Post by "Godly" Ken Davison on Sept 15, 2012 10:50:42 GMT -6
"Godly" Ken Davison could not sleep well in strange houses. Throughout his childhood and adolescence, his mother had dragged him from one end of the the country to the other, staying nowhere longer than a month or two. So many terrible things had happened to him in so many terrible places that Ken had eventually learned to view each new house not as a new beginning, not with hope for stability and happiness, but with suspicion and quiet dread. As he lay here in the guest room of Bailey's parent's house, he had been freed of his troubled mother and free to stay only where he wished. These days, his life was almost as stable as that of a cloistered nun, as meticulously planned as any bomb squad's procedures for disarming an explosive device, and without any of the turmoil on which his mother had thrived. He had been through that enough with his nomadic upbringing, let alone over the past year he had spent in the Shady Pines Home.
Nevertheless, this first night in the Kendrick's house, Ken was reluctant to undress and go to bed. He sat in the darkness in a medallion-back armchair at one of the two windows in the guest room, gazing out at the moonlit beaches, fields, and hills of the Jersey Shore. Bailey was in another room, at the far end of the second-floor hall, no doubt sound asleep, at peace because this house was not at all strange to her. Ken stared out the window, longing for the warmth for Bailey's body next to his. Between that and his upcoming pay-per-view match, hopefully matches, he seemed to be the most restless person on Earth at that very moment. Despite the fact that he had a chance to exact revenge on Charlie Velez for jumping him in his attempt to convince Mike Laszlo there was strength in numbers, he was still on edge. Despite the goings on elsewhere in his career, he had made Velez his number one priority. Thankfully, this had not fallen upon deaf ears. He pondered a lot of what he was saying and experiencing, weighing the pros and cons of each and every decision. He would meet with his step-brother Sean before his match , but was making it a point to keep his thoughts focused on the task at hand. After the last two weeks, he would need to eliminate all other distractions.
Velez would be a tough opponent, Davison knew that from the matches he had watched and also by the company Charlie keeps. But the fire that burned inside him was a blazing inferno, engulfing him with hatred for Laszlo, whom he had already taken care of, and most immediately, Velez. Davison had considered actually trying to bring his step-brother Sean into NCW as back up. The fact that Sean allowed himself to be so carefree, quite frankly, pissed him off. Sean was a performer in the ring that was better than he let on. If he ever focused on his career, he could be dangerous. Still, this was a battle that Ken had decided he would fight on his own. Not like Sean could do all that much right now anyway. He would not be able to compete, sidelined by an ankle injury. The problem that Davison faced, was that he had allowed himself to become soft, instead of the benevolent dictator he claimed to be, as he had reforged his attitude in NCW. Somehow, it seemed when NV Laroux came out, he was at his best. He fought with himself constantly in order to try and keep the demon out. The bottom line is that he was becoming too kind.
First, it was Rose Acantha, the ungrateful wretch which reminded him of the nation of Israel. Biblically speaking, the nation of Israel was granted the gift of God's blessing, only to squander it, causing God to sacrifice his one and only Son to begin the formation of the church as we know it today. Granted, there had been no sacrifice, but Davison could relate to the God of the Bible. Rose lured him in with false promises that she would find a place for Davison in NCW and within two weeks she would be gone. Next would be, Mike Laszlo. The two men would be rivals, but Davison had mistakenly thought he was a man of honor. His master plan had gone awry. He would not let this happen again. Charlie Velez was a force to be reckoned with, but he was another barrier that Davison would have to break through. It would be the perfect measure for the NCW X Champion.
The seagulls cawed in the night sky, floating over the harbor even at this late hour. It was amazing how this house seemed to offer the views of so many things. If it wasn't for the waves of the ocean, he would feel totally out of place. The clouds stretch across the sky, obscuring the view of the moon hanging in the air. A shiver racked his body as the night air continued to pass through the open window. He knew this feeling. The rain would be coming soon. His attention shifted back to this Trauma, and the colossal shadow of Charlie Velez that loomed overhead. Would he be able to free himself of this burden? Even he himself could not be certain. He had yet another chance to prove that he was worthy to be the NCW X Champion. Velez would be the perfect test.
Davison stared off into the distance. The rain had begun falling. Before his mind could wander, the gentle feeling of Bailey's breath caused him to break his concentration. She had apparently not been asleep as Ken had surmised. In his trance like state, Davison himself had not noticed her enter the room.
”What's wrong, babe?”
”Just thinking.”
”I couldn't sleep. Something told me that I should check on you.”
”Thanks, babe.”
”What's on your mind?”
”What else?”
Bailey laughs to herself then settles her head on Davison's right shoulder.
”I brought you something, although I doubt it will help you sleep.”
”Milk and cookies?”
Bailey playfully hits Ken in the arm. He smiles in spite of himself. She reaches behind her and picks up a cassette, and hands it to Ken.
”You might want to pop this in the VCR.”
”Your parents still have one of those?”
”Yeah, this isn't exactly the 'Center for Technological Advancement' in case you failed to notice.”
”Let me guess, it has something to do with the very thing I'm trying to escape?”
”Yeah, it does.”
Davison nods silently. His mood turns somber.
”I know you will always love her. It doesn't bother me.”
”It's not about her, though. It's about Velez. From the day he jumped me, I've been waiting for this match.”
”Well, I thought you might want to see what he has to say now. You know where to find me if you need me.”
Bailey starts to get up to leave, but Ken gently takes her wrist.
”Wait, stay... please.”
”Are you sure?”
”If you're serious about this... about us, then you need to know what kind of things I deal with. I'm not asking you to like it, just to understand it. It's a part of who I am.”
The rain outside began falling gently. Bailey took the tape and popped in the VCR and turned on the television before pressing play. She settled back in behind Ken, wrapping her arms around his torso. He leans back into her as he takes in Charlie Velez's words. He had forgotten how much he had enjoyed his days working with Sydney Laroux before she went on to become a psycho Twinkie with a rotten filling. She always was a fierce, independent woman. Truly a free thinker. Though he had never verbalized it, he admired her greatly. Bailey seemed to exhibit many of those same qualities.
Davison sat transfixed, carefully taking in every word, every expression, every tone spoken with every word. He was dealing with a man who had up to this point claimed to outclass him on every front. This time, he would not allow Velez to get in his head. To do so would allow him to defeat him before the match even began. This time, it would be different from the losses of the last two weeks. It had to be.
As the tape ends, Bailey gets up and shuts everything off. Ken shakes his head in disbelief, obviously, he had not seen what he was expecting.
”Vexing... very vexing...”
”What's running through your head, babe?”
”He is acting like he doesn't even know me.”
”Maybe he realizes that the regular approach isn't going to work this time.”
”What he needs to understand is that times have changed. I mean, he calls himself a legend. That's all fine and good. But if I were to run down my resume I'd make him look like the a little league baseball team playing against the New York Yankees. ”
”There's no shame in losing. You know that.”
”That depends on what is lost. Is there shame in losing a match? Hell no. But to lose an opportunity to gain that which you truly desire... that's the greatest shame of all.”
”Will you be OK?”
”That depends, 'Lead Foot', are you driving me to the airport?”
”You're funny.”
”I know I am.”
Davison stops laughing and pauses a moment to think. Suddenly, he was ripped away from his thoughts by Bailey's snapping fingers.
”Ken... Ken... welcome back to the land of the living.”
”Sorry... just got a lot on my mind.”
”Listen, Ken, there's a couple things you need to know.”
”OK.”
”First of all, he knows you aren't someone he can just walk over. He is practically ignoring you. You know that's nothing more than a mind game. Secondly, you need to stop questioning everything. I know that's what you're doing. You tend to get all quiet and contemplative. There is no answer that you will find before your match. Beating yourself up won't accomplish anything... zilch, zero, nada, nothing. The fans won't think any less of you because they will know that you gave them everything you could. And the last thing you need to keep in mind, is that win or lose, I love you.”
Ken paused caught off guard by Bailey's last three words. She walked over to the front of the chair, and gently put each hand on the appropriate side of Ken's face.
”Ken? You OK there, champ?”
There was no way that Ken could verbalize what he wanted to say. He pulled Bailey in slowly, kissing her slowly, gently, passionately. It was the first time in almost 15 years that he had let a woman get this close to him. Truth be told, it felt pretty damned good.
”I love you, too.”
The rain continued to fall. But this rain, it was different. For the first time in over 10 years, as the heavens poured and the tears of the angels showered the Earth, his mind wasn't on her. Perhaps the future would be more promising than he thought.
”You want to talk about honesty, Velez? That's all fine and good. I'll play your game.”
Davison cocks his head and smiles.
”Unlike you, I actually did my research, and I was more than amused by what I found. Spokeo, LinkedIn, Facebook, wrestling profile, mug shot, mug shot... hell, if I were you I would change my name to avoid guilt by association. Now, you may have forgotten about me, but I sure as hell haven't forgotten about you. When you jumped me, for Laszlo's benefit, you didn't even know who I was. The next week, at Picture Perfect, I defeated your boy Laszlo and I won the X Championship and STILL you don't know who I am. Did I mention that I'm still holding on to this?” Davison holds up the NCW X Title. ”The fact that you don't know who I am, the fact that you don't even know who the champions are in the very company you work for shows how truly ignorant you are.”
Davison smirks into the camera.
”They say that ignorance is bliss. If that is indeed true, then Charlie Velez may very well be the happiest person in the world.”
”Now, you can sit here and tell me you're a legend, but that doesn't do anything to intimidate me. I've been doing this five years longer than you have. I have wrestled on six different continents and have been enshrined in three different Hall of Fames. But none of that matters in NCW. What matters is that I am the reigning X Champion. What matters is that I defeated the single most dominant champion this company as seen in Mike Laszlo. And I did it not once, not twice, but three consecutive times.”
”By your own admission, you're a spoiled rich kid who was given everything you ever wanted as a child. Me? I'll admit it. I grew up on the streets. I grew up stealing for food and sleeping in parks. Even looking at it from two vastly different stand points, we both know that this world comes down to the haves and the have nots. What have is the NCW X Championship. What I have not done is lost a singles match since I've entered NCW, don't you think that there's a Kendamned reason for that?”
“I want you to think about something, Charlie. I want you to think long and hard about this point. Just as you don't seem to know anything about me, I don't know much about you either. Just as I haven't known men like Andrew Jacobsen, Curtis D. Kanyon or Joe Everyman. And I've beaten each and every one of them when they made the mistake of crossing my path... just as I will beat you. You will learn to fear the Hands of God. You think I am afraid of your little jump and drop finisher? I'm not. I've been hit with cutters before and odds are I will get hit with them again. It's kind of an occupational hazard.”
“I'm ready for you, Velez. I am as ready for you as I have been for any other opponent I've faced over the course of my seventeen year career. Now, don't you worry your pretty little head. If you want to take your broken ass body and leave like Spike Kane did. When this match is over, I won't stop you. But once that bell rings, they are going to have to arrest me for breaking a Constitutional amendment... because I'm going to own you. Sorry, Charlie.
Nevertheless, this first night in the Kendrick's house, Ken was reluctant to undress and go to bed. He sat in the darkness in a medallion-back armchair at one of the two windows in the guest room, gazing out at the moonlit beaches, fields, and hills of the Jersey Shore. Bailey was in another room, at the far end of the second-floor hall, no doubt sound asleep, at peace because this house was not at all strange to her. Ken stared out the window, longing for the warmth for Bailey's body next to his. Between that and his upcoming pay-per-view match, hopefully matches, he seemed to be the most restless person on Earth at that very moment. Despite the fact that he had a chance to exact revenge on Charlie Velez for jumping him in his attempt to convince Mike Laszlo there was strength in numbers, he was still on edge. Despite the goings on elsewhere in his career, he had made Velez his number one priority. Thankfully, this had not fallen upon deaf ears. He pondered a lot of what he was saying and experiencing, weighing the pros and cons of each and every decision. He would meet with his step-brother Sean before his match , but was making it a point to keep his thoughts focused on the task at hand. After the last two weeks, he would need to eliminate all other distractions.
Velez would be a tough opponent, Davison knew that from the matches he had watched and also by the company Charlie keeps. But the fire that burned inside him was a blazing inferno, engulfing him with hatred for Laszlo, whom he had already taken care of, and most immediately, Velez. Davison had considered actually trying to bring his step-brother Sean into NCW as back up. The fact that Sean allowed himself to be so carefree, quite frankly, pissed him off. Sean was a performer in the ring that was better than he let on. If he ever focused on his career, he could be dangerous. Still, this was a battle that Ken had decided he would fight on his own. Not like Sean could do all that much right now anyway. He would not be able to compete, sidelined by an ankle injury. The problem that Davison faced, was that he had allowed himself to become soft, instead of the benevolent dictator he claimed to be, as he had reforged his attitude in NCW. Somehow, it seemed when NV Laroux came out, he was at his best. He fought with himself constantly in order to try and keep the demon out. The bottom line is that he was becoming too kind.
First, it was Rose Acantha, the ungrateful wretch which reminded him of the nation of Israel. Biblically speaking, the nation of Israel was granted the gift of God's blessing, only to squander it, causing God to sacrifice his one and only Son to begin the formation of the church as we know it today. Granted, there had been no sacrifice, but Davison could relate to the God of the Bible. Rose lured him in with false promises that she would find a place for Davison in NCW and within two weeks she would be gone. Next would be, Mike Laszlo. The two men would be rivals, but Davison had mistakenly thought he was a man of honor. His master plan had gone awry. He would not let this happen again. Charlie Velez was a force to be reckoned with, but he was another barrier that Davison would have to break through. It would be the perfect measure for the NCW X Champion.
The seagulls cawed in the night sky, floating over the harbor even at this late hour. It was amazing how this house seemed to offer the views of so many things. If it wasn't for the waves of the ocean, he would feel totally out of place. The clouds stretch across the sky, obscuring the view of the moon hanging in the air. A shiver racked his body as the night air continued to pass through the open window. He knew this feeling. The rain would be coming soon. His attention shifted back to this Trauma, and the colossal shadow of Charlie Velez that loomed overhead. Would he be able to free himself of this burden? Even he himself could not be certain. He had yet another chance to prove that he was worthy to be the NCW X Champion. Velez would be the perfect test.
Davison stared off into the distance. The rain had begun falling. Before his mind could wander, the gentle feeling of Bailey's breath caused him to break his concentration. She had apparently not been asleep as Ken had surmised. In his trance like state, Davison himself had not noticed her enter the room.
”What's wrong, babe?”
”Just thinking.”
”I couldn't sleep. Something told me that I should check on you.”
”Thanks, babe.”
”What's on your mind?”
”What else?”
Bailey laughs to herself then settles her head on Davison's right shoulder.
”I brought you something, although I doubt it will help you sleep.”
”Milk and cookies?”
Bailey playfully hits Ken in the arm. He smiles in spite of himself. She reaches behind her and picks up a cassette, and hands it to Ken.
”You might want to pop this in the VCR.”
”Your parents still have one of those?”
”Yeah, this isn't exactly the 'Center for Technological Advancement' in case you failed to notice.”
”Let me guess, it has something to do with the very thing I'm trying to escape?”
”Yeah, it does.”
Davison nods silently. His mood turns somber.
”I know you will always love her. It doesn't bother me.”
”It's not about her, though. It's about Velez. From the day he jumped me, I've been waiting for this match.”
”Well, I thought you might want to see what he has to say now. You know where to find me if you need me.”
Bailey starts to get up to leave, but Ken gently takes her wrist.
”Wait, stay... please.”
”Are you sure?”
”If you're serious about this... about us, then you need to know what kind of things I deal with. I'm not asking you to like it, just to understand it. It's a part of who I am.”
The rain outside began falling gently. Bailey took the tape and popped in the VCR and turned on the television before pressing play. She settled back in behind Ken, wrapping her arms around his torso. He leans back into her as he takes in Charlie Velez's words. He had forgotten how much he had enjoyed his days working with Sydney Laroux before she went on to become a psycho Twinkie with a rotten filling. She always was a fierce, independent woman. Truly a free thinker. Though he had never verbalized it, he admired her greatly. Bailey seemed to exhibit many of those same qualities.
Davison sat transfixed, carefully taking in every word, every expression, every tone spoken with every word. He was dealing with a man who had up to this point claimed to outclass him on every front. This time, he would not allow Velez to get in his head. To do so would allow him to defeat him before the match even began. This time, it would be different from the losses of the last two weeks. It had to be.
As the tape ends, Bailey gets up and shuts everything off. Ken shakes his head in disbelief, obviously, he had not seen what he was expecting.
”Vexing... very vexing...”
”What's running through your head, babe?”
”He is acting like he doesn't even know me.”
”Maybe he realizes that the regular approach isn't going to work this time.”
”What he needs to understand is that times have changed. I mean, he calls himself a legend. That's all fine and good. But if I were to run down my resume I'd make him look like the a little league baseball team playing against the New York Yankees. ”
”There's no shame in losing. You know that.”
”That depends on what is lost. Is there shame in losing a match? Hell no. But to lose an opportunity to gain that which you truly desire... that's the greatest shame of all.”
”Will you be OK?”
”That depends, 'Lead Foot', are you driving me to the airport?”
”You're funny.”
”I know I am.”
Davison stops laughing and pauses a moment to think. Suddenly, he was ripped away from his thoughts by Bailey's snapping fingers.
”Ken... Ken... welcome back to the land of the living.”
”Sorry... just got a lot on my mind.”
”Listen, Ken, there's a couple things you need to know.”
”OK.”
”First of all, he knows you aren't someone he can just walk over. He is practically ignoring you. You know that's nothing more than a mind game. Secondly, you need to stop questioning everything. I know that's what you're doing. You tend to get all quiet and contemplative. There is no answer that you will find before your match. Beating yourself up won't accomplish anything... zilch, zero, nada, nothing. The fans won't think any less of you because they will know that you gave them everything you could. And the last thing you need to keep in mind, is that win or lose, I love you.”
Ken paused caught off guard by Bailey's last three words. She walked over to the front of the chair, and gently put each hand on the appropriate side of Ken's face.
”Ken? You OK there, champ?”
There was no way that Ken could verbalize what he wanted to say. He pulled Bailey in slowly, kissing her slowly, gently, passionately. It was the first time in almost 15 years that he had let a woman get this close to him. Truth be told, it felt pretty damned good.
”I love you, too.”
The rain continued to fall. But this rain, it was different. For the first time in over 10 years, as the heavens poured and the tears of the angels showered the Earth, his mind wasn't on her. Perhaps the future would be more promising than he thought.
”You want to talk about honesty, Velez? That's all fine and good. I'll play your game.”
Davison cocks his head and smiles.
”Unlike you, I actually did my research, and I was more than amused by what I found. Spokeo, LinkedIn, Facebook, wrestling profile, mug shot, mug shot... hell, if I were you I would change my name to avoid guilt by association. Now, you may have forgotten about me, but I sure as hell haven't forgotten about you. When you jumped me, for Laszlo's benefit, you didn't even know who I was. The next week, at Picture Perfect, I defeated your boy Laszlo and I won the X Championship and STILL you don't know who I am. Did I mention that I'm still holding on to this?” Davison holds up the NCW X Title. ”The fact that you don't know who I am, the fact that you don't even know who the champions are in the very company you work for shows how truly ignorant you are.”
Davison smirks into the camera.
”They say that ignorance is bliss. If that is indeed true, then Charlie Velez may very well be the happiest person in the world.”
”Now, you can sit here and tell me you're a legend, but that doesn't do anything to intimidate me. I've been doing this five years longer than you have. I have wrestled on six different continents and have been enshrined in three different Hall of Fames. But none of that matters in NCW. What matters is that I am the reigning X Champion. What matters is that I defeated the single most dominant champion this company as seen in Mike Laszlo. And I did it not once, not twice, but three consecutive times.”
”By your own admission, you're a spoiled rich kid who was given everything you ever wanted as a child. Me? I'll admit it. I grew up on the streets. I grew up stealing for food and sleeping in parks. Even looking at it from two vastly different stand points, we both know that this world comes down to the haves and the have nots. What have is the NCW X Championship. What I have not done is lost a singles match since I've entered NCW, don't you think that there's a Kendamned reason for that?”
“I want you to think about something, Charlie. I want you to think long and hard about this point. Just as you don't seem to know anything about me, I don't know much about you either. Just as I haven't known men like Andrew Jacobsen, Curtis D. Kanyon or Joe Everyman. And I've beaten each and every one of them when they made the mistake of crossing my path... just as I will beat you. You will learn to fear the Hands of God. You think I am afraid of your little jump and drop finisher? I'm not. I've been hit with cutters before and odds are I will get hit with them again. It's kind of an occupational hazard.”
“I'm ready for you, Velez. I am as ready for you as I have been for any other opponent I've faced over the course of my seventeen year career. Now, don't you worry your pretty little head. If you want to take your broken ass body and leave like Spike Kane did. When this match is over, I won't stop you. But once that bell rings, they are going to have to arrest me for breaking a Constitutional amendment... because I'm going to own you. Sorry, Charlie.