Post by A.C. Smith on Oct 2, 2013 0:18:43 GMT -4
Our scene opens today in the friendly skies somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. A flight to Moscow, Russia, has just left New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport. It's a full flight, meaning that the only legroom available is in first class.
This is where we are, as the 6'8” Big Apple Asskicker, A.C. Smith, is seen in the back room of that section reading a newspaper. We see his face get angrier and angrier with every line of text. It turns red, and eventually the APW Xtreme Champion can't bear to read any more.
A.C.: (muttering) “Son of a bitch.”
Smith crumples up the paper, which we see is the New York Times, and throws it on the floor in front of him. He leans over in his chair, shaking his head as Bobby the Bavarian Man-Bitch and Stevie the Slovakian Slobberknocker look on.”
Bobby: “Government shutdown?”
A.C.: “Ya know, those idiots in Congress are still getting paid their full salaries while doing absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, 18-year-old kids that have been deployed to Iraq? They get NOTHING. They're off stranded in the desert, surrounded by people that want to kill them, and they're getting nothing for it thanks to a glorified dick-measuring contest on the other side of the world.”
Stevie: “I guess there's no use telling you not to worry about it, huh?”
That breaks Smith, if only momentarily. A smile cracks his face for just a few seconds, but it disappears as he rolls his big brown eyes.
A.C.: “I served and protected people for years. Not for the money, or for print in a newspaper, but for the love of the job. What we do allows those people to govern on a state and federal level. Without police officers and other employees of the justice system, there's total anarchy.
“Forgive me, but right now, I'm thinking anarchy might be an upgrade.”
We notice the man sitting next to Smith has picked up the newspaper he discarded. He's very young, maybe 18 or 19, and he spends considerable time getting the wrinkles out.
A.C.: “Sorry, boss. Just kind of disappointed in the world, that's all.”
The young man smiles back before answering with a European accent.
Man: “Guess you should have read the sports page first.”
A.C.: “Apparently.”
Smith sits back in his chair.
Man: “I don't want to be a bother. But what you said...you're wrong.”
A.C.: “I'm sorry?”
Man: “My name is Alexei. My country's government collapsed decades ago and has yet to recover. I came to America looking for political asylum. When I went to my appointment with immigration, nobody was there except a secretary with a first-class ticket home.”
A.C.: “The shutdown got to everyone.”
Alexei: “I sold the ticket. Then I sold another ticket. Then I bought this one to Russia because I have cousins there I can stay with while I decide where to go.
“Anarchy is never better than anything. Trust me, I know.”
Silence.
A.C.: “I'm...I'm sorry, Alexei. Just frustrated.”
Alexei: “Justifiably. Those people were elected to do jobs. Now, they're not doing jobs and costing others theirs.”
A.C.: “Well put.
“So what's your next move once you land?”
Alexei: “I don't know. Probably find work in Moscow until something better comes along. Maybe I can find somewhere I can legally move to.”
A.C.: “How bad WAS your country?”
Alexei pauses. He takes a deep breath and looks Smith dead in the eye.
Alexei: “Both of my parents died. Our government oppressed us and families like us. We couldn't find work. There were days we couldn't eat. It was all they could do just to send me to school.
“One day, I came home and my parents had been shot. So had several others in the neighborhood. The government said it was the work of rebels, but we all knew they'd ordered a purge. That night, after we buried everyone, they blew up our school.
“It's the same cycle every couple of years. An old government gets overthrown. The new one promises change, and only does things that benefit them, not their people. The people get angry. Some of the people die, others overthrow the leaders...”
A.C.: “And the snake eats its own tail.”
Alexei: “Precisely.
“What you've got is bad. I won't say otherwise. But it could be worse.”
An awkward silence comes over the first class cabin. Drink service begins, and Smith holds two cups of ice water. He puts one down in front of him and the other in front of Alexei.
A.C.: “You're gonna be fine, kid. You've got your whole life in front of you, and you're trying your damndest to make something of yourself. Something'll come up. I promise you that.”
Alexei: “Right. Sure.”
A.C.: “Know what the difference is between you and everyone else in your country? You were smart enough to get out. You've seen a lot in a very short period of time, but now, you've got chances to put all of that behind you.
“I've been there. In my neighborhood, you grew up, you dropped out of school, you sold drugs, and you got arrested.”
Alexei: “Were you ever arrested?”
A.C.: “No, but that doesn't mean I didn't do things I regret. I learned right away that none of that was anything I wanted to do, and I worked my butt off to get out of there.”
Alexei: “Did you have parents?”
Smith smiles.
A.C.: “That's a long, LONG story.”
Alexei: “Well, we've got something like 16 hours until we hit Moscow.”
A.C.: “I'd always thought my dad left right after I was born. Turns out he was wrongfully-convicted. He served more than 20 years for crimes he didn't commit, and we're just now getting back to talking with each other.”
Alexei: “Who was out to get him?”
A.C.: “Nobody we're aware of. As far as we know, it was a case of mistaken identity. We're working on clearing his record, and we don't exactly have a lot of time. He's got cancer.”
Alexei: “I'm very sorry.”
A.C.: “Me too. Christ, I'm just starting to get to know him, to get to understand that everything I'd ever believed about him was wrong. I just hope he knows how much I want to clear his name.”
Alexei: “I'm sure he does. Keep fighting.”
A.C.: “Yeah. Yeah...you too.”
The two men nod at each other as they begin to nap. The entire first class cabin might as well be snoring, and as a stewardess quietly moves back and forth, our scene fades to black.
---
We fade back in a full day later. A.C., Bobby, and Stevie are seen walking into the lobby of a luxury hotel, and they gaze at their surroundings after stumbling through the revolving door.
Bobby: “Whoa, what a hotel!”
Stevie: “Yeah, Roxie really missed out by skipping this trip.”
A.C.: “She had stuff going on with her kids, guys. Take it easy on her.”
Something about Smith has been altered after his conversation with Alexei. It took only a few minutes, but no nap, time change, or traveling could alter his memory of that 18-year-old kid who'd bounced around countries like a ping-pong ball traveling across a table tennis court.
Bobby: “Stevie, let's check in. A.C., take your time. Come on up when you're done.”
Stevie: “Yeah. We'll order...whatever it is tourists order around here. Probably vodka.”
Smith cracks a smile, but motions for his friends to go on. While they go to the reception desk to sweet-talk the attractive, bubbly woman behind it, the APW Xtreme Champion finds a solitary chair in the corner of the lobby away from any sources of noise.
Smith sits down and sinks into the tan leather. He takes several deep breaths, still trying to regain his bearings. After a few moments, the Big Apple Asskicker tilts his head towards the camera in his presence and opens his mouth to speak.
A.C.: “That kid...geez.
“We complain all the time. It's what we do, almost a reflex at this point. We as a society are so used to having everything handed to us on a silver platter, so used to demanding so much while working so little, that when some challenge comes up, some of us simply fold and deal with whatever happens without working for a better outcome.
“Alexei's been thrown more curveballs at that age than anyone I've ever met. His parents, his childhood, and his entire way of life were all taken from him for what he believed in. He could've felt sorry for himself, but he never did. Instead, he tried to seek political asylum in the States. Someone ELSE let him down there, but he still has hope and is still working to carve out a life for himself.
“That's downright inspiring. Anyone who's ever been to a war-torn country can't help but feel sorry for those people, wondering if there's anything they can do to help. Alexei isn't looking for a handout like that. He's working his ass off, and when someone has that kind of attitude, there's never a question of IF they'll make it, just WHEN they'll make it.”
Smith's face stiffens up a bit. He's been extremely passionate for the last few minutes, and he tries to contain that a bit, shifting to a more rational approach when he resumes talking.
A.C.: “Those that are the most successful are the ones willing to work the hardest. For a while, the hardest-working basketball player on the planet was Michael Jordan, and that wasn't by accident. After a while, he was a machine, because he'd practiced every shot, every move, and every scenario that could possibly come up in a game situation. That's a behavior I've tried to emulate my entire wrestling career.
“I'll never say that I've knocked it out of the park every time I've stepped up to the plate. But I'm a firm believer that everyone makes mistakes, and that it's how we react and learn from our stumbles that makes us who we are and how successful we'll be in whatever we do.
“The struggles I've had are nowhere close to the ones that kid has had, but the same principles apply. Maybe I needed to be reminded of that, and maybe we all need little kicks in the ass like that from time to time. I'm just grateful fate intervened, and I look forward to using what I took from that little conversation going forward, starting this week here in Moscow.”
Smith nods, almost as if he's acknowledged some shortcoming that wouldn't be as obvious to the rest of the wrestling world.
A.C.: “Jace Savage is another guy that's overcome his fair share of demons. He was bullied as a kid, and that stuff stays with you for a long time. Trust me, I've been there. He's making a nice go of things in APW, and is in line to challenge for the tag titles at One Night in Hell, so good for him.
“This week in Moscow, though, he gets me, one-on-one, and that's REALLY bad timing for him, because I'm more focused now than I've been in a long, long time. It's not because of anything I've seen on film, or anything I've done from the standpoint of a workout regimen. It's because of an 18-year-old kid.
“It sounds weird, how something so innocent as a conversation on an airplane could spark such a renewed sense of self and self-worth, but it did. There's so much that goes into what we do beyond what wrestling fans see from bell to bell. It's a grind, a sense of wanting to be the best in the world at what you do, and if you don't realize how lucky you are to be in that position, this business can swallow you whole.
“Me? The lightbulb just went back on.”
Smith allows a slight, crooked smile to form on his face.
A.C.: “I've always loved what I've been blessed to do for 11 years now. I get to go out and entertain the best fans in the world while honing a craft that's been practiced for centuries by some of the greatest men in the history of the world. But lately, my mind's been on a little bit of a break, and for a little while earlier this week, I lapsed into a complainer, something that I've never been and never plan to be again.
“As President Josiah Bartlet said on 'The West Wing,' breaks are good from time to time. But my break? It's over. Gone is the A.C. Smith who bitched and moaned when the plane from JFK to Moscow was climbing into the sky. Back is the A.C. Smith that's been one of the best Xtreme Champions in APW history, a guy that's dispatched all comers for going on ten months now, and a guy that's ready, willing, and able to do it all again on Thursday night here in Russia.
“I have nothing against Jace Savage. He seems like a decent man, a guy that appreciates the value of a hard day's work, and I genuinely respect all of that a great deal. His problem, though, is that he's in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“It's never good to be in my path, especially since the calendar turned to 2013. I've got a legitimate chance to become the longest-reigning APW Xtreme Champion in history if I can hold on to that thing for a few more months, and I have every intention to do just that.
“I wish Jace Savage lots of luck in whatever he wants to do once we leave Russia. He's never struck me as a bad guy, or as someone who has a defective head on his shoulders. His problem is that he's lined up against an opponent who, when at his best, is darned near unbeatable. And I'm at that point, all thanks to an innocent conversation with a guy I'd never seen before and who may never see again.
“Unlike our elected officials back in the states, I'm ready to go, and I won't hesitate to do a job I've worked so hard to keep. This week, I keep momentum going by dispatching Jace Savage, and one of the greatest Xtreme Champions APW has ever seen hits Moscow harder than any American since Rocky Balboa.”
The camera swerves around, and we see Bobby and Stevie moving toward an elevator. Smith springs up off his chair, and he meets his friends as they board it. A.C. hits a button on the inside, and after the doors close, our scene fades to black.
This is where we are, as the 6'8” Big Apple Asskicker, A.C. Smith, is seen in the back room of that section reading a newspaper. We see his face get angrier and angrier with every line of text. It turns red, and eventually the APW Xtreme Champion can't bear to read any more.
A.C.: (muttering) “Son of a bitch.”
Smith crumples up the paper, which we see is the New York Times, and throws it on the floor in front of him. He leans over in his chair, shaking his head as Bobby the Bavarian Man-Bitch and Stevie the Slovakian Slobberknocker look on.”
Bobby: “Government shutdown?”
A.C.: “Ya know, those idiots in Congress are still getting paid their full salaries while doing absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, 18-year-old kids that have been deployed to Iraq? They get NOTHING. They're off stranded in the desert, surrounded by people that want to kill them, and they're getting nothing for it thanks to a glorified dick-measuring contest on the other side of the world.”
Stevie: “I guess there's no use telling you not to worry about it, huh?”
That breaks Smith, if only momentarily. A smile cracks his face for just a few seconds, but it disappears as he rolls his big brown eyes.
A.C.: “I served and protected people for years. Not for the money, or for print in a newspaper, but for the love of the job. What we do allows those people to govern on a state and federal level. Without police officers and other employees of the justice system, there's total anarchy.
“Forgive me, but right now, I'm thinking anarchy might be an upgrade.”
We notice the man sitting next to Smith has picked up the newspaper he discarded. He's very young, maybe 18 or 19, and he spends considerable time getting the wrinkles out.
A.C.: “Sorry, boss. Just kind of disappointed in the world, that's all.”
The young man smiles back before answering with a European accent.
Man: “Guess you should have read the sports page first.”
A.C.: “Apparently.”
Smith sits back in his chair.
Man: “I don't want to be a bother. But what you said...you're wrong.”
A.C.: “I'm sorry?”
Man: “My name is Alexei. My country's government collapsed decades ago and has yet to recover. I came to America looking for political asylum. When I went to my appointment with immigration, nobody was there except a secretary with a first-class ticket home.”
A.C.: “The shutdown got to everyone.”
Alexei: “I sold the ticket. Then I sold another ticket. Then I bought this one to Russia because I have cousins there I can stay with while I decide where to go.
“Anarchy is never better than anything. Trust me, I know.”
Silence.
A.C.: “I'm...I'm sorry, Alexei. Just frustrated.”
Alexei: “Justifiably. Those people were elected to do jobs. Now, they're not doing jobs and costing others theirs.”
A.C.: “Well put.
“So what's your next move once you land?”
Alexei: “I don't know. Probably find work in Moscow until something better comes along. Maybe I can find somewhere I can legally move to.”
A.C.: “How bad WAS your country?”
Alexei pauses. He takes a deep breath and looks Smith dead in the eye.
Alexei: “Both of my parents died. Our government oppressed us and families like us. We couldn't find work. There were days we couldn't eat. It was all they could do just to send me to school.
“One day, I came home and my parents had been shot. So had several others in the neighborhood. The government said it was the work of rebels, but we all knew they'd ordered a purge. That night, after we buried everyone, they blew up our school.
“It's the same cycle every couple of years. An old government gets overthrown. The new one promises change, and only does things that benefit them, not their people. The people get angry. Some of the people die, others overthrow the leaders...”
A.C.: “And the snake eats its own tail.”
Alexei: “Precisely.
“What you've got is bad. I won't say otherwise. But it could be worse.”
An awkward silence comes over the first class cabin. Drink service begins, and Smith holds two cups of ice water. He puts one down in front of him and the other in front of Alexei.
A.C.: “You're gonna be fine, kid. You've got your whole life in front of you, and you're trying your damndest to make something of yourself. Something'll come up. I promise you that.”
Alexei: “Right. Sure.”
A.C.: “Know what the difference is between you and everyone else in your country? You were smart enough to get out. You've seen a lot in a very short period of time, but now, you've got chances to put all of that behind you.
“I've been there. In my neighborhood, you grew up, you dropped out of school, you sold drugs, and you got arrested.”
Alexei: “Were you ever arrested?”
A.C.: “No, but that doesn't mean I didn't do things I regret. I learned right away that none of that was anything I wanted to do, and I worked my butt off to get out of there.”
Alexei: “Did you have parents?”
Smith smiles.
A.C.: “That's a long, LONG story.”
Alexei: “Well, we've got something like 16 hours until we hit Moscow.”
A.C.: “I'd always thought my dad left right after I was born. Turns out he was wrongfully-convicted. He served more than 20 years for crimes he didn't commit, and we're just now getting back to talking with each other.”
Alexei: “Who was out to get him?”
A.C.: “Nobody we're aware of. As far as we know, it was a case of mistaken identity. We're working on clearing his record, and we don't exactly have a lot of time. He's got cancer.”
Alexei: “I'm very sorry.”
A.C.: “Me too. Christ, I'm just starting to get to know him, to get to understand that everything I'd ever believed about him was wrong. I just hope he knows how much I want to clear his name.”
Alexei: “I'm sure he does. Keep fighting.”
A.C.: “Yeah. Yeah...you too.”
The two men nod at each other as they begin to nap. The entire first class cabin might as well be snoring, and as a stewardess quietly moves back and forth, our scene fades to black.
---
We fade back in a full day later. A.C., Bobby, and Stevie are seen walking into the lobby of a luxury hotel, and they gaze at their surroundings after stumbling through the revolving door.
Bobby: “Whoa, what a hotel!”
Stevie: “Yeah, Roxie really missed out by skipping this trip.”
A.C.: “She had stuff going on with her kids, guys. Take it easy on her.”
Something about Smith has been altered after his conversation with Alexei. It took only a few minutes, but no nap, time change, or traveling could alter his memory of that 18-year-old kid who'd bounced around countries like a ping-pong ball traveling across a table tennis court.
Bobby: “Stevie, let's check in. A.C., take your time. Come on up when you're done.”
Stevie: “Yeah. We'll order...whatever it is tourists order around here. Probably vodka.”
Smith cracks a smile, but motions for his friends to go on. While they go to the reception desk to sweet-talk the attractive, bubbly woman behind it, the APW Xtreme Champion finds a solitary chair in the corner of the lobby away from any sources of noise.
Smith sits down and sinks into the tan leather. He takes several deep breaths, still trying to regain his bearings. After a few moments, the Big Apple Asskicker tilts his head towards the camera in his presence and opens his mouth to speak.
A.C.: “That kid...geez.
“We complain all the time. It's what we do, almost a reflex at this point. We as a society are so used to having everything handed to us on a silver platter, so used to demanding so much while working so little, that when some challenge comes up, some of us simply fold and deal with whatever happens without working for a better outcome.
“Alexei's been thrown more curveballs at that age than anyone I've ever met. His parents, his childhood, and his entire way of life were all taken from him for what he believed in. He could've felt sorry for himself, but he never did. Instead, he tried to seek political asylum in the States. Someone ELSE let him down there, but he still has hope and is still working to carve out a life for himself.
“That's downright inspiring. Anyone who's ever been to a war-torn country can't help but feel sorry for those people, wondering if there's anything they can do to help. Alexei isn't looking for a handout like that. He's working his ass off, and when someone has that kind of attitude, there's never a question of IF they'll make it, just WHEN they'll make it.”
Smith's face stiffens up a bit. He's been extremely passionate for the last few minutes, and he tries to contain that a bit, shifting to a more rational approach when he resumes talking.
A.C.: “Those that are the most successful are the ones willing to work the hardest. For a while, the hardest-working basketball player on the planet was Michael Jordan, and that wasn't by accident. After a while, he was a machine, because he'd practiced every shot, every move, and every scenario that could possibly come up in a game situation. That's a behavior I've tried to emulate my entire wrestling career.
“I'll never say that I've knocked it out of the park every time I've stepped up to the plate. But I'm a firm believer that everyone makes mistakes, and that it's how we react and learn from our stumbles that makes us who we are and how successful we'll be in whatever we do.
“The struggles I've had are nowhere close to the ones that kid has had, but the same principles apply. Maybe I needed to be reminded of that, and maybe we all need little kicks in the ass like that from time to time. I'm just grateful fate intervened, and I look forward to using what I took from that little conversation going forward, starting this week here in Moscow.”
Smith nods, almost as if he's acknowledged some shortcoming that wouldn't be as obvious to the rest of the wrestling world.
A.C.: “Jace Savage is another guy that's overcome his fair share of demons. He was bullied as a kid, and that stuff stays with you for a long time. Trust me, I've been there. He's making a nice go of things in APW, and is in line to challenge for the tag titles at One Night in Hell, so good for him.
“This week in Moscow, though, he gets me, one-on-one, and that's REALLY bad timing for him, because I'm more focused now than I've been in a long, long time. It's not because of anything I've seen on film, or anything I've done from the standpoint of a workout regimen. It's because of an 18-year-old kid.
“It sounds weird, how something so innocent as a conversation on an airplane could spark such a renewed sense of self and self-worth, but it did. There's so much that goes into what we do beyond what wrestling fans see from bell to bell. It's a grind, a sense of wanting to be the best in the world at what you do, and if you don't realize how lucky you are to be in that position, this business can swallow you whole.
“Me? The lightbulb just went back on.”
Smith allows a slight, crooked smile to form on his face.
A.C.: “I've always loved what I've been blessed to do for 11 years now. I get to go out and entertain the best fans in the world while honing a craft that's been practiced for centuries by some of the greatest men in the history of the world. But lately, my mind's been on a little bit of a break, and for a little while earlier this week, I lapsed into a complainer, something that I've never been and never plan to be again.
“As President Josiah Bartlet said on 'The West Wing,' breaks are good from time to time. But my break? It's over. Gone is the A.C. Smith who bitched and moaned when the plane from JFK to Moscow was climbing into the sky. Back is the A.C. Smith that's been one of the best Xtreme Champions in APW history, a guy that's dispatched all comers for going on ten months now, and a guy that's ready, willing, and able to do it all again on Thursday night here in Russia.
“I have nothing against Jace Savage. He seems like a decent man, a guy that appreciates the value of a hard day's work, and I genuinely respect all of that a great deal. His problem, though, is that he's in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“It's never good to be in my path, especially since the calendar turned to 2013. I've got a legitimate chance to become the longest-reigning APW Xtreme Champion in history if I can hold on to that thing for a few more months, and I have every intention to do just that.
“I wish Jace Savage lots of luck in whatever he wants to do once we leave Russia. He's never struck me as a bad guy, or as someone who has a defective head on his shoulders. His problem is that he's lined up against an opponent who, when at his best, is darned near unbeatable. And I'm at that point, all thanks to an innocent conversation with a guy I'd never seen before and who may never see again.
“Unlike our elected officials back in the states, I'm ready to go, and I won't hesitate to do a job I've worked so hard to keep. This week, I keep momentum going by dispatching Jace Savage, and one of the greatest Xtreme Champions APW has ever seen hits Moscow harder than any American since Rocky Balboa.”
The camera swerves around, and we see Bobby and Stevie moving toward an elevator. Smith springs up off his chair, and he meets his friends as they board it. A.C. hits a button on the inside, and after the doors close, our scene fades to black.
