Post by america on Sept 27, 2020 15:24:57 GMT -5
2000
Elias Jackson watched his son play in the fields. He understood that the boy would have to learn how to toughen up in order to fulfill the role god has for him. There was a fear in his heart which he had never known before. A fear that came in step with fatherhood. The fear of loss. The fear of failure. The fear that his son would grow up to be a commie or a queer or an atheist. The fear that every bit of suffering he’d done for god and family would amount to nothing in the end.
Harrison James had come by again. The season had left Elias struggling to keep house and home. Nora said his drinking hadn’t helped much. Harrison had an offer he couldn’t say no to. A loan requiring no credit checks nor banks, but for which the cost of failure to repay meant the loss of everything Elias had worked so hard for. Elias hated men like Harrison James. Soft, moneyed men who came round promising worlds while knowing that those same worlds were only ever built for them. It disgusted him.
Yet as he looked out to America, named after this country which both he and Nora loved so much, Elias wondered if he could afford to let himself falter. He would find a way through and if that meant taking the hand of a man like Harrison James…maybe he could bring himself to do that. He was a father now and being a father meant doing anything…sacrificing anything…to keep his son safe. To protect the things he held precious and allow them room to grow.
He called up Harrison James and told him to bring the contract over. They’d have a few beers, suss out the details, see if they couldn’t get something worked out by night’s end. Saturday was perfect for it, a chance to sort the whole thing out at night then wake up and face God in the morning. Harrison seemed happy to hear it. Eager. Elias didn’t trust him, of course. Men like Harrison James would only give if they saw something greater which they could take in return.
It didn’t matter.
He was out of moves.
Out of chances.
His son would grow up in the same fields his daddy raised him on.
And if Harrison James turned ‘round looking to take that from him?
Well.
Blood would run thicker than money.
Oh good, we’re shaking the Architects out of hiding.
This is something of an honour. Lex Collins, back in this very ring. Usually you have to go to a museum to see a fossil in real life, but one will stand before our illustrious double champion in the flesh. It seems as though you heard a call to return and you just couldn’t take it, could you? The sound of your legacy fading away. You thought that because you walked away from this title as the longest reigning champion, no one would ever come to challenge your legacy. That after a long career, you could rest safe in knowing that you would be the name forever associated with this title.
It must have been reassuring to you. You spent some time in Full Throttle Wrestling with my employer and from my understanding it was a series of near misses. Couldn’t win the Inferno Title. Couldn’t win King of the Jungle. Finally got your shot at the World Title and took a series of humiliating losses right out the door because you couldn’t hack it. Looking at your record since, the story isn’t that much different. Sure you found your way to some titles, but changing companies every year or two while holding titles in short bursts. You could grasp success but never hold it, and that was before the weight of all those miles took its toll on your body.
You were broken.
But you found your legacy.
You retired as APW American Champion.
You would be remembered.
Enter America Jackson.
A star just setting out on his career. A man whose natural ability and incredible fortitude pushed him beyond veterans and amateurs alike, straight to the top of this industry. In he walks and he matches achievements you spent a decade building to as though it were the most natural thing in the world. He captured the title in one month that took you over ten years to get to. He matched your defenses and as of World War Wrestling he’ll have matched your record length as well.
Everything you’ve done, he’s done faster.
Everything you’ve done, he’s done better.
And then…then he wins the APW World Championship.
Some may try to argue it’s a coincidence that you returned for that night.
I don’t believe in coincidence.
I believe Lex Collins saw the writing on the wall. You had stepped away from this industry believing that after all the work you’d put in, your name would be held high forever. By walking away with the title in your hands, you tried to send a message that no one would ever be a better champion because they hadn’t beaten you. But then America beats the man you walked away from, he goes unbeaten for months, and he has a World Title shot lined up for him and suddenly…Lex Collins is back in the wrestling game.
Well let me tell you, we couldn’t be happier.
Because when America Jackson beats you at World War Wrestling there will be no room for doubt left.
America Jackson WILL be the GREATEST American Champion in APW History.
The longest reign.
The most defenses.
A double champion.
Whatever claim you may have had to that crumbles to dust with you.
When you’re left beaten, body and soul.
Please know that you’ve served the only role you ever mattered in.
A footnote in the history of your betters.
2007
Elias Jackson was afraid.
The school had called, letting him know that America had been acting out again. He’d pulled the pigtails of Harrison James’ little girl and he’d need a scolding. Frankly, Elias hated the little bitch and thought America probably could have thrown a hand or two in there, but he also knew that he’d have to teach the boy that the rules need to be kept in society right up until the point where they couldn’t. He’d have his belt ready for when America returned home as a matter of course. None of that was the problem.
The problem was Harrison James.
Seven years ago, Elias had come to agree on loan terms with Harrison in order to save his farm. He thought to himself at the time that a few good years would get him back, no problem. Instead each year had proven more challenging than the last, with bad crops and bad decisions spurring on more drinking which perpetuated further bad decisions and thus more bad crops. The debt just kept accruing and it seemed as though the loss of their home was merely delayed rather than stopped.
Harrison James kept looking for his money.
At first, he’d come by once a month to check in. They’d have a chat, have a drink, Elias would hand off some cash if he had it on hand and everything would be fine. Then the visits became weekly. Then twice weekly. Lately, Harrison had been coming by every day and there were no drinks to be had for there was no money to be given. Harrison reminded them of the contract, written between them all those years ago and kept privately in his safe which stated that should Elias fail to honour his debt, his house would be used as collateral. He’d been depending on Harrison’s good grace to keep it off even as they fought over it.
Then America hurt his little girl.
On a level, Elias understood Harrison’s anger. If someone came for America, Elias would fight just as avidly. He tried to argue the usual shit when their kids had beat the shit out of each other. Boys would be boys, they were just kids, he’d take care of it. This wasn’t Harrison’s boy though. America had laid hands on his baby girl and there would be hell to pay. Either Elias would settle his debt or the whole lot of them would be on the street. Elias thought of America as he felt the weight of the gun as he picked it up. It sat heavy in his hands. He pointed it at Harrison James and thought for a moment of his laughter as they’d drank beers on a Saturday night as comrades.
Then he filled the man with buckshot and watched as the life left his eyes.
Elias trembled as he called the police, spewing a line about Harrison threatening and attacking him. He stood his ground, Elias would argue. In his heart, that’s what Elias told himself as well. Harrison James threatened his life, his home, his family. Elias only did what any good man would do to keep them safe. If the time came…
He’d do it again.
I used to think my daddy was the toughest man alive.
He’d walked before me, nothing but piss and vinegar working the fields, drinking whiskey, and coming back with more’n a few black eyes when the bar nights got busy. He was John Wayne to me. A man who was at his very core about nothing more than family, God, and country. So much of the man I am comes from the way I saw my father as a child.
I wonder how your kids see you, Lex. Dragging yourself back into this to fight on grit and steam and not much else anymore. You think they respect you? A man coming back to fight for his ideals, even as you’re busted to hell and only getting worse. Or do you think that the moment they see you lose in spite of that, they’ll come to hate you?
We look to our fathers to model ourselves.
When you come out here, abandoning your wife and kids in a losing battle?
What’s that tell them about who to be?
I know it stings to see me take all the glory you used to have. Once this show’s over, I’ll be the longest reigning American Champ, tied for most defenses, all while doubling down. There’ll be no question about who the best to ever hold it was. On some level I get wanting to come out here and challenge that. Fighting’s in your bones, just like it was with my daddy and just like it is for me. But I’m standing here in the prime of life while you’re looking around twilight.
Here’s the thing Lex.
I had to fight my daddy once.
And I beat the hell out of him.
And that moment…that told me that the man I saw was not who my daddy was.
So when your kids see you fail?
When they see you break?
Who you gonna be then?
2020
Elias Jackson walks through the cell block in a daze. He has a visitor. He hasn’t had a visitor that wasn’t legal council since he was locked up four years ago. They told him his wife would never speak again and his son…well, his son would never speak to him again and that was about as good. As he walks into the room, he lets a small gasp escape him. His son…America…he’s sitting on the other side of the table, two gold titles laid in front of him. His face is stone, not letting anything slip. Elias almost can’t believe it when he hears his voice.
“Hi dad.”
Elias Jackson watched his son play in the fields. He understood that the boy would have to learn how to toughen up in order to fulfill the role god has for him. There was a fear in his heart which he had never known before. A fear that came in step with fatherhood. The fear of loss. The fear of failure. The fear that his son would grow up to be a commie or a queer or an atheist. The fear that every bit of suffering he’d done for god and family would amount to nothing in the end.
Harrison James had come by again. The season had left Elias struggling to keep house and home. Nora said his drinking hadn’t helped much. Harrison had an offer he couldn’t say no to. A loan requiring no credit checks nor banks, but for which the cost of failure to repay meant the loss of everything Elias had worked so hard for. Elias hated men like Harrison James. Soft, moneyed men who came round promising worlds while knowing that those same worlds were only ever built for them. It disgusted him.
Yet as he looked out to America, named after this country which both he and Nora loved so much, Elias wondered if he could afford to let himself falter. He would find a way through and if that meant taking the hand of a man like Harrison James…maybe he could bring himself to do that. He was a father now and being a father meant doing anything…sacrificing anything…to keep his son safe. To protect the things he held precious and allow them room to grow.
He called up Harrison James and told him to bring the contract over. They’d have a few beers, suss out the details, see if they couldn’t get something worked out by night’s end. Saturday was perfect for it, a chance to sort the whole thing out at night then wake up and face God in the morning. Harrison seemed happy to hear it. Eager. Elias didn’t trust him, of course. Men like Harrison James would only give if they saw something greater which they could take in return.
It didn’t matter.
He was out of moves.
Out of chances.
His son would grow up in the same fields his daddy raised him on.
And if Harrison James turned ‘round looking to take that from him?
Well.
Blood would run thicker than money.
Oh good, we’re shaking the Architects out of hiding.
This is something of an honour. Lex Collins, back in this very ring. Usually you have to go to a museum to see a fossil in real life, but one will stand before our illustrious double champion in the flesh. It seems as though you heard a call to return and you just couldn’t take it, could you? The sound of your legacy fading away. You thought that because you walked away from this title as the longest reigning champion, no one would ever come to challenge your legacy. That after a long career, you could rest safe in knowing that you would be the name forever associated with this title.
It must have been reassuring to you. You spent some time in Full Throttle Wrestling with my employer and from my understanding it was a series of near misses. Couldn’t win the Inferno Title. Couldn’t win King of the Jungle. Finally got your shot at the World Title and took a series of humiliating losses right out the door because you couldn’t hack it. Looking at your record since, the story isn’t that much different. Sure you found your way to some titles, but changing companies every year or two while holding titles in short bursts. You could grasp success but never hold it, and that was before the weight of all those miles took its toll on your body.
You were broken.
But you found your legacy.
You retired as APW American Champion.
You would be remembered.
Enter America Jackson.
A star just setting out on his career. A man whose natural ability and incredible fortitude pushed him beyond veterans and amateurs alike, straight to the top of this industry. In he walks and he matches achievements you spent a decade building to as though it were the most natural thing in the world. He captured the title in one month that took you over ten years to get to. He matched your defenses and as of World War Wrestling he’ll have matched your record length as well.
Everything you’ve done, he’s done faster.
Everything you’ve done, he’s done better.
And then…then he wins the APW World Championship.
Some may try to argue it’s a coincidence that you returned for that night.
I don’t believe in coincidence.
I believe Lex Collins saw the writing on the wall. You had stepped away from this industry believing that after all the work you’d put in, your name would be held high forever. By walking away with the title in your hands, you tried to send a message that no one would ever be a better champion because they hadn’t beaten you. But then America beats the man you walked away from, he goes unbeaten for months, and he has a World Title shot lined up for him and suddenly…Lex Collins is back in the wrestling game.
Well let me tell you, we couldn’t be happier.
Because when America Jackson beats you at World War Wrestling there will be no room for doubt left.
America Jackson WILL be the GREATEST American Champion in APW History.
The longest reign.
The most defenses.
A double champion.
Whatever claim you may have had to that crumbles to dust with you.
When you’re left beaten, body and soul.
Please know that you’ve served the only role you ever mattered in.
A footnote in the history of your betters.
2007
Elias Jackson was afraid.
The school had called, letting him know that America had been acting out again. He’d pulled the pigtails of Harrison James’ little girl and he’d need a scolding. Frankly, Elias hated the little bitch and thought America probably could have thrown a hand or two in there, but he also knew that he’d have to teach the boy that the rules need to be kept in society right up until the point where they couldn’t. He’d have his belt ready for when America returned home as a matter of course. None of that was the problem.
The problem was Harrison James.
Seven years ago, Elias had come to agree on loan terms with Harrison in order to save his farm. He thought to himself at the time that a few good years would get him back, no problem. Instead each year had proven more challenging than the last, with bad crops and bad decisions spurring on more drinking which perpetuated further bad decisions and thus more bad crops. The debt just kept accruing and it seemed as though the loss of their home was merely delayed rather than stopped.
Harrison James kept looking for his money.
At first, he’d come by once a month to check in. They’d have a chat, have a drink, Elias would hand off some cash if he had it on hand and everything would be fine. Then the visits became weekly. Then twice weekly. Lately, Harrison had been coming by every day and there were no drinks to be had for there was no money to be given. Harrison reminded them of the contract, written between them all those years ago and kept privately in his safe which stated that should Elias fail to honour his debt, his house would be used as collateral. He’d been depending on Harrison’s good grace to keep it off even as they fought over it.
Then America hurt his little girl.
On a level, Elias understood Harrison’s anger. If someone came for America, Elias would fight just as avidly. He tried to argue the usual shit when their kids had beat the shit out of each other. Boys would be boys, they were just kids, he’d take care of it. This wasn’t Harrison’s boy though. America had laid hands on his baby girl and there would be hell to pay. Either Elias would settle his debt or the whole lot of them would be on the street. Elias thought of America as he felt the weight of the gun as he picked it up. It sat heavy in his hands. He pointed it at Harrison James and thought for a moment of his laughter as they’d drank beers on a Saturday night as comrades.
Then he filled the man with buckshot and watched as the life left his eyes.
Elias trembled as he called the police, spewing a line about Harrison threatening and attacking him. He stood his ground, Elias would argue. In his heart, that’s what Elias told himself as well. Harrison James threatened his life, his home, his family. Elias only did what any good man would do to keep them safe. If the time came…
He’d do it again.
I used to think my daddy was the toughest man alive.
He’d walked before me, nothing but piss and vinegar working the fields, drinking whiskey, and coming back with more’n a few black eyes when the bar nights got busy. He was John Wayne to me. A man who was at his very core about nothing more than family, God, and country. So much of the man I am comes from the way I saw my father as a child.
I wonder how your kids see you, Lex. Dragging yourself back into this to fight on grit and steam and not much else anymore. You think they respect you? A man coming back to fight for his ideals, even as you’re busted to hell and only getting worse. Or do you think that the moment they see you lose in spite of that, they’ll come to hate you?
We look to our fathers to model ourselves.
When you come out here, abandoning your wife and kids in a losing battle?
What’s that tell them about who to be?
I know it stings to see me take all the glory you used to have. Once this show’s over, I’ll be the longest reigning American Champ, tied for most defenses, all while doubling down. There’ll be no question about who the best to ever hold it was. On some level I get wanting to come out here and challenge that. Fighting’s in your bones, just like it was with my daddy and just like it is for me. But I’m standing here in the prime of life while you’re looking around twilight.
Here’s the thing Lex.
I had to fight my daddy once.
And I beat the hell out of him.
And that moment…that told me that the man I saw was not who my daddy was.
So when your kids see you fail?
When they see you break?
Who you gonna be then?
2020
Elias Jackson walks through the cell block in a daze. He has a visitor. He hasn’t had a visitor that wasn’t legal council since he was locked up four years ago. They told him his wife would never speak again and his son…well, his son would never speak to him again and that was about as good. As he walks into the room, he lets a small gasp escape him. His son…America…he’s sitting on the other side of the table, two gold titles laid in front of him. His face is stone, not letting anything slip. Elias almost can’t believe it when he hears his voice.
“Hi dad.”
