It was a long plane ride home, actually it's long anytime you want to get some where in a hurry. On the plane I found it hard to keep my thoughts straight. It hadn't been maybe a week ago when my aunt passed away. She meant a lot to me, as kid and as a teenager she was like another mom, you know the one who kind of lets you get away with more than your actual mom would. She was there for me when ever I needed her, she was there for any one that needed her. She once told me, it's not about the receiving you get here on Earth but the giving. Because of this I know she is in a better place but that still won't change the fact that she won't be here for this Thanksgiving to tell people some of the embarrassing stories of my childhood. The last memory I will have of her will be on the phone after my first match which I dedicated to her since she believed in me and kept me going. It will be some thing I never forget. But I also thought about the neighborhood I grew up in on the plane to, when I'd flown down for the funeral it was the first real time since I was a teen that I had truly gotten to see a glimpse of how much had changed. With us being in the area for a couple of days it would give me a chance to walk around and really get a sence of really just how much has happened since I have left. But my thoughts were trying not to dwell on the sad but to look to the new and how I would get to tell my family of my experience in the WWER. My thoughts wavered on for a couple of hours before I finally fell asleep.
When I woke up the plane was just about to land as the captain came over the speaker making the announcement that we were landing soon and thanking us for taking this flight. Once we were off the plane the first thing I did was take in a deep breath of the fresh air of the area, while I did so I had my eyes closed remembering the old days when I could step out side every morning and do the same thing before school. After a few moments of just taking in the air I moved inside the terminal to gather my bags. Once people noticed who I was I had to sign a few autographs which I didn't mind at all, in fact it put a smile on my face to know that people know who I was and appreciated what I did. I got my bags and walked to the parking lot to find my rental sitting in the lower parking lot. Of course I had to get something nice, I didn't want to drive home in a old beaten down car making it look like I wasn't a success at my job. So I decided to go with a black 08' Chevy Corvette. I forgot to mention I'm a sucker for speed. One of my uncles said it once and I have always stuck to this, give me a clutch and hearing and air and I'm just fine. I threw my bags in the back seat and decided to go to the hotel first to put my things up before I would go around my old neighborhood, and lastly go see my folks. I knew once I was there I wouldn't be able to get away so I wanted to get the other things out of the way first. A made as quick of a trip to the hotel as I could, wanting to take a bath and get everything situated before I went. For most people around the area the cold is something you are used to. if you live here. You can tell the tourist who are covered in three layers of clothing and winter hats and such. I grabbed a pair of my favorite white jeans, a white button coat, white shoes, and my expensive pair of sunglasses I pretty much wore every where now while I was out side.
I finally got dressed which took longer than I would have liked but I wasn't going any where without looking good first so that was a must. I grabbed my keys and wallet and key card for the hotel and headed down to the Corvette. It was only a twenty minute drive to downtown so I wouldn't have to wait long before I got to see my old neighborhood. I decided to make a quick detour though and stop by my aunts grab to pay my respects to her. I spent some time there getting lost in just wanting to talk to her like I always would about how things were and where I thought they were going. Then I stopped and just looked at her grave. It was there I stood I know at least ten minutes not able to look away and having to wipe away a few escaped tears that had managed to make it to my cheek.
John Morrison
Hey there, you know.....I still can't believe you aren't here. It just seems like yesterday when we were talking. I still here the excitement in your voice when I think about our conversation. You were so happy about my first match and how well I did. It'll be something I never forget now, that first match. I didn't get the chance to tell you though, I just found out that I get a chance at the title on Smackdown! since I won the last week. The traveling is hard and getting harder especially now with you gone. It's just not the same talking with mom and dad about it. I know they are proud of me and hope I will do well, but they were never the wrestling fans like you and I so I feel like saying more than I'm doing fine and every thing is going well is saying to much. It's going to be weird you not telling funny stories of my adolescence. As embarrassed as I always get I still feel happy when you do. I just wanted to stop by here and tell you how every thing was going. I wanted to tell you that I...I...I miss you and I love you.
That last sentence tore me up and I really had to wipe escaped tears away now. I kissed my hand and then touched it to her tombstone and held it there before finally walking away. Now that I had visited my aunt it was time that I went through my old neighborhood. A five minute drive wasn't bad, I knew a safe place that I could park the car though I didn't really care since it was a rental. I stepped out and took a long look around at what I was seeing. There were pretty much the same buildings as when I was a teen but the difference was the look of these buildings. Time had taken it's toll and so had the economy. Almost all of the older businesses that had thrived so long ago were shut down and now just another memory in the mind of the residents still old enough to remember them. I started walking until a came to a familiar spot. I leaned against the wall of one of the old buildings looking down the deserted ally letting my mind take me back in rewind of when I was just a little kid playing baseball with all the other kids in the neighborhood of this ally. The first home run I ever made was still fresh in my mind like it had just happened, I remember that was the last pitch and hit of that game since the home run broke a window in the process which was like fireworks in a way but scared us enough of what would happen that we ran home.
Flashback
Little Kid
Are ya ready for this John? I'm going to strike you out this time and we are going to win. You know you can't hit the broad side of a barn. Hey everyone! move in closer there is no way John will hit this ball any where out there.
John Morrison
Hey, just throw the ball and shut your mouth. We'll see who can hit the broad side of the barn. You aren't going to win today, not if I can help it. I'm not going to let my team down when they need me the most. Now throw the ball and lets get this over with.
He was right some what. My baseball skills were limited. I wasn't the best at the game.But that day I was fueled up. He threw the first pitch and I swung has hard as I could and missed making it strike one. This only made the kid smile harder and made me mad. The second pitch I barely remember seeing come by as it was called strike two. But the third pitch I was seeing red. My team was shouting encouragement to me knowing that I could do this if I tried hard enough. It was almost like slow motion as the ball came right down the center. The bat cracked as the pressure was so hard when it connected dead center and sent the ball sailing down the ally into a fourth story window of a building across the street. My team cheered for a few seconds as I stood there in shock but a few seconds was all we had before our minds told us it was time to start running.
I couldn't help but feel a smile come across my face as the memory passed by me. I stood up straight again with hands in my pockets as I slowly strode through the old neighborhood. So many memories were flying through my mind, some good some bad, but none I regret. I touched a few of the buildings like the old flower shop. I spent plenty of time there. There weren't to many times I went on a first date without flowers to impress the girls. Then there was the old dinner where I had my first job as a server. It wasn't the best of money but it was all that you could get around here and I welcomed the money to take the girls out since my parents didn't have the extra cash to just be throwing around like that. That dinner was where most of the younger crowds hung out in the after noons and the older more wily crowds hung out in the morning talking about how things used to be and talking about where the city was going. In the movies you see so many times now these old run down movie theaters that are no longer in use and look like they are going to fall apart on their own with out the help of human technology. Well ours was no exception to that now. When we were kids it was the best place to be Saturday nights with your dates. the atmosphere of the dark and quite made it perfect for making out. No one ever paid any attention to the actual movie. I'm more than willing to assume it's just the same now with teens as it was when I was one.
Next I wanted to go see my high school and relive some memories there also. I took one last look around the neighborhood before walking to the car. It was almost like the last time. I took one last look back before leaving and not coming back. Didn't take long to get to the school with my driving not that it would have taken long anyway. I parked outside in the lot and just looked at the building from inside the car. I was your typical teenager who didn't love high school don't get me wrong, but I didn't have it bad. I was on the football team which meant instant popularity. Not to mention that was when I truly began building this body I have today. Classes came naturally to me but to save my reputation I always acted like some things were harder than others. I found out that was a great way to draw in a girl hook, line, and sinker when you wanted one. They would just nip at the bait to get to help one of the football players make a good grade so they could play.
I convinced my self to get out of the car finally. I walked into the front office and I was known instantly when I walked in. I wasn't what you would call a goody to shoes more like I was a class clown. Yep that's right, I was smart, athletic, good looking, and funny, no wonder the girls couldn't keep their hands off of me even then. The lady in the office told me that classes were still going on so I wouldn't be able to disturb the ones going on. She told me what was open and made a call to the gym though to see if I could swing by there and see my old coach.She nodded her head and I gave her my thanks as I walked out and began a journey through memory lane. So much happened here in this school from the time I got in until the time I was out that it was all hitting me at one time. I didn't know which memory I wanted to really remember first.
The first area I walked into was the cafeteria. It hadn't changed at all. Every thing was still the same all the way down to the tables. I looked for one in specific and found it right where I knew it would be. I ran my hand across it slowly as I looked at the engraving I carved in it many years ago. Since then others had laid their claim to this table as well, most likely the new generation of football players. This was the popular table that every one wanted to be a part of but few got to sit at. I couldn't say much about the lunch, it was what you would expect from a high school, nothing special just regular food. There would be a food fight probably about once a week at some point due to the arguments that went on. It makes me feel a little bad for the janitor now that I think about. He was a really nice old man that never said much and kept to himself. I stood up from the seat of the table and walked down hallway E which was special since it was where my locker used to be. Number twenty-eight was my locker the same number as I wore on my jersey in football. That was a privilege that most of us football players had having our locker numbers coordinate with our jersey numbers. The school showed many different ways of appreciating the football team than I could truly remember.
It was a short walk across the school which was different than I ever remembered. My memories go back to the crowded hallways and just trying to make it to class on time which as I said before wasn't a real big deal because the teachers would excuse us for being a couple of minutes late due to the traffic or at least that is what they would say to others. The gym was located at the end of the school was usually my favorite class to be in. I opened up the now not so big metal doors of the gym and walked inside. The gym had been updated as was always one of the first things to be updated like the football field. The bleachers had been replaced from the wooden ones to a new metal bleachers that looked a hell of a lot more comfortable than what we had to suffer through when I was here. The basketball goals were brand new and floors looked like they had just been waxed the night before. I walked to the end of the bleachers where a rack of basketballs were sitting undoubtedly for the next class to come in. I took one of the balls and bounced it as I walked to center count. I took a shot hearing the woosh of the net as the ball and then the thud as it bounced one time to the floor before landing in the hands of my old coach who was standing under the net now with the ball in his hand.
Coach
You always were one to show off John. You let your good looks and show boating out show your true talent. But I guess you wouldn't be where you are right now if you hadn't. I'm glad to see that you have kept your self in shape. Though I won't kid you. I watch you on tv every time wrestling comes on. You are the only reason I watch. To see some one who was like a son to me doing something he loves and being so successful at it. You make me proud John. As do a lot of the others who were here. They have gone on to be great football stars and great people in general in this world and that is what I really wanted. Not so much the success but to know that you would make a difference in a good way in the world. You have done that. I wasn't sure if you would be dropping by or not when I heard they were coming here for a show. Of course I already bought tickets for me and the team to come watch you on Friday night. We got lucky it was a by week and we don't have a game. How have you been?
John Morrison
Coach, I don't think I have ever heard you speak like that. Most of my memories of you are of yelling at us for one mistake in a single game that could have been avoided. But you are right, if it weren't for you I don't know what I'd be doing right now. You always challenged us to do our best then not only do our best but so much more. You always said it is never good enough to be the only one on top of the mountain, you need to share it with others. I never quite got your logic of that until I started seeing how so many kids look up to us now and say they want to be just like us. I'll never forget the Hell you put us through though. I doing great. I know you heard of my aunt passing away of course. So that is the only sad thing recently that has gone on. I'm glad you got tickets for the show. I'll make sure to give yall I come back see yall though you know I won't be able to really shake your hands and stuff due to the hole heel thing. I'm about to head to the field for a bit, I know there is only a few minutes before your next class will start. I just wanted to drop by and see how you were doing.
We shook hands and then decided that a hug wouldn't be to much since he was like a father figure to me after all and then I departed out of the gym though the exit doors so I could walk to the field to relax and do some real rewind of the memories. Football games here were something you never forget. It's exactly like being in the ring. The excitement is something that courses through your body and just pumps you up beyond belief. I wasn't even half way to the field when I heard the bells ring through the school. I laughed to my self as I kept walking forward seeing the seats of the field now in my sight. As I had said the field had been updated, they had put up a new score board showing the state championships and division championships that the school had won. I suppose they updated the locker rooms. I made my way to the field and walked up the steps near the fifty yard line and sat midway up the seats. I looked down on the field letting my thoughts go back to those games almost like I was really watching the games right in front of my eyes. The smile on my face grew as I sat their enjoying the weather and the silence around me. Time seemed to pass by more quickly than I expected and I looked at my watch and noticed that school would be out soon and I didn't want to be caught up in that traffic trying to make it back to the hotel. I decided that I would just show up at my parents tomorrow for Thanksgiving.
The ride back to the hotel was short enough. The sun was starting to set and I really wanted to go out but I also wanted the chance for rest while I had it. I decided on the rest since I would only get to spend part of the day at my parents then have to be at the arena for the show later that day. I opened up the door to the hotel and walked in closing the door behind me. I decided I needed a good shower from the long day I had out. When I was done I put on some clothes to sleep on and ordered some room service since I forgot to eat from the long day. Didn't take long for the food to come up and took even less time for me to chow it down. I flipped through the TV real quick to my surprise I didn't find much on and decided it was time to head to sleep.
Next Day
After a good night of beauty sleep I woke up to the morning sun beaming in through the window of the hotel that I had forgotten to shut the night before. Though slightly irritated from being awaken from the peaceful slumber I decided that I should get up and start my day. I was actually surprised that my parents hadn't called me already once I saw the time on the clock. I let out a yawn as I stretched out my limbs. I sat on the edge of my bed for a couple of minutes before getting up and going straight to the shower. Nothing like hot water over the body to loosen up the muscles and wake the body up for the day. After the shower I got dressed for Thanksgiving and at the same time went ahead and packed my clothes for tonight knowing that I would go straight to the arena from their house. I threw the bags in the car and headed down to my parents place which didn't take long. Many of the places in the area didn't long to get to. It was just small town after all. The arena was a little a bit away but that was about the only exception.
When I pulled into the drive way most of the spaces for parking was full as I expected it to be. My parents never had a dull Thanksgiving and with my aunt passing this year I didn't expect it to be less, I really expected it to be more. I parked my car and walked up to the door and knocked three times waiting on someone to answer. The expression on my mothers face when she saw me was something I don't think I'll ever forget. The surprise took her at first, but once that was over the tears and hurt from my aunt came in as she took me in a strong embrace of a hug. I picked up her and hugged her not quite as hard then we looked at each other for awhile.
Mom
Oh..John...welcome home honey! We have missed you so much! I wasn't sure if you were going to be able to come here for Thanksgiving with your wrestling. Everyone is here. I suppose you don't have a hole bunch of time though. How has your life been. I know we don't get to talk much anymore.
John Morrison
Wrestling has been great mom. I won my first match a couple of weeks ago. I'm having my second match this week. This is really the best thing I have ever done. She was so happy when I called her after my first match to tell her about it. You know how she such a wrestling fan just like me. I know you and dad aren't so excited about wrestling but I know yall watched. And I love you guys very much. You may not love my profession but you will always support me just like her and that is all that counts. But I guess I have a lot of people to see and I can't leave until I get some of your good home cooking.
What should have seemed like forever seemed like it was just a few minutes. The hours passed by quickly as I talked with my mom and dad and all my other family members and friends who were there. It was just like the old days, good food, good fun, and great family. But no matter what it would never be the same without my aunt there to be my side sitting with me talking about wrestling all through the day like normal. I said my good byes and walked outside and took one last long look at my my parents house and with that also said my last good bye to my aunt and vowed that this match and this night would be for her.
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