Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2011 19:23:34 GMT -6
Chicago, November 16th 2004, 7:16pm
Hannah’s apartment is gently lit, the lamps dimmed by the burgundy shades wrapped around them, its evanescent glow gifting the living room a warm sensation. A few noises can be heard, as a pile of clothes begins to progressively grow on nearby chairs and the hardwood floorboards leading into the bedroom, the frantic chatter within difficult to make out. Suddenly Hannah re-emerges, clad in little more than her underwear and a pair of socks as she holds a small black dress over herself in front of the mirror, turning from side to side to get a full view of the garment whilst holding her head against her should to keep the phone against her ear.
Hannah Reed : You know, I aren’t sure about this one. My cleavage appears to be screaming hysterically rather than purring seductively.
Well if I took your advice Stephanie I may as well turn up at the door with nothing but a pair of knee high leather boots on.
That wasn’t a suggestion for the maybe pile! You know there is a reason the guys at law school talked to you so often.
She sways back and forth one more time before disappearing into her bedroom again, her modesty still covered by the dress clutched in her hand. A few moments pass before she re-appears sporting a light blue dress which leaves a little more to the imagination. Again she places it over herself and turns left and right, swinging the garment back and forth.
Hannah Reed : I like this one much more, I look less like a hooker in this one.
I knew you would disagree, but I don’t want to go outside and flash everything I have to offer like a cheap discount store.
Again, that was one time Stephanie. I fell down a flight of stairs, my immediate concern wasn’t what had or hadn’t slipped out of my dress.
Yes I know we got free drinks for the rest of the night, that doesn’t mean I will take to exposing myself every time money gets a bit tight.
Hey! You seem to forget that I have plenty dirt on you too…
Ugh, yes I know it isn’t you going out tonight. Just try and remember that when I go on a date I don’t always aim to do the walk of shame the next morning. Even if it would be just down the corridor….
Oh shush, I am going to go with this one. It matches my eyes after all.
My eyes are blue Stephanie, I think I know more about my body than you do.
Yes, I will ring you and tell you all about it in the morning, if I haven’t decided to plot your untimely demise in the meantime.
Goodbye.
Hannah lifts her head up and grabs the phone, punching a few buttons before tossing it aisde on the nearby sofa. She takes last look at her choice, indulging her vanity for a few moments before disappearing into the bedroom. After a few minutes of curses and mutters she re-appears, the dress now draped over her body, the sock removed and replaced with a pair of matching shoes. She takes a few moments to stare at herself before nodding in acceptance and picking up her handbag again, slipping the phone back inside. She takes a deep breath and makes her way out of the apartment, closing the door behind her and locking up. Skipping quickly down the corridor excitedly she knocks on Roberto’s apartment. After a few moments, Roberto appears at the door, a mobile in his hand. Smiling at Hannah he beckons her inside before closing the door behind her.
Roberto Verona : Listen, I don’t really think that it is worth the fee. I mean this guy could be anywhere by now, it has been three weeks, I doubt he is stupid enough to hang around in the state. Hell he could be in another country if he played his cards right.
Yeah I know, we need to take up contracts when we can get them but this one just seems like a wild goose chase. The pay is good but I think we’d be over-extending ourselves a little bit, it’d be barely worth the motel fees and petrol in the end.
Look, I will think about it. I have company tonight, you know I do get a social life? Just call me back if anything comes up of note, keep an eye out for anything else that is worth taking up. I’ll speak to you later.
Roberto hangs up, placing the phone in his back pocket before joining Hannah in the living room who is stood alone, her handbag clutched between her fingers tightly as nerves get the better of her.
Roberto Verona : I am sorry about that Hannah, as you know work never seems to stop these days.
Hannah Reed : Oh, I know I have clients chasing me twenty four seven and the law books just keep piling up. I am surprised I haven’t had a nervous breakdown yet.
Roberto Verona : Well, in the interests of sanity how about we make a pact?
Hannah Reed : A pact?
Roberto Verona : Yes. To both take our phones, and turn them off for one night only. That way the rest of the world can go jump for a few hours. I think we’ve earned that much haven’t we?
Hannah Reed : But what if somebody important rings?
Roberto Verona : Then they’ll just have to wait until tomorrow won’t they? Why should they dictate our lives? They get us all week, if they begrudge us a single night of freedom then they aren’t worth our time.
Hannah Reed : Well…. I guess that makes sense…
Roberto Verona : No, come on, that isn’t good enough Miss Reed. I want to hear some enthusiasm in that voice of yours.
Hannah laughs and pauses for a moment, thinking to herself as Roberto stands eagerly waiting an answer.
Hannah Reed : Oh go on then, what is the worst that could happen? Nobody is going to die are they? Oh….god….I hope they don’t…
Roberto Verona : Okay… you sort of started strong there and then got a little paranoid. ..
Hannah Reed : Gah… sorry. How about we make this easier for the both of us and I agree, on the condition that you take my phone off of me so I can spend the rest of the night not panicking about my acquaintances.
Roberto laughs and extends his hand to Hannah, opening his palm.
Roberto Verona : Ok, you’ve got yourself a deal young lady.
Hannah roots through her handbag before finally presenting her Blackberry, switching it off beforehand. She places it in Roberto’s hand but holds it for a moment, hesitating before eventually letting go. Roberto slips the device in his pocket before turning his own off and throwing it through a doorway into a nearby room.
Roberto Verona : There we go, now how does that feel?
Hannah Reed : Like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Thank you, I really should learn to disconnect from work a lot more often before I start to turn grey.
Roberto Verona : I think we all need to learn how to do that. Can I get you anything?
Hannah Reed : Oh, just a wine for me.
Roberto Verona : Will a Merlot do? You all drank me out of house and home last night I am afraid.
Hannah Reed : Merlot is my favourite, so you’re in luck.
Roberto Verona : Ahhh, a classy lady with good taste, well aren’t I a lucky gentlemen?
Roberto disappears for a moment, the sound of glass chinking together can be heard through the doorway. Hannah takes a moment to scan the living room, looking at a few photos on the walls of Roberto spending time in Italy with his friends and family. Suddenly, Roberto returns, two glasses in his hands as he beckons Hannah to sit down. The pair take their respective seats as Roberto pours two glasses of Merlot
Hannah Reed : I see you spend a lot of time in Italy?
Roberto Verona : Hmm? Oh! Yes, I was born there.
Hannah Reed : Really? You’re Italian?
Roberto Verona : Yep, I was born in Firenze. My family have lived there for centuries, from what I can tell.
Hannah Reed : How did you end up here? In fact, why did you end up here? I don’t think I would ever want to leave if I was lucky enough to live there.
Roberto Verona : Well, I was about two years old so I didn’t have much of a say. My father got a job in Chicago so he and my mother emigrated, and I kind of didn’t have a choice in the matter. I’ve lived here ever since, but I always go back to Italy each year as many times as I can. I still have family there so it is nice to get back every once in a while.
Hannah Reed : I envy you, I have never left the country. Heck, I rarely even leave the state.
Roberto Verona : So where do you hail from?
Hannah Reed : The incredibly unexotic Michigan I am afraid. Nothing much to tell, other than I moved here to study Law and I never wanted to move back home at the end of my studies. It helped that a law firm hired me a few months before I graduated though.
Roberto Verona : Spotted you early and snapped you up huh? Well, clearly they have good taste.
Hannah Reed : Either that or I am a much better actress than I thought I was when I walked into that interview.
The pair chuckle as they begin to take a few sips from their glasses, moving on from their respective heritages.
Moronic. Inexplicable. Asinine. Clueless. None of these words even begin to help describe the absolute garbage that spews out of your mouth every time you open your mouth. It is like watching a car crash every single time I watch or read what you have to say Todd, it is all over the place and the only interest anyone has in it is the shock value of what they hear. Once again, it would appear you are in top form, surpassing your previous idiocy tenfold and providing me proof when I say, you are a complete jackass. Every single thing you say just emphasises this belief more and more and if the rest of the roster cannot see it, they clearly graduated from the University of Numbskulls like you did.
I barely know where to begin with your latest tirade of what I think is meant to be clever, witty and inspiring digs and put downs. I know your whole deal is to be a wacky and lovable rogue Todd, but you only ever end up looking like the one girl in a night club who has had a few too many vodka Redbull’s and has the morals of a career criminal. So, where do I start? Well I guess I should begin with your whimsical attempt at degrading me and denting my pride by somehow trying to drum up some kind of conjecture with regards my sexual preferences.
Todd, I know this will crush you but I hate to break you bubble, I am not a homosexual. I know, I know the fact that I don’t like penis kind of screws up your whole 5 minutes of gay jokes and innuendo but I am sorry to have to disappoint you when I tell you that I just don’t swing that way. I am also sorry to announce that the only thing that gets hard when I hear your name is my neck when I get another stress headache thinking about what unbelievably stupid thing you have said this time. If I was a raging fairy though Todd, I think I could do a little better than you, what exactly is attractive about a man who is immature, dresses like he walked out of a low rate rap video and is about as entertaining as malaria?
However, because I am not a simpleton, we all know that regardless of where I really stick my appendage you will carry on with your cheery “fag tron” shtick anyway and truth be told, coming from the man who spent most of his years of sexual maturity sticking his dick in a hornets nest I aren’t too concerned what you think of me Todd. Because whether I am gay, straight, bi-sexual or completely a-sexual the fact is none of it really matter when Reborn rolls around. You seem to think that who I sleep with has some bearing on what is going to happen on Sunday, when in reality it is just the last desperate cry of a man who has little else to add to the table.
None of it really matters, your just trying to deflect from your own sexual failures by insinuating there is some kind of flaw in other people’s love lives. It is cute, but it will continue to remain utterly pointless. However, I will stop there because we both know you will come back at me with a plethora of homophobic jokes, radical claims that something I have said uncovers some hidden dirty secret and that you are “getting under my skin” or whatever else goes through your strange little mind. I will let everybody enjoy your hilarious repertoire.
As for me and Trish? We remain on speaking terms, I haven’t got a problem with her. As much as you find it hard to believe Todd I do actually have friends that aren’t bound by faction parameters. I just don’t socialise with ****wits like you.
Well, after we sieve through all the gay jokes, we just seem to find more garbled crap which still doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Am I afraid yet? Of what? A grown man who has the personality of a five year old and the talent of one to boot? What have I really got to be scared of? The worst thing you can do to me Todd is give me a migraine by talking at me repeatedly. You have absolutely no qualities that would suggest you are in anyway a threat to me, so I see no reason to feel threatened by your “challenge”.
Oh, should I be afraid of your friends? You mean purple top, big foot and flaming bird? Well now Todd, if they were to come down to the ring and interfere in our match every single time you whined and cried about Venom and Trish appearing at Sovereign would be just deliciously hypocritical wouldn’t it? What exactly have you got that I need to be fearful of? If your Neanderthal buddies drag their knuckles down to the ring and touch me at all, I will retain my belt by default. So they’re not really a problem. What else is there? You? Why should I be scared of you? Because you’ve got your mojo back? Newsflash Todd, this is reality not Austin Powers.
I find it touching that you are so concerned about me Todd, thanks but I think I will stick to believing what I say over what tired nonsense you trot out. I am one hundred per cent correct when I say that all you do is make up excuses for why you lost. You being depressed and then screwed out of a win are the truth you say? No Todd, they are not “the truth”, they are excuses. What part of that do you find difficult to understand? As you clearly have some difficulty let me spell this out for you quite clearly.
At Sovereign, you got hit on the back by Trish Newborn. You then went on to lose the match. Correct me if I am wrong here Todd, but Trish didn’t sever you nervous system and render you paralysed did she? She didn’t physically restrain you and prevent you from kicking out did she? It was you who laid on the mat like a chump and couldn’t conjure up the strength to render her influence utterly useless. It was you who didn’t kick out. Using Trish as a way to justify your defeat is using her as an excuse. If you were so good you’d have got the job done long before they ever appeared at ringside and if you were that damn good you’d have kicked out and made me live to regret my crafty and cunning methods.
At A Night To Remember, you had a case of boo hoos. You went on to lose that match and your X-Championship. Correct me if I am wrong here Todd, but your depression didn’t drag you around that ring and touch all four turnbuckles did it? Your depression didn’t stop you trying to show off with your fancy moves did it? Again, you are just using it as an excuse. Guess what Todd, depression is a bitch, it can grind you down and make you feel like ****, but do you know who the only person who can get up and kick its ass is? It is you. You decided to wallow around in your own world of self-pity during the biggest match of your career. You decided that you couldn’t just put away all your problems for a few minutes to get the job done before going back to feeling sorry about yourself. You are just using it to excuse your defeat, because heaven forbid that you actually just admit you got beaten by a better man.
And, as if you are not already a complete imbecile, you try and defend your excuses and explain them away as cold hard facts that totally matter and then come out with more excuses. Now you lost because you are a show man and tried to nail two of your blockbuster moves? I just happened to avoid them through some sheer stroke of luck naturally, I mean it isn’t because I am actually more talented than you and timed my movements to perfection and got out of the way, then capitalised on your insatiable ego and put you away to get the job done. Oh no, of course not. Have you listened to yourself? You say that I am deluded and talking nonsense but you are coming out with these belters?
Then you decide to try and be clever by claiming that, like I did to you, you gift wrapped the X-Championship for me? Did you actually just claim that the fact you are a complete failure as a wrestler and have no discernable talent is why I am X-Champion? Do you realise just how stupid you sound? You just admitted that you deliberately lost to…. Teach me a lesson? What lesson was that exactly? How not to be an X-Champion?
Chicago, November 17th 2004, 2:59am
The candles have begun to melt down to their containers, flickering playfully in the dimmed light as Robert and Hannah enjoy a few more glasses of wine in one another’s company. The atmosphere is more relaxed than the previous evening, Hannah’s previous embarrassment the night before a distant memory as the pair trade laughs between one another. Roberto takes a sip of his wine before noticing that it is gone 3.00am.
Roberto Verona : Wow, doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?
Hannah Reed : It is 3 o’clock already? It was only half past one the last time I checked!
Roberto Verona : Oh, you’ve been clock watching have you?
Roberto teases, causing Hannah to suddenly sit up straight in defiance.
Hannah Reed : No, no…no…no! Wait, what am I denying again?
Roberto Verona : I think you’ve had enough to drink Miss Reed, you’re losing track of time and your mind.
Hannah pouts, sighing to herself, though it exits far louder than she intended
Hannah Reed : I suppose I had better get going….
Roberto Verona : Why is that?
Hannah Reed : Be…because it is late?
Roberto Verona : But you don’t want to go, do you?
Hannah Reed : Well…I….no. No I don’t.
Roberto Verona : Then stay.
Hannah Reed : But…I shouldn’t.
Roberto Verona : Well, I want you to. So stay.
Hannah Reed : You know I have being trying my best to behave all night and now you’re making it difficult for me…
Roberto Verona : Good.
Hannah groans in feigned frustration, throwing her head back before dropping it back forward.
Hannah Reed : Ughhhhhh. Fine. I will stay. You win.
Roberto Verona : Oh, come now. I can think of way we both win….
Hannah’s heart skips a beat as she leans forward in anticipation.
Hannah Reed : Go on….I am listening.
Roberto Verona : Don’t worry…you don’t need your ears for this…
Roberto leans forward, before turning his head quickly and blowing out the candles. The room suddenly descends into darkness, the faint embers of fire still burning on the end of the wick as smoke transcends majestically into the air. Silence falls across the living room, the faint shadows of Roberto extending his hand to Hannah still visible in the pale moonlight which breaks through the curtains as he stands before her as he lifts her up, pulling them both into complete darkness.
The grape drink puns? The turkey mayo jibes? Get my own material? Todd, you spoon feed everybody insults by being a complete ass clown. You’re a giant walking moron, the fact you are proud of being one and like to play on the fact that you are a tool doesn’t mean that when people use it against you that you can just get all up in arms about it and start telling them they should find their own stuff. The only thing you gift-wrap Todd is a wealth of jokes at your expense.
You are, however, right about one thing Todd, amazingly. This time is completely different to the last three times we fought. This time I am the defending champion, not the challenger. This time it is me who is going to walk down to that ring with the championship wrapped around my waist. That, however, is all that is different. I will still beat you, like I did twice before. You will still be the former X-Champion and I will still be the reigning X-Champion. You will still be scrambling for excuses, and I will still be hoping and praying that the NCW Board of Directors decides to give me more worthy opponents. You may well have nothing to lose, which is perhaps for the best Todd because I can guarantee you that you won’t be gaining anything either.
You can pretend to be Max Payne, Luke Skywalker or any other tortured hero you want Todd, but you’ll never get away from who you are. You are a man who is mentally unstable, for every resurgent outcry you declare about how “the real” you is back, and you have bullet proof armour, there will be yet another slump which see’s you fall back into old habits and crawl back into your dingy hotel room with a collection of black films on DVD. You aren’t a super hero, you are not the solution to the revolution, you are not the best this company has to offer. You are Todd Williams, and frankly there’s nothing much to shout home about.
The sooner you learn to accept that simply being eccentric and acting like a clown isn’t going to change the fact you’re a waste of space who hasn’t got the mental strength to ever make his mark on this company the better it will be for everybody. If, by some miracle, you do win on Sunday, we both know you’ll drop this belt as quickly as you’re wife dropped you when she found somebody else willing to have her.
As for your friends? Your backup? I really do not care about Flashbang. You can rest assured Todd that there will be no members of Young Guns making an appearance at Reborn in our Grudge Match. Not because they don’t want to kick your ass, because believe me they really do. No, they will not be at ring side before, during or after our match because I have told them I do not want them to be. Did you hear that Todd? I have told them I do not want their help. I do not want you to have any more excuses when this is over and done with. I don’t want you to be able to cry about the big mean Young Guns screwing you again. I will not let you have the opportunity to somehow dream up another big excuse as to why you are not good enough to be in the same ring as me.
This little feud ends at Reborn Todd. That doesn’t mean that we will stop fighting, hell you’ve just joined a new Anti-Guns group, I am sure we will fight again but it will be purely a matter of chance. You get one re-match, you don’t get another. Once I am through with you on Sunday, your pursuit of the X-Championship ends. You move on, whether you do it willingly or not isn’t really the point because I will be moving on to the next guy in line. You have had your chances, mess this one up Todd and you are up **** creek without a paddle. You are only getting this shot because you have the right to a re-match for the belt you failed to keep, don’t start believing that there is anything more to it because you’ll only be more deluded than you already are.
You can dream all you want about proving to the world that you can beat me, it is good that you have something to aim for. The only problem is that you’ve picked something that simply will not happen. It is good to have ambition Todd, but it isn’t wise to shoot well wide of what you are capable of achieving. I am sure you think you’re the better man, I am sure you’re confident that this new revitalised attitude is the secret key to unlocking the secret to putting me away once and for all. The only snag in your grand scheme Todd is that, you’re wrong. It doesn’t matter how much you throw at me, I will just throw more back. It doesn’t matter how confident you are that you have all your bases covered, I will always find a way to get around whatever you have got planned.
You will not beat me Todd, you can’t beat me. I am the next big thing and you, you are just the same tired old circus act you’ve always been. Keep living in a world of excuses and excessive denial, it clearly makes you happy. Just don’t expect everybody else to join you.
Vive La Révolution.
London, June 25th 2011, 2:48pm
The sun burns down onto London, a city awash with tourists from the far reaches of the globe as red buses and black cabs weave through the near stagnant traffic which bakes in the midday heat. People fan themselves with whatever they have to hand as other lick the whipped ice cream which melts over their fingers, doing their best to stay next to the river Thames to indulge in the cooling breeze flowing along it. An open top bus slowly makes its way alongside the bank of the River, Roberto Verona and Hannah Reed sat on the top floor by themselves. Hannah leans over the rails, staring at the scenery below as Roberto is stretched back, his hands behind his head.
Hannah Reed : What happened to us Roberto?
Hannah sighs as Roberto keep staring up into the sky.
Roberto Verona : Life happened to me, Hannah, and if you keep thinking so deeply I suspect Botox will happen to you.
Hannah turns and hits him on the arm, forcing him to sit up and rub it as pain shoots up and down the unfortunate limb.
Hannah Reed : You know what I mean. Don’t you wish sometimes we could go back to like it was before?
Roberto Verona : Yes. I’d love to go back to the time I was blind to the realities of the world, but I’d be doing myself a disservice. Why live in a world full of lies when you can open your eyes and drink in the truth? Life sucks, Hannah, unless you stand up and make something of it. I’d much rather do that than go around thinking everything is hunky dorey.
Hannah Reed : I guess. Everything just seemed so much easier then.
Roberto Verona : What has brought this on?
Hannah Reed : I was just thinking about how we met and how life was so different back then.
Roberto Verona : Perhaps. Try to enjoy the rest of the day, Hannah. Tomorrow the real work begins for Reborn and then we have the long trip back to the States. Rest your mind and chill out a little bit for once.
Hannah smiles and nods as Roberto leans back again and stares upward, closing his eyes as he rests in the breeze. Hannah flops back over the rails, muttering to herself.
Hannah Reed : I just we were back in that apartment one more time….
The bus suddenly spots a gap in the traffic and pulls into it, much to the disgust of the cars surrounding it as Roberto and Hannah sit in silence, doing their best to relax in the daunting heat.
Hannah’s apartment is gently lit, the lamps dimmed by the burgundy shades wrapped around them, its evanescent glow gifting the living room a warm sensation. A few noises can be heard, as a pile of clothes begins to progressively grow on nearby chairs and the hardwood floorboards leading into the bedroom, the frantic chatter within difficult to make out. Suddenly Hannah re-emerges, clad in little more than her underwear and a pair of socks as she holds a small black dress over herself in front of the mirror, turning from side to side to get a full view of the garment whilst holding her head against her should to keep the phone against her ear.
Hannah Reed : You know, I aren’t sure about this one. My cleavage appears to be screaming hysterically rather than purring seductively.
Well if I took your advice Stephanie I may as well turn up at the door with nothing but a pair of knee high leather boots on.
That wasn’t a suggestion for the maybe pile! You know there is a reason the guys at law school talked to you so often.
She sways back and forth one more time before disappearing into her bedroom again, her modesty still covered by the dress clutched in her hand. A few moments pass before she re-appears sporting a light blue dress which leaves a little more to the imagination. Again she places it over herself and turns left and right, swinging the garment back and forth.
Hannah Reed : I like this one much more, I look less like a hooker in this one.
I knew you would disagree, but I don’t want to go outside and flash everything I have to offer like a cheap discount store.
Again, that was one time Stephanie. I fell down a flight of stairs, my immediate concern wasn’t what had or hadn’t slipped out of my dress.
Yes I know we got free drinks for the rest of the night, that doesn’t mean I will take to exposing myself every time money gets a bit tight.
Hey! You seem to forget that I have plenty dirt on you too…
Ugh, yes I know it isn’t you going out tonight. Just try and remember that when I go on a date I don’t always aim to do the walk of shame the next morning. Even if it would be just down the corridor….
Oh shush, I am going to go with this one. It matches my eyes after all.
My eyes are blue Stephanie, I think I know more about my body than you do.
Yes, I will ring you and tell you all about it in the morning, if I haven’t decided to plot your untimely demise in the meantime.
Goodbye.
Hannah lifts her head up and grabs the phone, punching a few buttons before tossing it aisde on the nearby sofa. She takes last look at her choice, indulging her vanity for a few moments before disappearing into the bedroom. After a few minutes of curses and mutters she re-appears, the dress now draped over her body, the sock removed and replaced with a pair of matching shoes. She takes a few moments to stare at herself before nodding in acceptance and picking up her handbag again, slipping the phone back inside. She takes a deep breath and makes her way out of the apartment, closing the door behind her and locking up. Skipping quickly down the corridor excitedly she knocks on Roberto’s apartment. After a few moments, Roberto appears at the door, a mobile in his hand. Smiling at Hannah he beckons her inside before closing the door behind her.
Roberto Verona : Listen, I don’t really think that it is worth the fee. I mean this guy could be anywhere by now, it has been three weeks, I doubt he is stupid enough to hang around in the state. Hell he could be in another country if he played his cards right.
Yeah I know, we need to take up contracts when we can get them but this one just seems like a wild goose chase. The pay is good but I think we’d be over-extending ourselves a little bit, it’d be barely worth the motel fees and petrol in the end.
Look, I will think about it. I have company tonight, you know I do get a social life? Just call me back if anything comes up of note, keep an eye out for anything else that is worth taking up. I’ll speak to you later.
Roberto hangs up, placing the phone in his back pocket before joining Hannah in the living room who is stood alone, her handbag clutched between her fingers tightly as nerves get the better of her.
Roberto Verona : I am sorry about that Hannah, as you know work never seems to stop these days.
Hannah Reed : Oh, I know I have clients chasing me twenty four seven and the law books just keep piling up. I am surprised I haven’t had a nervous breakdown yet.
Roberto Verona : Well, in the interests of sanity how about we make a pact?
Hannah Reed : A pact?
Roberto Verona : Yes. To both take our phones, and turn them off for one night only. That way the rest of the world can go jump for a few hours. I think we’ve earned that much haven’t we?
Hannah Reed : But what if somebody important rings?
Roberto Verona : Then they’ll just have to wait until tomorrow won’t they? Why should they dictate our lives? They get us all week, if they begrudge us a single night of freedom then they aren’t worth our time.
Hannah Reed : Well…. I guess that makes sense…
Roberto Verona : No, come on, that isn’t good enough Miss Reed. I want to hear some enthusiasm in that voice of yours.
Hannah laughs and pauses for a moment, thinking to herself as Roberto stands eagerly waiting an answer.
Hannah Reed : Oh go on then, what is the worst that could happen? Nobody is going to die are they? Oh….god….I hope they don’t…
Roberto Verona : Okay… you sort of started strong there and then got a little paranoid. ..
Hannah Reed : Gah… sorry. How about we make this easier for the both of us and I agree, on the condition that you take my phone off of me so I can spend the rest of the night not panicking about my acquaintances.
Roberto laughs and extends his hand to Hannah, opening his palm.
Roberto Verona : Ok, you’ve got yourself a deal young lady.
Hannah roots through her handbag before finally presenting her Blackberry, switching it off beforehand. She places it in Roberto’s hand but holds it for a moment, hesitating before eventually letting go. Roberto slips the device in his pocket before turning his own off and throwing it through a doorway into a nearby room.
Roberto Verona : There we go, now how does that feel?
Hannah Reed : Like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Thank you, I really should learn to disconnect from work a lot more often before I start to turn grey.
Roberto Verona : I think we all need to learn how to do that. Can I get you anything?
Hannah Reed : Oh, just a wine for me.
Roberto Verona : Will a Merlot do? You all drank me out of house and home last night I am afraid.
Hannah Reed : Merlot is my favourite, so you’re in luck.
Roberto Verona : Ahhh, a classy lady with good taste, well aren’t I a lucky gentlemen?
Roberto disappears for a moment, the sound of glass chinking together can be heard through the doorway. Hannah takes a moment to scan the living room, looking at a few photos on the walls of Roberto spending time in Italy with his friends and family. Suddenly, Roberto returns, two glasses in his hands as he beckons Hannah to sit down. The pair take their respective seats as Roberto pours two glasses of Merlot
Hannah Reed : I see you spend a lot of time in Italy?
Roberto Verona : Hmm? Oh! Yes, I was born there.
Hannah Reed : Really? You’re Italian?
Roberto Verona : Yep, I was born in Firenze. My family have lived there for centuries, from what I can tell.
Hannah Reed : How did you end up here? In fact, why did you end up here? I don’t think I would ever want to leave if I was lucky enough to live there.
Roberto Verona : Well, I was about two years old so I didn’t have much of a say. My father got a job in Chicago so he and my mother emigrated, and I kind of didn’t have a choice in the matter. I’ve lived here ever since, but I always go back to Italy each year as many times as I can. I still have family there so it is nice to get back every once in a while.
Hannah Reed : I envy you, I have never left the country. Heck, I rarely even leave the state.
Roberto Verona : So where do you hail from?
Hannah Reed : The incredibly unexotic Michigan I am afraid. Nothing much to tell, other than I moved here to study Law and I never wanted to move back home at the end of my studies. It helped that a law firm hired me a few months before I graduated though.
Roberto Verona : Spotted you early and snapped you up huh? Well, clearly they have good taste.
Hannah Reed : Either that or I am a much better actress than I thought I was when I walked into that interview.
The pair chuckle as they begin to take a few sips from their glasses, moving on from their respective heritages.
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Moronic. Inexplicable. Asinine. Clueless. None of these words even begin to help describe the absolute garbage that spews out of your mouth every time you open your mouth. It is like watching a car crash every single time I watch or read what you have to say Todd, it is all over the place and the only interest anyone has in it is the shock value of what they hear. Once again, it would appear you are in top form, surpassing your previous idiocy tenfold and providing me proof when I say, you are a complete jackass. Every single thing you say just emphasises this belief more and more and if the rest of the roster cannot see it, they clearly graduated from the University of Numbskulls like you did.
I barely know where to begin with your latest tirade of what I think is meant to be clever, witty and inspiring digs and put downs. I know your whole deal is to be a wacky and lovable rogue Todd, but you only ever end up looking like the one girl in a night club who has had a few too many vodka Redbull’s and has the morals of a career criminal. So, where do I start? Well I guess I should begin with your whimsical attempt at degrading me and denting my pride by somehow trying to drum up some kind of conjecture with regards my sexual preferences.
Todd, I know this will crush you but I hate to break you bubble, I am not a homosexual. I know, I know the fact that I don’t like penis kind of screws up your whole 5 minutes of gay jokes and innuendo but I am sorry to have to disappoint you when I tell you that I just don’t swing that way. I am also sorry to announce that the only thing that gets hard when I hear your name is my neck when I get another stress headache thinking about what unbelievably stupid thing you have said this time. If I was a raging fairy though Todd, I think I could do a little better than you, what exactly is attractive about a man who is immature, dresses like he walked out of a low rate rap video and is about as entertaining as malaria?
However, because I am not a simpleton, we all know that regardless of where I really stick my appendage you will carry on with your cheery “fag tron” shtick anyway and truth be told, coming from the man who spent most of his years of sexual maturity sticking his dick in a hornets nest I aren’t too concerned what you think of me Todd. Because whether I am gay, straight, bi-sexual or completely a-sexual the fact is none of it really matter when Reborn rolls around. You seem to think that who I sleep with has some bearing on what is going to happen on Sunday, when in reality it is just the last desperate cry of a man who has little else to add to the table.
None of it really matters, your just trying to deflect from your own sexual failures by insinuating there is some kind of flaw in other people’s love lives. It is cute, but it will continue to remain utterly pointless. However, I will stop there because we both know you will come back at me with a plethora of homophobic jokes, radical claims that something I have said uncovers some hidden dirty secret and that you are “getting under my skin” or whatever else goes through your strange little mind. I will let everybody enjoy your hilarious repertoire.
As for me and Trish? We remain on speaking terms, I haven’t got a problem with her. As much as you find it hard to believe Todd I do actually have friends that aren’t bound by faction parameters. I just don’t socialise with ****wits like you.
Well, after we sieve through all the gay jokes, we just seem to find more garbled crap which still doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Am I afraid yet? Of what? A grown man who has the personality of a five year old and the talent of one to boot? What have I really got to be scared of? The worst thing you can do to me Todd is give me a migraine by talking at me repeatedly. You have absolutely no qualities that would suggest you are in anyway a threat to me, so I see no reason to feel threatened by your “challenge”.
Oh, should I be afraid of your friends? You mean purple top, big foot and flaming bird? Well now Todd, if they were to come down to the ring and interfere in our match every single time you whined and cried about Venom and Trish appearing at Sovereign would be just deliciously hypocritical wouldn’t it? What exactly have you got that I need to be fearful of? If your Neanderthal buddies drag their knuckles down to the ring and touch me at all, I will retain my belt by default. So they’re not really a problem. What else is there? You? Why should I be scared of you? Because you’ve got your mojo back? Newsflash Todd, this is reality not Austin Powers.
I find it touching that you are so concerned about me Todd, thanks but I think I will stick to believing what I say over what tired nonsense you trot out. I am one hundred per cent correct when I say that all you do is make up excuses for why you lost. You being depressed and then screwed out of a win are the truth you say? No Todd, they are not “the truth”, they are excuses. What part of that do you find difficult to understand? As you clearly have some difficulty let me spell this out for you quite clearly.
At Sovereign, you got hit on the back by Trish Newborn. You then went on to lose the match. Correct me if I am wrong here Todd, but Trish didn’t sever you nervous system and render you paralysed did she? She didn’t physically restrain you and prevent you from kicking out did she? It was you who laid on the mat like a chump and couldn’t conjure up the strength to render her influence utterly useless. It was you who didn’t kick out. Using Trish as a way to justify your defeat is using her as an excuse. If you were so good you’d have got the job done long before they ever appeared at ringside and if you were that damn good you’d have kicked out and made me live to regret my crafty and cunning methods.
At A Night To Remember, you had a case of boo hoos. You went on to lose that match and your X-Championship. Correct me if I am wrong here Todd, but your depression didn’t drag you around that ring and touch all four turnbuckles did it? Your depression didn’t stop you trying to show off with your fancy moves did it? Again, you are just using it as an excuse. Guess what Todd, depression is a bitch, it can grind you down and make you feel like ****, but do you know who the only person who can get up and kick its ass is? It is you. You decided to wallow around in your own world of self-pity during the biggest match of your career. You decided that you couldn’t just put away all your problems for a few minutes to get the job done before going back to feeling sorry about yourself. You are just using it to excuse your defeat, because heaven forbid that you actually just admit you got beaten by a better man.
And, as if you are not already a complete imbecile, you try and defend your excuses and explain them away as cold hard facts that totally matter and then come out with more excuses. Now you lost because you are a show man and tried to nail two of your blockbuster moves? I just happened to avoid them through some sheer stroke of luck naturally, I mean it isn’t because I am actually more talented than you and timed my movements to perfection and got out of the way, then capitalised on your insatiable ego and put you away to get the job done. Oh no, of course not. Have you listened to yourself? You say that I am deluded and talking nonsense but you are coming out with these belters?
Then you decide to try and be clever by claiming that, like I did to you, you gift wrapped the X-Championship for me? Did you actually just claim that the fact you are a complete failure as a wrestler and have no discernable talent is why I am X-Champion? Do you realise just how stupid you sound? You just admitted that you deliberately lost to…. Teach me a lesson? What lesson was that exactly? How not to be an X-Champion?
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Chicago, November 17th 2004, 2:59am
The candles have begun to melt down to their containers, flickering playfully in the dimmed light as Robert and Hannah enjoy a few more glasses of wine in one another’s company. The atmosphere is more relaxed than the previous evening, Hannah’s previous embarrassment the night before a distant memory as the pair trade laughs between one another. Roberto takes a sip of his wine before noticing that it is gone 3.00am.
Roberto Verona : Wow, doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?
Hannah Reed : It is 3 o’clock already? It was only half past one the last time I checked!
Roberto Verona : Oh, you’ve been clock watching have you?
Roberto teases, causing Hannah to suddenly sit up straight in defiance.
Hannah Reed : No, no…no…no! Wait, what am I denying again?
Roberto Verona : I think you’ve had enough to drink Miss Reed, you’re losing track of time and your mind.
Hannah pouts, sighing to herself, though it exits far louder than she intended
Hannah Reed : I suppose I had better get going….
Roberto Verona : Why is that?
Hannah Reed : Be…because it is late?
Roberto Verona : But you don’t want to go, do you?
Hannah Reed : Well…I….no. No I don’t.
Roberto Verona : Then stay.
Hannah Reed : But…I shouldn’t.
Roberto Verona : Well, I want you to. So stay.
Hannah Reed : You know I have being trying my best to behave all night and now you’re making it difficult for me…
Roberto Verona : Good.
Hannah groans in feigned frustration, throwing her head back before dropping it back forward.
Hannah Reed : Ughhhhhh. Fine. I will stay. You win.
Roberto Verona : Oh, come now. I can think of way we both win….
Hannah’s heart skips a beat as she leans forward in anticipation.
Hannah Reed : Go on….I am listening.
Roberto Verona : Don’t worry…you don’t need your ears for this…
Roberto leans forward, before turning his head quickly and blowing out the candles. The room suddenly descends into darkness, the faint embers of fire still burning on the end of the wick as smoke transcends majestically into the air. Silence falls across the living room, the faint shadows of Roberto extending his hand to Hannah still visible in the pale moonlight which breaks through the curtains as he stands before her as he lifts her up, pulling them both into complete darkness.
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The grape drink puns? The turkey mayo jibes? Get my own material? Todd, you spoon feed everybody insults by being a complete ass clown. You’re a giant walking moron, the fact you are proud of being one and like to play on the fact that you are a tool doesn’t mean that when people use it against you that you can just get all up in arms about it and start telling them they should find their own stuff. The only thing you gift-wrap Todd is a wealth of jokes at your expense.
You are, however, right about one thing Todd, amazingly. This time is completely different to the last three times we fought. This time I am the defending champion, not the challenger. This time it is me who is going to walk down to that ring with the championship wrapped around my waist. That, however, is all that is different. I will still beat you, like I did twice before. You will still be the former X-Champion and I will still be the reigning X-Champion. You will still be scrambling for excuses, and I will still be hoping and praying that the NCW Board of Directors decides to give me more worthy opponents. You may well have nothing to lose, which is perhaps for the best Todd because I can guarantee you that you won’t be gaining anything either.
You can pretend to be Max Payne, Luke Skywalker or any other tortured hero you want Todd, but you’ll never get away from who you are. You are a man who is mentally unstable, for every resurgent outcry you declare about how “the real” you is back, and you have bullet proof armour, there will be yet another slump which see’s you fall back into old habits and crawl back into your dingy hotel room with a collection of black films on DVD. You aren’t a super hero, you are not the solution to the revolution, you are not the best this company has to offer. You are Todd Williams, and frankly there’s nothing much to shout home about.
The sooner you learn to accept that simply being eccentric and acting like a clown isn’t going to change the fact you’re a waste of space who hasn’t got the mental strength to ever make his mark on this company the better it will be for everybody. If, by some miracle, you do win on Sunday, we both know you’ll drop this belt as quickly as you’re wife dropped you when she found somebody else willing to have her.
As for your friends? Your backup? I really do not care about Flashbang. You can rest assured Todd that there will be no members of Young Guns making an appearance at Reborn in our Grudge Match. Not because they don’t want to kick your ass, because believe me they really do. No, they will not be at ring side before, during or after our match because I have told them I do not want them to be. Did you hear that Todd? I have told them I do not want their help. I do not want you to have any more excuses when this is over and done with. I don’t want you to be able to cry about the big mean Young Guns screwing you again. I will not let you have the opportunity to somehow dream up another big excuse as to why you are not good enough to be in the same ring as me.
This little feud ends at Reborn Todd. That doesn’t mean that we will stop fighting, hell you’ve just joined a new Anti-Guns group, I am sure we will fight again but it will be purely a matter of chance. You get one re-match, you don’t get another. Once I am through with you on Sunday, your pursuit of the X-Championship ends. You move on, whether you do it willingly or not isn’t really the point because I will be moving on to the next guy in line. You have had your chances, mess this one up Todd and you are up **** creek without a paddle. You are only getting this shot because you have the right to a re-match for the belt you failed to keep, don’t start believing that there is anything more to it because you’ll only be more deluded than you already are.
You can dream all you want about proving to the world that you can beat me, it is good that you have something to aim for. The only problem is that you’ve picked something that simply will not happen. It is good to have ambition Todd, but it isn’t wise to shoot well wide of what you are capable of achieving. I am sure you think you’re the better man, I am sure you’re confident that this new revitalised attitude is the secret key to unlocking the secret to putting me away once and for all. The only snag in your grand scheme Todd is that, you’re wrong. It doesn’t matter how much you throw at me, I will just throw more back. It doesn’t matter how confident you are that you have all your bases covered, I will always find a way to get around whatever you have got planned.
You will not beat me Todd, you can’t beat me. I am the next big thing and you, you are just the same tired old circus act you’ve always been. Keep living in a world of excuses and excessive denial, it clearly makes you happy. Just don’t expect everybody else to join you.
Vive La Révolution.
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London, June 25th 2011, 2:48pm
The sun burns down onto London, a city awash with tourists from the far reaches of the globe as red buses and black cabs weave through the near stagnant traffic which bakes in the midday heat. People fan themselves with whatever they have to hand as other lick the whipped ice cream which melts over their fingers, doing their best to stay next to the river Thames to indulge in the cooling breeze flowing along it. An open top bus slowly makes its way alongside the bank of the River, Roberto Verona and Hannah Reed sat on the top floor by themselves. Hannah leans over the rails, staring at the scenery below as Roberto is stretched back, his hands behind his head.
Hannah Reed : What happened to us Roberto?
Hannah sighs as Roberto keep staring up into the sky.
Roberto Verona : Life happened to me, Hannah, and if you keep thinking so deeply I suspect Botox will happen to you.
Hannah turns and hits him on the arm, forcing him to sit up and rub it as pain shoots up and down the unfortunate limb.
Hannah Reed : You know what I mean. Don’t you wish sometimes we could go back to like it was before?
Roberto Verona : Yes. I’d love to go back to the time I was blind to the realities of the world, but I’d be doing myself a disservice. Why live in a world full of lies when you can open your eyes and drink in the truth? Life sucks, Hannah, unless you stand up and make something of it. I’d much rather do that than go around thinking everything is hunky dorey.
Hannah Reed : I guess. Everything just seemed so much easier then.
Roberto Verona : What has brought this on?
Hannah Reed : I was just thinking about how we met and how life was so different back then.
Roberto Verona : Perhaps. Try to enjoy the rest of the day, Hannah. Tomorrow the real work begins for Reborn and then we have the long trip back to the States. Rest your mind and chill out a little bit for once.
Hannah smiles and nods as Roberto leans back again and stares upward, closing his eyes as he rests in the breeze. Hannah flops back over the rails, muttering to herself.
Hannah Reed : I just we were back in that apartment one more time….
The bus suddenly spots a gap in the traffic and pulls into it, much to the disgust of the cars surrounding it as Roberto and Hannah sit in silence, doing their best to relax in the daunting heat.