An Adventure Part 3

Don't bet your future
On one roll of the dice
Better remember
Lightning never strikes twice

~Alice drags Welsh out of an Uber. He’s still blindfolded. She gives Gumbo the driver five stars. She escorts him down a wooden path leading to a bar out over the water~

Welsh: I can hear the ocean.

Alice: I can SEA the ocean! Haha, get it?

Welsh: Not really…unless you’re making fun of me for being blind.

~Alice rips the blindfold off and Welsh surveys the area. He smiles. The breeze off the water brings more than one kind of warmth as he hugs himself and takes it in~

Welsh: Key West.

Alice: As beautiful as the direction for which it was named. Or was it named after an actual Key…like the keys to the Illuminatus?

~Welsh sees a familiar face seated at the bar, staring out over the western horizon as the sun begins its descent~

Welsh: Meyhu…

~Welsh walks to the bar. He hops up and takes a seat next to The Marvel…he’s about to introduce himself when he’s cut off~

Meyhu: Marcus.

~He remembers. Welsh smiles~

Welsh: Man, are you a sight for sore eyes.

Alice: You need a pair of sunglasses?

Welsh: Not now, Alice!

~Meyhu nods at the bartender~

Welsh: Champ…it’s been a wild day, you have no idea.

~Meyhu gives Welsh a surprised look~

Meyhu: Champ? Is that still what you’re calling me? Last I heard you’d given that moniker to someone else.

~A Gin & Tonic finds its way in front of Welsh. He takes a sip~

Welsh: Haha, hey, I mean, you know!

Meyhu: Right.

Welsh: You’re my #1 champ, you know that.

~Meyhu doesn’t respond. He just stares into the horizon~

Meyhu: You remember six years ago…Like There’s No Tomorrow. There was a cruise ship right there. CJ and Mack O’Connor had a match. In fact, alot of people had a match. It was OCW’s big return show…but you know who didn’t have a match?

Welsh: I remember.

Meyhu: Matt Meyhu didn’t have a match. I stood on the beach and watched CJ and Mack O’Connor attempt to drown each other. I thought you were crazy.

Welsh: Yea, so did I.

Meyhu: But, I was wrong. You had a plan, stuck with it, and the rest is history.

~Meyhu lifts his drink for a toast. Welsh reciprocates, they share a drink~

Meyhu: You’re the greatest promoter I’ve ever worked for. You know that, right?

~Welsh smiles, trying to hold his emotions back~

Meyhu: I’m not the only one who thinks so. Your reputation was like my in-ring career…impeccable. Then, I left. And I thought you did, too.

Welsh: Hold on, I…

Meyhu: Then I look up and I see this thing called TRIAD.

Welsh: Champ…

Meyhu: What are you doing, Marcus?

~Welsh leans back~

Welsh: Hold on, you’re not…

Meyhu: That’s right. I’m your Ghost of Christmas Present.

~Alice is spotted in the background sipping on a margarita. She claps her hands and says ‘yay!’~

Meyhu: Why? Why are you running TRIAD?

Welsh: Look, I found out about this mythical object…I ran into PIC and TLS and, well…

Meyhu: What do you need its power for?

Welsh: To…

~It suddenly hits Welsh that he doesn’t have a legitimate answer~

Meyhu: You keep chasing these MacGuffins, Marcus. And now you’re chasing the biggest one of all. But you have no purpose. You have no goal. You’re just doing it. And these people following you…they do so because of your reputation. The reputation you built back when you actually cared…when you had a goal, when you had a purpose.

Welsh: Look, that’s not true. I find the TRIAD and I can use it to right some wrongs. And, who knows, maybe PIC or someone else can carry on the legacy of…whatever it is I eventually leave behind.

Meyhu: Oh please. At least I had the guts to admit I was in this for myself. You, like me, have conquered this profession. There’s nothing left…but you’re still here.

Welsh: Curt already gave me the same speech.

Meyhu: Well, let me give you a different one. You’ve sold all these wrestlers on an idea. A mission that they can’t turn down. And they all jumped on board without truly realizing what they were getting into because of who you are…of what you’ve established throughout your career. The only problem is…you’re not who you used to be anymore. You’re a ghost existing in the shadow where a man used to reside.

Welsh: I think you’re being harsh, champ. It’s going really well. You should see the collection of talent we have right now, it’s…

Meyhu: How do you feel? How do you feel about TRIAD?

~The question smacks Welsh in the face. It should be easy to answer, but it’s about the hardest question he’s ever been asked. He stares off~

Welsh: I…man, I don’t know anymore.

Meyhu: Mhm

Welsh: This stuff used to be so easy, right? Now I’m second guessing myself. I find myself hating what I do and who I do it for. I search and search for some meaning…some purpose to hold on to so I can get through each event. But it’s just…it’s tough.

Meyhu: Sounds familiar. You ever beat a video game?

~Welsh almost looks offended~

Welsh: Uh, yea.

Meyhu: You ever play it a second time?

Welsh: I mean, the ones I really liked, sure.

Meyhu: A third, a fourth, a fifth?

Welsh: Maybe…I don’t know. Shit gets redundant after awhile.

Meyhu: Exactly! The game ceases to have goals therefore it ceases to have meaning. After awhile you’re just going through the motions. You’re playing it because it holds some weird form of nostalgia wrapped up in comfort. Because you know you’re better than just about everyone else and you can step in and wow people with how talented you are. There’s just one problem…

Welsh: And that is?

Meyhu: You’re only talented because you’ve played it so many damn times while these others, they're going through for the very FIRST time. You’re cheating the system.

~Welsh takes a sip and swishes the liquid in his mouth a bit, washing out whatever taste is in there~

Meyhu: You should’ve left a long time ago. Moved on to other games. Other challenges. You’re stuck, Marcus. Repeating the same cycle over and over and over and that’s why…despite all of TRIAD’s success. All of its popularity…that’s why, deep down…

~Meyhu pokes Welsh in the chest~

Meyhu: You feel empty. And you hate it. You can’t achieve the satisfaction you felt when you were still chasing goals. No matter how much work you put in…no matter how much you ‘ace’ the quest…hollow. Devoid.

Welsh: You’re right. It’s gotten to the point where it actually takes away. Eats at me.

Meyhu: Things are born. They live. They die. It’s a natural evolution that gives way to new things, new lives, and, ultimately new deaths. Circle of life. The ones who refuse to die…they are the abnormalities that create glitches in the system.

Welsh: Like the purge.

Meyhu: Sure, like the purge. Or like any number of negative interactions you’ve had these past few years. It’s because you can’t stand this profession anymore, you mastered it a long time ago. You peaked, man. And that’s fine. That’s normal. What’s not normal is refusing to leave.

Welsh: But I’ve brought more joy than pain, surely I have.

Meyhu: Have you? Who let Triumvirate into the Strength Trials? Who set Strader up to fail with OCW? Who just up and abandons people whenever that void becomes too great and the food to feed it is no longer available?

~Welsh just stares at the table. His eyes ripping through and beyond everything. His mind digging, searching for something to defend himself with~

Meyhu: Curt asked you why you’re still here. You couldn’t answer that. So, I’m gonna ask you now…why are you still here?

~Welsh runs his hands through his hair~

Welsh: I…I don’t know. I guess cause it’s easy. It feeds my ego, maybe?

~Meyhu smiles~

Meyhu: Now we’re getting somewhere.

Welsh: But I do still want to give these people something to enjoy. That’s true.

Meyhu: Sure. But it’s not the main reason and because it isn’t the main reason it’ll always give way to your own selfish machinations. And, in the end, these people you, deep down, do care about…they’ll always wind up getting hurt. Each time worse than the one before. Until…

Welsh: Until what?

Meyhu: Well, until they wash their hands of you. Until the legacy you’ve built is tarnished forever. Until you’ve hung around for so long you become a joke.

Welsh: Man, I don’t want that.

Meyhu: And you don’t deserve it.

~Meyhu finally looks right at Marcus~

Welsh: Alright, after TRIAD, I’m out.

Meyhu: AFTER TRIAD?

Welsh: Uh, yea…we’ve got…

Meyhu: I don’t think you realize the urgency here, Marcus. The clock is ticking.

~Meyhu points at a clock on the wall. It’s in the shape of an elephant. The eyes looking right down at him~

Meyhu: When it expires…it’s all over. It’s too late. You need to get out NOW.

Welsh: Okay, champ…I hear you but I’ve made a deal with PIC and TLS. They need me.

Meyhu: Nobody needs you. Sure, you make things easier but they can run it without you. It’s time for you to leave, man. Last call was an hour ago. They’re gonna throw you out if you don’t get up and move.

Welsh: Strength Trials…I’ll finish those strong and then people will be happy. Then it’s a new group and we can finish strong. I can do this, champ. You know I can. One last ride and then it’s over…then I’ll shut it down.

~Meyhu throws some money down and stands up, releasing a sigh. He pats Welsh on the back and points at the beach~

Meyhu: Six years ago I saw the vision of a man who loved what he did. And he did what he did for all the right reasons. I’d have followed that man anywhere. Today…

~He looks at Marcus~

Meyhu: I just see the shell of a man I knew. I see fatigue. I see resentment. I see frustration. It’s eating you up and if you don’t get out…and get out soon, there won’t be anything left of the greatness we helped build together all those years ago.

~Meyhu starts to walk away~

Welsh: Champ. You don’t know what you’re asking. I can’t just leave in the middle of all of this. I made a commitment.

~Meyhu stops and turns~

Meyhu: Marcus, you of all people should know you can do anything you damn well want. You are beholden to nobody. Whether or not you’re willing is another question. A question you’ll have to figure out for yourself.

~Welsh nods~

Meyhu: Take it easy, old friend.

~Meyhu slides on some shades and heads down the dock, back to the mainland. Alice inches up next to Welsh and puts her arm around him~

Alice: Are you okay?

Welsh: I just want to go home, Alice. Can you just take me home?

Alice: I wish I could, Marcus. But we’ve got one more adventure left to take.

Welsh: Ah fuck, not another one.

~Welsh downs the rest of his drink as Alice slides the blindfold over his eyes. She then hands the bartender some tip money…the bartender’s name tag reads ‘Gumbo’~