The door swings open and a light flickers on in the empty locker room; Brian is led into the room where he’s seated at a bench by both Sarah and the agent. Brian looks up at the agent and nods his head, leaning back against a wall and trying to get some strength back in his body through rest.
Brian Z: Thanks, Mo. I don't need anything else. You can leave me and Sarah be.
The agent gives a thumbs up and leaves the locker room, where Sarah stares at Brian, whose posture is drooped and haggard. Brian turns his head and looks into her eyes. There’s no shine in his eyes, a dulled glint over the ocean blue pupils staring right back into Sarah’s soul.
Sarah: You sure you're alright? You took a beating out there ya know…
Brian simply shrugs his shoulders and gives a long exhaled sigh. This is a man whose body has not just been broken, but his soul and morale. All the positivity has eroded away instantly into bitterness and regret. Brian rubs his eyes as words drip from his mouth.
Brian Z: Well, I suppose I should have seen it coming. I'm not surprised, just disappointed.
Sarah: Look, you did your best, and you left everything out there. There's nothing to be ashamed of.
Brian sneers and scoffs. Shame isn’t his issue, quite frankly. His mind is aflutter with thoughts and theories; ideas that hurt him and give him a feeling of existential pain. He looks out across the empty locker room and thinks out loud.
Brian Z: You say that, but I see things very differently. I guess I just wasn't good enough.
Sarah: Don't say that Brian. You were more than good enough, you just caught a bit of bad luck…
Brian’s head snaps back in the direction of Sarah, seemingly staring her down to be quiet in that very moment. “Bad luck” is just an excuse in Brian’s mind. Bad luck isn’t responsible for this. Clawing in the back of Brian’s mind is the voice of that damned thing inside of him, whispering something. Was his influence overtaking him at that moment? It’s unknown, but Brian shot up off the bench like a rocket and barked angrily at Sarah. He was still in pain, but his anger had dulled it, if only for a moment.
Brian Z: Bad luck? Are you kidding me, Sarah? There is no such thing as luck. If that thing inside me had taught me nothing else, it's that luck is nonexistent. This wasn't a stroke of bad luck. I guess I just wasn’t “the one”… I mean, hell, Sarah, look at everything. This was supposed to be my moment! I was gonna win the Grand Championship! My own daughter was in the crowd cheering me on. I looked like a fucking asshole out there, a god damn scrub. How do you think that makes me feel?
There’s a tense moment of silence afterward, and it was something that Sarah perhaps had not quite considered. Imagine having everything ready for you, the first good piece of news in a long time, all crumbling to dust after a horrible loss. Surely Brian’s anger was relatable, understandable even. Yet at the same time, Sarah shook her head and reached up for Brian’s arm. She tried to pull him back onto the bench to rest, but he wouldn’t have any of it.
Sarah: I understand why you're extremely upset Brian, but you need to calm down, regardless. This anger is unbecoming of you–
Brian Z: I need to calm down, huh? Why should I!? I think I know exactly what happened out there–
Just before Brian can speak any further, the door behind them opens. Brian swings his head to get a look at who is there, and lo and behold his ex-wife Stacy and daughter Celestia. Brian’s anger subsided at that moment, his rough expressions shifted to a more pained disappointment.
Celestia: Hey, dad…
Brian Z: Hey, kiddo…
Celestia reaches around Brian in an embrace, as Brian pets her head gently and caresses his daughter. Brian's body is beaten, battered, and too tired to keep going on; it's the hug from his own flesh and blood that continues to give him life at this moment. The stinging pain of defeat lingers but is deadened by this outpouring of love.
Celestia: You were great out there, I'm so proud of you.
Brian Z: I'm… sorry I didn't win the title Celestia. I know how much you would have loved to see that title around my waist.
Celestia shakes her head and looks up at her father. Those gorgeous blue eyes looking right into his, and Brian's heart couldn't help but soften. After all, today was the first time that he had actually seen his daughter in such a long time. Brian's disappointed frown wraps into a small smile.
Celestia: That doesn’t matter to me, dad. You did everything you could have. I’m just happy to have gotten to see you wrestle live.
Brian Z: I’m glad, nonetheless. I’m happy you were out there watching me, but I promise next time I’ll make it right. I’m going to make things right, I promise– |