s not the case at all. I’m here creating my own path. Calvin invested in me and I’ll repay him tenfold, there’s no doubt about that.”
The waiter approached the table questioning if John would prefer a new drink, to which he simply waved his hand in dismissal. The young gentlemen working the rounds probably didn’t deserve to be shunned without the respect of a verbal answer, and John regretted it afterwards. He supposed leaving a generous tip would ease his mind. As the reflecting light continued to dance off of the glass in his hand, John’s cell phone began buzzing in his pocket. He reached in to check who was calling and noticed the name “Calvin Ayre” on the screen.
“Excuse me Julia, it’s Calvin.”
John flipped open the phone and continued to twirl his glass.
“Calvin! How are things?”
“John, I wish I was calling with good news, but I’m afraid you need to be made aware of something. You see, there was a call that came in for you just now and I informed them that you had relocated to New Jersey, so they asked me to get in touch with you. John, it’s your mother. She’s been hospitalized due to complications from her surgery two days ago.”
John dropped the glass, spilling the remainder of its contents on the silk cloth adorning the table. Julia gasped and quickly reached for one of the velvet colored napkins.
“What surgery?”
“Two days ago Mrs. Anthony had surgery to repair a herniated disk in her spine. The doctors informed me just now that she had requested the surgery be confidential and you to not be made aware of it. She knew you were under a lot of pressure out in New Jersey and didn’t want to interfere.”
“Didn’t want to interfere!?” John yelled, drawing attention from those sitting nearby. John excused himself from the table and walked to the restroom.
“What the hell does that mean? She goes into a surgery like that without telling me, and now she’s hospitalized from complications? What hospital is she at?”
“She’s at the Memorial Saints Hospital about 10 miles north of here. But John, they had something else to say. Your mother, God be with her through this, doesn’t want you to fly out here. She told the doctors there’s nothing you can do and she’ll fight through it. According to her you should fight your match this weekend and then come see her afterwards.”
John couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His mom was stubborn in her olden days, but he was her only son and she was lying in a hospital bed from surgical complications! How could he not fly over there immediately to be by her side?
“John, listen, as a friend of yours, I know this is hard. I know it sounds awkward and it has to be painful, but maybe you should abide by her wishes. You have the chance of a lifetime this weekend and you have to take advantage of that. Stay focused, win your match, and then you can fly down here and be by her side. Hell, maybe she’ll be completely recovered by then. The doctors aren’t saying she’s in any type of immediate danger. I swear to you I’ll keep you updated if anything changes, but John, you can’t throw away your opportunity.”
So this is what that nagging feeling was in his stomach all day. This is what it culminated into. John’s feet slid out from under him and he found himself seated on the cold tile floor of a fancy restroom with his secretary no doubt outside at the table worried and confused. Over a thousand miles away from here his mother lay in a hospital bed, and he was about to agree to not rush to her side. Instead John was going to remain for his own selfish reasons. Somewhere you had to draw the line, and surely this was it. How could his mother request such a thing? It was ridiculous!
“John, I’m sorry, I can’t imagine what’s going through your head, but you’ve gotta stay. Everything up to this moment has gone your way. I know it hurts making sacrifices, but I don’t have to tell you how much is on the line here. You chose to join POW: New England because you wanted to give something back, you wanted to do something for you. It’s not selfish, it’s not cruel, it’s life. Don’t lose sight of your goal John.”
Typical. Calvin had invested in him and John running away wouldn’t help on the returns for that investment. But he did have a point. John hung up the phone without a farewell, stood up, straightened his tie, and walked out the door. He needed to find Julia and explain things to her less she become too concerned. John knew Calvin was right, he knew his mother was only thinking of his best interests when she made her plea. John sighed as he stood before Julia while two waiters replaced the table cloth and attended to any mess. Julia looked at him with those gorgeous eyes that had stolen his heart the moment he met her. A look of concern plagued her face and the beginning of a small tear formed in her right eye. He stepped forward and wiped it from her face. He couldn't leave this. This wasn't just about him, but those who were by his side. Oh he'd fight this weekend at Big Bang. He'd fight, and he'd win.
