So We're Married, Now What (Part 3)

[biggs]

Tuesday, January 25
3:35 pm
Biggerstaff residence
Seattle, Washington

”Ugh! I can't believe this is happening to me this week! Of all the weeks this could happen, why the week before my first Overdrive Title defense! * cough * cough *” I moan as I'm laid out in bed.

”Well look at the bright side, at least we're sick together...” Ellie says, as chipper as she can considering the circumstances.

Both Ellie and myself have caught the flu and are bundled up from head to toe, neither one of us leaving our bed unless we needed to use the bathroom or if it's our turn to make soup. I came down with the illness Sunday night, and by Monday morning, despite my best efforts to sequester myself from all human contact, Ellie was sick as well.

”Could you go downstairs and make some more soup, please? It's your turn...” she asks pitifully. She even does her big puppy dog eyes that I can't say no to, and the deal is sealed.

”Okay, okay,” I grumble as I slowly get out of bed and slip my feet into my Chewbacca slippers. I navigate the minefield of used tissues that litter the floor, and eventually make it to the staircase, slowly taking it down one step at a time, not wanting to lose my balance. It takes me about two minutes to get down stairs that normally take me all of 15 seconds, but once I'm down, I hear noises from the kitchen.

”OH CRAP!” I think to myself, remembering back to the all too recent home invasion where I got my butt handed to me. Before I go to investigate the noise, I make sure to stop by the closet near the entryway, where I grab my wooden ball bat. I slowly creep towards the kitchen, trying my best not to make a sound. As I turn the corner, I raise the bat, and yell, ”Stop it right the.... MOM!?”

I drop the bat as I see my mom turn around. There's a pot on the stove behind her. She has a startled look on her face at first, but then it fades as she realizes that it's me.

”Well, Gary, that's no way to greet your mother!” she scolds me, jokingly. ”Come here and give me a hug!”

”Mom, I'm sick. I don't think you want to hug me right now.”

”Poppycock! You're my son, and I'm going to hug you when I darn well please!”

My mom wraps her arms around me, and I hug her back. Once we disengage, I rest my hand on the counter for balance, and we begin to shoot the breeze. ”This is a pleasant surprise. So what brings you up my ways, mom?”

”Well, you're sick, and it's a mother's job to take care of her kids when they're sick! Plus, you're dad's up here on business anyways, so I tagged along. Now I'm making soup for you and Ellie, and it'll be ready shortly, I just want you relax, and I'll bring it up when it's done!”

”Thanks, mom. If you don't mind, I'm going to take a seat here and rest a bit before making my way back up. Feeling a bit woozy,” I say as I sit down at the chair by the counter. I'm feeling a little dizzy from all the excitement, and need to gather my bearings.

My mom smiles as she says, ”You won't get any complaints from me. I enjoy the company. But you know what else I would have enjoyed?” Her tone changes from cheery to serious. ”I would have liked to see you and Ellie get married. Your dad and I are still sore about that, son. We're proud of you, but we're still mad at you.”

”Mom, I know that the way Ellie and I got hitched wasn't the ideal. Heck, it wasn't our first choice either, but it was kind of one of those decisions where we knew we had to get married as soon as possible. There's not much opportunity to plan a big ceremony and get all the friends and family together under those kind of circumstances.”

”And I understand the rationale you two were operating under at the time, but don't you regret the fact that your father and I, or John and Carol, weren't there?” Mom asks, as she chops some carrots before tossing them into the pot.

”Well yeah. We would have loved to have you there. But to be honest, it was a spur of the moment thing where we both realized we were miserable without each other, so we had to fix it as quick as possible...”

”Listen to you, son. You're getting awfully defensive here. While your father and I aren't happy with how you made the decision, we are happy for you and Ellie. Don't think that we aren't. I just can't help but wonder if you were a little hasty, considering what she did to you...” Mom says with an almost nonchalant tone. The annoyance in her voice is evident, and I can't help but feel like she's giving me a lecture.

”Mom, I know what you're getting at here, but the fact is that despite what happened, Ellie and I have moved on, and are very now, thank you very much,” I respond, firmly.

”No need to get snippy, Gary. I'm just mentioning the fact that you're normally much more tentative in making decisions, that's all.”

I'm starting to get irritated, and want to change the subject. ”Listen, Mom, Ellie's right upstairs. Do we really need to be having this talk right now?”

”I guess we don't. The soup's almost finished. Why don't you head back upstairs and get in bed. I'll bring the food up when it's ready,” my mom answers. I can tell that she's upset with me, that she really wanted to continue discussing my marriage, but it's not something I really feel comfortable talking about with Ellie right upstairs. What if she came down? She'd think my mom hated her! The last thing I need is for there to be a rift between the two most important women in my life. Still, there's no easy way of telling that to my mom without hurting her feelings. Oh well.

”No mom. Let me stay down and help. I can take up the Gatorade and Sprite.”

”Absolutely not! Don't make me drag you by the ear back up there, young man! Do as your mother says!” she jokes, pulling on my ear a bit as she does so.

”Alright, alright! I'm going!” I say as I get up from the chair. I walk around the counter, and give my mom a kiss on the cheek. ”Thanks again, mom...” I follow my mom's instructions and head back up the stairs. For as independent as I like to think myself to be, I can sure be a momma's boy...

***

Airing Friday, January 28

Depeche Mode's “Spacewalker” plays as the words FIRST CONTACT flash across the starry background. The video than switches to Biggs standing in front of the Stratosphere Hotel in Las Vegas. It's already night time, and the building is all lit up. Biggs is in his street clothes, and an ElecTRONica hoodie from Disney's California Adventure. He has the Overdrive Championship slung over his shoulder. Some of the people walking by occasionally do some crazy stuff to acknowledge the camera, but Biggs heeds them no attention as he begins to speak.

”Ladies and gentlemen, one and all, welcome to a Las Vegas edition of the best wrestling web show on the Internet, Biggs' First Contact! Anyone watching this program should by now know that I am Biggs, the current reigning and defending APW Overdrive Champion, and the single greatest Overdrive Champion in APW history! Now I know it's my custom before pay per views to give a rundown of the card and my thoughts on the matches, but I'm going to save that for my next show, airing tomorrow, because tonight, I want to talk about one thing, and one thing only, and that is my match with the 'The Supposed Second Coming' Criss Cassidy, this Sunday at the MGM Grand right here in Las Vegas! Now the fact that Cassidy jumped from the crowd should be motivation enough for me to want to teach him a lesson for being rude and quite frankly, a cheap shot artist, but you know what, that's not even the thing about him that I find the most annoying! Anyone who's been following our little tiff will notice how self righteous you are, Cassidy, and that is the thing that I find most annoying about you!”

“Cassidy, simply put, your religion is a false religion. I'm not saying that God doesn't exist, as you are so brazen as to say that I've claimed, but simply that God is not with you. The fact of the matter is this, Cassidy, and I know it'll be hard for you to accept it, but the way you practice your faith is not the way God intended it. You call yourself the “Second Coming,” and not in a funny, ironic sense. You truly believe yourself to be the Second Coming, heralding God's new kingdom on Earth. At least the way you talk and present yourself supports this. I mean, you had the audacity to say that only you could heal me from my sins. Last time I checked, for those of the Christian faith, it was Jesus dying on the Cross that could bring healing and forgiveness of sins, but if you've found another passage in the Bible that speaks differently, please, share it with me. As for you, I have a scripture that comes immediately to mind.

2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

“Now before you accuse me of being a hypocrite, using the Bible to chastise you without currently following it myself, let me state that I'm merely using it to help you see the error of your ways. You see, Cassidy, unlike many of your other opponents who either don't know what the tenant of your faith decree, or choose to simply ignore them, well, being a former member of the Church myself, I have an understanding that many of them quite simply lack. Now I don't know what house of worship you go to, but any preacher or priest that's telling you that you are truly the Second Coming, well, they're just telling you what your itching ears want to hear, they're just feeding your ego, because you want them to. You're buying the myth that you're somehow a bigger deal than you actually are. Your sin, simply put, is pride, Cassidy. You are an arrogant, boastful piece of trash who has no reason to think so highly of himself! I've never claimed to be without sin, but you have. You said as much when you said that you could cleanse me from my sins, which we already established only Jesus could do. Since you're putting yourself at the same level of Jesus, that means that you mush think you're exactly like him, without sin and all, but we've already disproved that, haven't we?”

“But you know what, just for kicks and giggles, let's play along with the whole notion that you may truly be God's elect, that you are the Second Coming you claim to be. Well, if that's the case, what the heck are you doing wasting your time in the wrestling ring! If 'The Second Coming' more than just a fancy moniker you gave yourself to pump up your self righteousness, then I think it would be more appropriate for you to be out helping the poor, fighting for the downtrodden in another arena with more influence than professional wrestling. I'm just saying.”

“And you might be wondering why the heck I'm so worried about your religion, Cassidy, when I don't even practice it myself anymore. Well, as I've told you before, as I've told Pence Weatherlight, I don't care what type of person you are, so long as you're honest with yourself and others about it. You are currently living two delusions, Cassidy, the first being that you're the Second Coming and that God's on your side, The second being that you think you actually have a chance at defeating me this Sunday to become the new Overdrive Champion!”

“Let me make this perfectly clear for you, Cassidy. When we meet this Sunday, it won't be in a church, but in a wrestling ring! Where faith plays a strong role in a house of worship, skill is much more important where we're going to be. And as I proved on Overdrive, I have more skill in my little finger than you do all over! I mean, I'm so much better than you that I never had to even officially tag into the match to defeat you! A couple of well timed assists to Valentine, and that's all we needed to pick up the win against you and XXX Fire. While you could make the excuse that XXX Fire was the weak link, that he held your team back, the fact is that you weren't able to overcome that to achieve victory. And therein lies the proof that you lack the greatness required to become Overdrive Champion. But then again, it was on Overdrive, and we all know you don't really give your all unless you're getting a pay per view payday! But even though you do up your game at pay per view events, it only takes a brief look to notice a pattern of consistent shortcomings in big time matches! Let's look at your track record real quickly. You greatly impressed everyone by making it to the finals of the Test for the Best Tournament! But with the opportunity to become the #1 Contender for the APW Heavyweight Championship, well, you lost out to Sally Talfourd. And when you actually did get a shot at the Heavyweight Championship in the Elimination Chamber, you were the second one eliminated! Also, let's not forget your Overdrive Title Shot against The Number, where for all intents and purposes, you were beat so soundly you shouldn't have even shown up! And if I were a betting man, I'd be willing to wager that you'll come up short once again when my Overdrive Championship is on the line. It's not blind conjecture, it's based on a repeated pattern of failure that you've established in big time title matches!”

“For all your bluster, for all your big talk, Cassidy, I sense a lack of passion in you that will only benefit me as we meet in the ring this Sunday. Because as uninterested as you seem in the ring, as detached as you are from your performances, your lack of passion is inverse to the amount of passion I show in the ring! There is nobody who has more focus, more dedication to his craft than me! While your match prep consists of praying to a God who isn't even listening to you, my match prep is not just physically intense, but mentally intense as well. Before every match, not only do I push my body to it's absolute limit, and then keep going, not only do I practice my wrestling technique to where my muscle memory is built up to where I can utilize any move in my arsenal at will, but I study and analyze my opponents, figuring out strengths and weaknesses, plotting counters and generally finding ways to make openings and advantages for myself in the match. Many have attributed my success in the ring to my great skill, but that's only half the truth. The fact is that my intensive preparation, that is second to none, coupled with my undeniable skill in the ring, is what carries me to victory, and helps me to be a man of my word when I say that I am the greatest Overdrive Champion ever.”

“I know that I've already mentioned your lack of passion, Cassidy, but do you want to know what your other main weakness in the ring is? It's that your offense, for lack of a better term, is one dimensional. You wrestle a very high speed style, with lots of moving and flying around the ring, and while you've had success with this style, you're overly reliant on it to where you've never shown the ability to adapt when need arises. You have no ground game to speak of, and your submissions are non-existent. Understandably, your size does prevent you from utilizing the power game, as does mine, but that's no excuse to rely solely on the speed game. Because while you're adept at the high risk style, it's called high risk for a reason. When things go your way, it yields great rewards. But one mistake, no matter how small, can have huge consequences when you wrestle like you do. And one mistake is all I need you to make to ensure my victory.”

“Unlike you, Criss Cassidy, I have a more well rounded style, that while it does include a smattering of high risk moves here and there, it's balanced with a wealth of submission moves that will slow you down and make you cry for mercy. Mix in my technical expertise, not to mention a bit of a mean streak, and well, I may just be about the perfect wrestler. Your greatest strength Cassidy, is your speed, but I can match it. Too bad for you that you can't match me anywhere else. There's a reason why I am the only ever three time Overdrive Champion, and you'll find out firsthand why this Sunday!”

“The simple fact of the matter is this, Cassidy, that come Survive and Conquer, you can pray to God all you want, it's not going to help you to be able to defeat me in that ring. You question the fact that I am the greatest Overdrive Champion ever because I've lost the title twice. Well, that's awfully big talk for somebody who's never even won it once! You call yourself the greatest thing in professional wrestling, period. Well I got two words for you, Cassidy, prove it! This Sunday, prove it by defeating me and winning your first title here in APW. Do it by actually showing some passion in the ring. Do it by ending my run before it can truly even begin. But you aren't going to be able to do that Cassidy, now are you? You see, Cassidy, you're a very lucky man, because you will be my first stepping stone in establishing this title reign as not just my personal greatest run as Overdrive champ, but as the absolute greatest championship reign in APW History! When it's all said and done, I'm going to bring you crashing back down to Earth, and show you once and for all that I am quite simply OUT OF THIS WORLD!”

Biggs smirks at the camera before it fades to black, and the APW logo and copyright flash at the bottom of the screen.